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Updated: Dec 26, 2025

Electroconvulsive Seizures in Rats and Fractionation of Their Hippocampi to Examine Seizure-induced Changes in Postsynaptic Density Proteins
Published on: August 15, 2017
Ketamine plus propofol-electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) transiently improves the antidepressant effects and the
Jianjing Zhang1, Hongjun Tian2, Jie Li3
1Department of Psychiatric-Neuroimaging-Genetics Laboratory (PNG_Lab), Wenzhou Seventh People's Hospital, Wenzhou, Zhejiang Province, 325000, China.
Abstract:
New methods for using ketamine in patients with propofol-electroconvulsive therapy-resistant depression (ECT-RD) are needed in the clinic. This study aimed to investigate the therapeutic efficacy of ketamine plus ECT in ECT-RD patients, along with the treatment-induced brain alterations. A total of 28 ECT-RD patients were intravenously injected with ketamine six times and treated with propofol-ECT six times alternately within two weeks. The Hamilton Depression Scale was used to assess the treatment effect. Global functional connectivity density (gFCD) and functional connectivity strength (FCS) were used to evaluate functional brain alterations. As compared with the propofol-ECT treatment group, the addition of ketamine could improve the therapeutic outcomes in patients with ECT-RD. The treatment increased gFCD in the left temporal and subgenual anterior cingulated cortex. Simultaneously, the treatment decreased FCS within the default mode network. Although increased functional connectivity could be sustained for 10 days, the clinical effect was only sustained 7 days, indicating that the clinical effect and functional brain alterations were disjointed. Ketamine plus propofol-ECT can obviously improve the effects of propofol-ECT in ECT-RD patients. However, the effect is limited in 7 days, suggesting the benefit is short-term.
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