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Related Concept Videos

Electroconvulsive Therapy01:30

Electroconvulsive Therapy

453
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...
453
Epilepsy and Seizures: Overview01:24

Epilepsy and Seizures: Overview

950
Epilepsy is a chronic neurological disease marked by recurrent, unpredictable seizures. These seizures are caused by abnormal electrical discharges in the brain, leading to behavior, sensation, or consciousness alterations. They can also cause transient impairment of awareness, interfering with daily activities.
Various factors can trigger epilepsy, including genetic factors, brain damage, metabolic causes, and unknown etiology. Diagnosis of epilepsy involves electroencephalography (EEG), which...
950
Brain Imaging01:14

Brain Imaging

516
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...
516

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Dec 1, 2025

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

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Does electroconvulsive therapy cause brain damage: An update.

Amal Joseph Jolly1, Shubh Mohan Singh1

  • 1Department of Psychiatry, Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh, India.

Indian Journal of Psychiatry
|November 9, 2020
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) effectively treats psychiatric disorders but is debated for causing brain damage. Current evidence shows ECT impacts brain structure and function, but does not prove it causes lasting brain damage.

Keywords:
Adverse effectbrain damageelectroconvulsive therapy

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Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Psychiatry
  • Medical Ethics

Background:

  • Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is a recognized psychiatric treatment.
  • Concerns persist regarding ECT's safety, particularly its potential to cause brain damage.
  • Defining and studying brain damage from ECT presents significant ethical and technical challenges.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review current evidence on whether electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is associated with brain damage.
  • To examine indirect methods used to assess ECT's impact on the brain.

Main Methods:

  • Narrative review of existing literature.
  • Analysis of studies using structural, functional, and metabolic neuroimaging.
  • Inclusion of body fluid biochemical marker studies and cognitive follow-up assessments.

Main Results:

  • Evidence indicates electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) demonstrably affects brain structure and function.
  • No conclusive evidence currently supports the claim that ECT causes brain damage.

Conclusions:

  • While ECT influences brain activity and morphology, current data do not substantiate claims of causing brain damage.
  • Further research is needed to fully understand the long-term neurological effects of ECT.