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

You might also read

Related Articles

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

Sort by
Same author

Re-evaluating response rates, time to reorientation and inadequate seizure duration in magnetic seizure therapy for schizophrenia and major depression.

Molecular psychiatry·2026
Same author

Relapse Prevention After Successful ECT for Depression: The Role of Lithium and Continuation/Maintenance ECT.

The American journal of psychiatry·2026
Same author

An international initiative to improve mental healthcare in Palestine through a tripartite collaboration.

BJPsych international·2026
Same author

Improving the delivery of electroconvulsive therapy in the West Bank, Palestine.

BJPsych international·2026
Same author

Advancing ketamine in the treatment hierarchy for refractory depression: commentary, Jelovac et al.

The British journal of psychiatry : the journal of mental science·2025
Same author

Ultrabrief pulse electroconvulsive therapy for depression: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Molecular psychiatry·2025

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jan 19, 2026

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

Association between pulse width and clinical response to electroconvulsive therapy.

Richard Braithwaite1, Ana Jelovac2

  • 1Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, Meadowfield Hospital, Worthing, West Sussex, United Kingdom; Brighton and Sussex Medical School, Brighton, East Sussex, United Kingdom.

Journal of Psychiatric Research
|January 17, 2026
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Shorter electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) pulse widths, specifically 0.5 ms, are linked to lower treatment response rates compared to the standard 1.0 ms. This suggests 1.0 ms pulse width should be the default for ECT, prioritizing efficacy unless cognitive side effects are a major concern.

Keywords:
Bipolar disorderElectroconvulsive therapyMajor depressive disorderPulse widthResponseSchizophrenia

More Related Videos

Assessing Primary Motor Cortex Excitability and Excitability Modulation by Pairing Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation with Electromyography
12:13

Assessing Primary Motor Cortex Excitability and Excitability Modulation by Pairing Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation with Electromyography

Published on: October 7, 2025

621
Combined Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation and Electroencephalography of the Dorsolateral Prefrontal Cortex
07:42

Combined Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation and Electroencephalography of the Dorsolateral Prefrontal Cortex

Published on: August 17, 2018

12.4K

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jan 19, 2026

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
Assessing Primary Motor Cortex Excitability and Excitability Modulation by Pairing Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation with Electromyography
12:13

Assessing Primary Motor Cortex Excitability and Excitability Modulation by Pairing Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation with Electromyography

Published on: October 7, 2025

621
Combined Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation and Electroencephalography of the Dorsolateral Prefrontal Cortex
07:42

Combined Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation and Electroencephalography of the Dorsolateral Prefrontal Cortex

Published on: August 17, 2018

12.4K

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Psychiatry
  • Clinical Medicine

Background:

  • The standard 0.5 ms pulse width in electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) lacks comparative effectiveness data against established 1.0-1.5 ms brief pulse widths.
  • The efficacy of shorter pulse widths in ECT remains under-investigated.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the association between electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) pulse width and clinical response.
  • To compare the effectiveness of different ECT pulse widths using real-world data.

Main Methods:

  • Analysis of registry data from 87 centers in the UK and Republic of Ireland, including 1956 patients undergoing ECT.
  • Clinical response was defined as an end-of-treatment Clinical Global Impression-Improvement score of 1 or 2.
  • Multivariable logistic regression was used to analyze the association between pulse width and treatment outcomes.

Main Results:

  • Pulse widths of 0.5 ms (aOR 0.64) and 0.25-0.3 ms (aOR 0.56) were associated with significantly lower odds of clinical response compared to 1.0 ms.
  • Predicted response probabilities were 73.4% for 1.0 ms, 64.1% for 0.5 ms, and 61.0% for 0.25-0.3 ms.
  • Subgroup analysis for depressive episodes confirmed reduced response rates for 0.5 ms and 0.25-0.3 ms pulse widths.

Conclusions:

  • A 0.5 ms pulse width in ECT is associated with reduced treatment response.
  • The 1.0 ms ECT pulse width should be considered the standard for optimal clinical outcomes.
  • Cognitive sparing may be a consideration for using shorter pulse widths in specific individual cases.