Abstract
Whereas pathological seizure states, such as temporal lobe epilepsy, are commonly associated with cell loss and glial scarring in the hippocampus, seizures induced via electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) have not been associated with histological evidence of neuronal damage. We present a case report including the late-life medical history and postmortem histology of an elderly woman with major depression who received 91 sessions of ECT during the last 22 years of her life. Given the large number of ECT sessions, and her advanced age, this case provides a strong test of whether ECT causes detectable evidence of neuronal damage. We examined the gross morphology of the hippocampus, hippocampal cytoarchitecture, and measures of neuropathology. We found no pathological changes that could be attributed to ECT. Only expected, age-related features were present. Corpora amylacea and rare neurofibrillary tangles were evident, but we failed to detect any obvious evidence of cell loss or gliosis. Cognition in this patient was intact as indicated by a perfect score on a Mini-Mental Status Examination administered 6 days before death at the age of 92. This case adds to the considerable evidence for the safety of ECT.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 96-98 |
| Number of pages | 3 |
| Journal | Journal of ECT |
| Volume | 23 |
| Issue number | 2 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Jun 1 2007 |
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Keywords
- Cell death
- Hippocampus
- Histology
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Neuroscience (miscellaneous)
- Psychiatry and Mental health
Cite this
Neuropathologic examination after 91 ECT treatments in a 92-year-old woman with late-onset depression. / Scalia, Jason; Lisanby, Sarah H.; Dwork, Andrew J.; Johnson, James E.; Bernhardt, Elisabeth R.; Arango, Victoria; McCall, William Vaughn.
In: Journal of ECT, Vol. 23, No. 2, 01.06.2007, p. 96-98.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - Neuropathologic examination after 91 ECT treatments in a 92-year-old woman with late-onset depression
AU - Scalia, Jason
AU - Lisanby, Sarah H.
AU - Dwork, Andrew J.
AU - Johnson, James E.
AU - Bernhardt, Elisabeth R.
AU - Arango, Victoria
AU - McCall, William Vaughn
PY - 2007/6/1
Y1 - 2007/6/1
N2 - Whereas pathological seizure states, such as temporal lobe epilepsy, are commonly associated with cell loss and glial scarring in the hippocampus, seizures induced via electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) have not been associated with histological evidence of neuronal damage. We present a case report including the late-life medical history and postmortem histology of an elderly woman with major depression who received 91 sessions of ECT during the last 22 years of her life. Given the large number of ECT sessions, and her advanced age, this case provides a strong test of whether ECT causes detectable evidence of neuronal damage. We examined the gross morphology of the hippocampus, hippocampal cytoarchitecture, and measures of neuropathology. We found no pathological changes that could be attributed to ECT. Only expected, age-related features were present. Corpora amylacea and rare neurofibrillary tangles were evident, but we failed to detect any obvious evidence of cell loss or gliosis. Cognition in this patient was intact as indicated by a perfect score on a Mini-Mental Status Examination administered 6 days before death at the age of 92. This case adds to the considerable evidence for the safety of ECT.
AB - Whereas pathological seizure states, such as temporal lobe epilepsy, are commonly associated with cell loss and glial scarring in the hippocampus, seizures induced via electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) have not been associated with histological evidence of neuronal damage. We present a case report including the late-life medical history and postmortem histology of an elderly woman with major depression who received 91 sessions of ECT during the last 22 years of her life. Given the large number of ECT sessions, and her advanced age, this case provides a strong test of whether ECT causes detectable evidence of neuronal damage. We examined the gross morphology of the hippocampus, hippocampal cytoarchitecture, and measures of neuropathology. We found no pathological changes that could be attributed to ECT. Only expected, age-related features were present. Corpora amylacea and rare neurofibrillary tangles were evident, but we failed to detect any obvious evidence of cell loss or gliosis. Cognition in this patient was intact as indicated by a perfect score on a Mini-Mental Status Examination administered 6 days before death at the age of 92. This case adds to the considerable evidence for the safety of ECT.
KW - Cell death
KW - Hippocampus
KW - Histology
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=34249875164&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=34249875164&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1097/YCT.0b013e31804bb99d
DO - 10.1097/YCT.0b013e31804bb99d
M3 - Article
C2 - 17548979
AN - SCOPUS:34249875164
VL - 23
SP - 96
EP - 98
JO - Journal of ECT
JF - Journal of ECT
SN - 1095-0680
IS - 2
ER -