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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: Jun 20, 2025

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

Electroconvulsive Therapy With Brain Cyst: A Simulation Study.

Azam Ahmad Bakir¹, Donel M Martin, Abdulrahman Alduraywish

¹From the Smart Manufacturing Systems Research Group, University of Southampton Malaysia, Johor, Malaysia.

The Journal of ECT

|July 18, 2024

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) brain models show an arachnoid cyst alters electrical fields. Electrode placement near the cyst changes current pathways, potentially impacting ECT efficacy and safety.

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Published on: June 7, 2016

Area of Science:

Neuroscience
Medical Imaging
Computational Modeling

Background:

Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is a vital treatment for severe neuropsychiatric disorders.
The impact of anatomical anomalies, like arachnoid cysts, on ECT's electrical field distribution is not well understood.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate how an arachnoid cyst affects the electric field (E-field) distribution during ECT.
To compare E-field distribution in a patient with a cyst versus a hypothetical cyst-free condition.

Main Methods:

Finite element modeling based on MRI scans of a patient with a left frontal arachnoid cyst.
Simulation of five electrode configurations (right unilateral, left unilateral, bifrontal, bitemporal, left anterior right temporal).
Comparison of E-field distribution with a mirrored healthy brain tissue model.

Main Results:

Significant differences in mean and 90th percentile E-fields were observed near the cyst, particularly in the left inferior and middle frontal gyri.
Montages with electrodes closer to the cyst (left unilateral, bitemporal) showed the most pronounced alterations in E-field distribution.

Conclusions:

A conductive arachnoid cyst can attract current, altering ECT pathways and potentially affecting therapeutic outcomes and safety.
Strategic electrode placement, potentially farther from the cyst, may mitigate these effects on E-field distribution and clinical results.