Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

Electroconvulsive Therapy01:30

Electroconvulsive Therapy

927
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...
927
Brain Imaging01:14

Brain Imaging

670
Brain imaging technologies provide critical insights into both the structure and function of the human brain, enabling medical professionals and researchers to diagnose, study, and treat neurological disorders or psychiatric disorders more effectively.
These technologies include computerized axial tomography (CAT or CT scans), positron-emission tomography (PET scans),  magnetic resonance imaging (MRI),  functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), and Transcranial Magnetic...
670

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Protein Homeostasis Screen Identifies CK2 Inhibition as a Driver of CARD9 Depletion.

ACS chemical biology·2026
Same author

Smart Nanostructures in Oncology: Revolutionising Drug Delivery and Diagnostics.

Current pharmaceutical design·2026
Same author

Prevention of Recurrent Cases of Emergence Delirium in Electroconvulsive Therapy.

Cureus·2026
Same author

Triclosan-isatin hybrids as potent anti-proliferative agents inducing S-phase arrest <i>via</i> DNA gyrase inhibition in triple-negative breast cancer.

RSC medicinal chemistry·2026
Same author

Lithium, Electroconvulsive Therapy and Cognition: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Acta psychiatrica Scandinavica·2026
Same author

Educational Differences in Treatment of Individuals Diagnosed With Major Depression: A Register-Based Cohort Study.

Acta psychiatrica Scandinavica·2026
Same journal

Impact of Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation-Induced Electric Fields on Slowing Cognitive Decline in Older Adults With Mild Cognitive Impairment or Remitted Major Depressive Disorder: An Analysis of the PACt-MD Randomized Clinical Trial.

Biological psychiatry·2026
Same journal

Remembering Jon-Kar Zubieta, M.D., Ph.D.

Biological psychiatry·2026
Same journal

Kappa opioid receptor availability in borderline personality disorder: An in-vivo investigation with [<sup>11</sup>C]EKAP PET imaging.

Biological psychiatry·2026
Same journal

From Satiety to Substance Use: Neural Mechanisms of GLP-1 Signaling in Appetite and Reward.

Biological psychiatry·2026
Same journal

Distinct and Shared Molecular Mechanisms Underlie Morphological-Functional Overcoupling and Undercoupling in Major Depressive Disorder.

Biological psychiatry·2026
Same journal

Dynamic Brain States With Cannabis Intoxication: Beyond "More Is Better" in Interpreting Brain Connectivity.

Biological psychiatry·2026
See all related articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jan 18, 2026

Electroconvulsive Seizures in Rats and Fractionation of Their Hippocampi to Examine Seizure-induced Changes in Postsynaptic Density Proteins
09:07

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

Published on: August 15, 2017

12.6K

Brain Changes Induced by Electroconvulsive Therapy Are Broadly Distributed.

Olga Therese Ousdal1, Miklos Argyelan2, Katherine L Narr3

  • 1Department of Radiology, Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway.

Biological Psychiatry
|September 29, 2019
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) broadly increases gray matter brain volume in patients with major depressive disorder. However, these volumetric changes do not predict clinical response to ECT treatment.

Keywords:
AntidepressantBiomarkerBrainDepressionECTMagnetic resonance imagingNeuroimaging

More Related Videos

Pupillary Response as Assessment of Effective Seizure Induction by Electroconvulsive Therapy
04:51

Pupillary Response as Assessment of Effective Seizure Induction by Electroconvulsive Therapy

Published on: April 11, 2019

10.2K
Transcranial Electrical Brain Stimulation in Alert Rodents
10:08

Transcranial Electrical Brain Stimulation in Alert Rodents

Published on: November 2, 2017

11.3K

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jan 18, 2026

Electroconvulsive Seizures in Rats and Fractionation of Their Hippocampi to Examine Seizure-induced Changes in Postsynaptic Density Proteins
09:07

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

Published on: August 15, 2017

12.6K
Pupillary Response as Assessment of Effective Seizure Induction by Electroconvulsive Therapy
04:51

Pupillary Response as Assessment of Effective Seizure Induction by Electroconvulsive Therapy

Published on: April 11, 2019

10.2K
Transcranial Electrical Brain Stimulation in Alert Rodents
10:08

Transcranial Electrical Brain Stimulation in Alert Rodents

Published on: November 2, 2017

11.3K

Area of Science:

  • Neuroimaging
  • Psychiatry
  • Neuroscience

Background:

  • Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is known to cause volumetric changes in specific brain regions.
  • The comprehensive pattern of whole-brain structural alterations following ECT is not fully understood.
  • Investigating these changes is crucial for understanding ECT's mechanisms and potential biomarkers.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To examine the longitudinal effects of ECT on gray matter, white matter, and ventricle volumes.
  • To identify predictors of clinical response to ECT in patients with major depressive disorder.
  • To analyze global and local volumetric variations across the whole brain.

Main Methods:

  • Longitudinal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) data from 328 patients with major depressive disorder undergoing ECT.
  • Data from 95 non-depressed control subjects scanned twice.
  • Mega-analysis of single-subject data from 14 independent research sites (Global ECT-MRI Research Collaboration - GEMRIC).

Main Results:

  • Significant volumetric increases observed in 79 out of 84 gray matter regions.
  • Cortical gray matter volume increased by 1.04% and subcortical gray matter by 1.47%.
  • Total white matter volume remained unchanged; subcortical gray matter increase correlated with ventricle volume.

Conclusions:

  • ECT broadly induces gray matter volumetric increases across the brain.
  • These widespread gray matter volumetric enlargements are not associated with clinical outcome.
  • Specific volumetric increases may not be reliable biomarkers for predicting ECT's clinical effectiveness.