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

22
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...
22

You might also read

Related Articles

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

Sort by
Same author

HARMONY: A large-scale harmonized neuroimaging dataset for research on anxious misery disorders.

bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology·2026
Same author

Association of Fetal Gene Regulatory Gene Deletions With Poor Cognition in Schizophrenia and Community-Based Samples.

The American journal of psychiatry·2026
Same author

Auditory Network Discoherence in Chronic Tinnitus.

medRxiv : the preprint server for health sciences·2026
Same author

Association of maternal antenatal distress with child amygdala-prefrontal cortex functional connectivity at 2-3 years in a South African birth cohort study.

Brain research bulletin·2026
Same author

Maternal and child immune profiles are associated with neurometabolite measures of early-life neuroinflammation in children who are HIV-exposed and uninfected: a South African birth cohort.

Wellcome open research·2026
Same author

A Global Delphi-Based Expert Consensus on Relapse Prevention Strategies Following Successful Electroconvulsive Therapy for Major Depressive Disorder.

The American journal of psychiatry·2026

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 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

12.0K

Brain morphometry, stimulation charge, and seizure duration in electroconvulsive therapy.

Amber M Leaver1, Chris C Abbott2, Randall T Espinoza3,4

  • 1Department of Radiology, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, 60611.

Medrxiv : the Preprint Server for Health Sciences
|January 20, 2025
PubMed
Summary

Pre-treatment brain structure influences electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) seizures. Personalized ECT dosing based on head morphology may improve depression treatment outcomes and reduce side effects.

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

9.3K
A Multimodal Imaging- and Stimulation-based Method of Evaluating Connectivity-related Brain Excitability in Patients with Epilepsy
08:23

A Multimodal Imaging- and Stimulation-based Method of Evaluating Connectivity-related Brain Excitability in Patients with Epilepsy

Published on: November 13, 2016

11.0K

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jun 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

12.0K
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

9.3K
A Multimodal Imaging- and Stimulation-based Method of Evaluating Connectivity-related Brain Excitability in Patients with Epilepsy
08:23

A Multimodal Imaging- and Stimulation-based Method of Evaluating Connectivity-related Brain Excitability in Patients with Epilepsy

Published on: November 13, 2016

11.0K

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Medical Imaging
  • Psychiatry

Background:

  • Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is an effective treatment for severe depression.
  • The therapeutic mechanism of ECT-induced seizures remains unclear.
  • Understanding seizure induction is crucial for optimizing ECT.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the relationship between pre-treatment brain morphology and ECT-induced seizures.
  • To explore how brain structure influences stimulation dose and seizure duration.
  • To identify factors that may predict antidepressant response to ECT.

Main Methods:

  • Analysis of MRI data from 166 patients with treatment-resistant depression undergoing right unilateral (RUL) ECT.
  • Assessment of regional brain morphometry and electrical current magnitude (|E|).
  • Correlation of these measures with seizure duration and stimulation charge at different thresholds (ECT1, ECT2&3), controlling for covariates.

Main Results:

  • Lower stimulation charge correlated with specific cortical surface area and white matter electrical current patterns.
  • Higher electrical current in the amygdala and hippocampus was associated with lower stimulation charge.
  • Cortical surface area between electrodes correlated positively with seizure duration; antidepressant response linked to temporal electrode morphology and electrical current.

Conclusions:

  • Pre-treatment brain morphology significantly influences ECT-induced seizures, particularly in electrode-adjacent and seizure-related regions.
  • Individualized ECT dosing, informed by head morphology, holds potential for enhanced antidepressant outcomes.
  • Further research into neurobiological correlates of ECT may refine treatment personalization and minimize adverse effects.