Effects of electroconvulsive therapy on regional cerebral blood flow measured by 99mtechnetium HMPAO SPECT
Mboyo Di Tamba Vangu1, Jan Daniel Esser, Ivan Harry Boyd
1Division of Nuclear Medicine, Johannesburg Hospital, Private Bag x39, Johannesburg 2000, South Africa. 084mboy@chiron.wits.ac.za
Progress in Neuro-Psychopharmacology & Biological Psychiatry
|January 29, 2003
Abstract:
Decreased cerebral blood flow is documented in depression. In this study, 15 patients were studied with 99mTc-HMPAO SPECT before and after a course of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT). Improvement in frontal and temporal hypoperfusion was seen only in those patients who responded to ECT. Cerebral hypoperfusion may be a state-dependent marker in depressive illness.


