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Electroconvulsive Therapy

Electroconvulsive Therapy

Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), or shock therapy, remains a critical biomedical intervention for severe, treatment-resistant depression. While its origins can be traced back to Hippocrates' observations that malaria-induced convulsions alleviated mental illness, modern ECT has evolved significantly from its earlier, more primitive applications. First introduced in 1938 by Ugo Cerletti and his colleagues, ECT involves inducing controlled seizures using electrical currents. In its early...

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Apr 20, 2026

Electroconvulsive Seizures in Rats and Fractionation of Their Hippocampi to Examine Seizure-induced Changes in Postsynaptic Density Proteins

Electroconvulsive Seizures in Rats and Fractionation of Their Hippocampi to Examine Seizure-induced Changes in Postsynaptic Density Proteins

Published on: August 15, 2017

Hippocampal structural and functional changes associated with electroconvulsive therapy response.

C C Abbott¹, T Jones¹, N T Lemke¹

¹Department of Psychiatry, Center for Psychiatric Research MSC11 6035, University of New Mexico School of Medicine, Albuquerque, NM, USA.

Translational Psychiatry

|November 19, 2014

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) may improve major depressive disorder by increasing right hippocampal connectivity and volume. These changes in the brain's hippocampus show potential as biomarkers for treatment response.

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Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Apr 20, 2026

Electroconvulsive Seizures in Rats and Fractionation of Their Hippocampi to Examine Seizure-induced Changes in Postsynaptic Density Proteins

Electroconvulsive Seizures in Rats and Fractionation of Their Hippocampi to Examine Seizure-induced Changes in Postsynaptic Density Proteins

Published on: August 15, 2017

Pupillary Response as Assessment of Effective Seizure Induction by Electroconvulsive Therapy

Pupillary Response as Assessment of Effective Seizure Induction by Electroconvulsive Therapy

Published on: April 11, 2019

Investigating Long-term Synaptic Plasticity in Interlamellar Hippocampus CA1 by Electrophysiological Field Recording

Investigating Long-term Synaptic Plasticity in Interlamellar Hippocampus CA1 by Electrophysiological Field Recording

Published on: August 11, 2019

Area of Science:

Neuroscience
Psychiatry
Radiology

Background:

Hippocampal neuroplasticity is linked to electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) response.
The relationship between hippocampal volume changes, temporal coherence, and ECT response is not well understood.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate if ECT response increases hippocampal resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) connectivity and volumes.
To identify potential neuroimaging biomarkers for ECT response in major depressive disorder.

Main Methods:

Nineteen patients with major depressive disorder underwent rs-fMRI and structural imaging before and after ECT.
Twenty healthy controls were scanned once.
Longitudinal changes in hippocampal functional connectivity and subfield volumes were correlated with symptom reduction.

Main Results:

Increased right hippocampal functional connectivity after ECT correlated with reduced depressive symptoms.
Volumes of right hippocampal subfields (CA2/3, dentate gyrus, subiculum) increased post-ECT.
Connectivity changes were not observed in the left hippocampus; volume changes were limited to left CA2/3 subfields.

Conclusions:

Increased hippocampal functional connectivity and volumes may serve as biomarkers for ECT response.
The observed laterality in changes may be associated with the predominantly right unilateral ECT stimulus delivery.