Searching for the mechanism(s) of ECT's therapeutic effect

W. Vaughn McCall; Chittaranjan Andrade; Pascal Sienaert

doi:10.1097/YCT.0000000000000121

Searching for the mechanism(s) of ECT's therapeutic effect

W. Vaughn McCall, Chittaranjan Andrade, Pascal Sienaert

Psychiatry and Health Behavior

Research output: Contribution to journal › Review article › peer-review

31 Scopus citations

Abstract

The exact therapeutic mechanism of action of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) remains unresolved. Numerous psychological theories from decades ago have been proven untrue. In the ensuing years, ECT has been proven to have numerous reproducible effects on brain chemistry, regional brain activity, electroencephalographic sleep stages, and neurogenesis. Clinically, ECT has been shown to have antidepressant, antipsychotic, antimanic, antiparkinsonian, and anticonvulsive effects. It is possible that different biological effects of ECT are responsible for different clinical effects or that several biological effects in concert work together to produce a given clinical effect. This paper comments on the array of possible mechanisms and points toward the future of mechanistic research in ECT.

Original language	English (US)
Pages (from-to)	87-89
Number of pages	3
Journal	Journal of ECT
Volume	30
Issue number	2
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1097/YCT.0000000000000121
State	Published - Jun 2014

Keywords

ECT
Mechanism

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Neuroscience (miscellaneous)
Psychiatry and Mental health

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

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10.1097/YCT.0000000000000121

Cite this

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abstract = "The exact therapeutic mechanism of action of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) remains unresolved. Numerous psychological theories from decades ago have been proven untrue. In the ensuing years, ECT has been proven to have numerous reproducible effects on brain chemistry, regional brain activity, electroencephalographic sleep stages, and neurogenesis. Clinically, ECT has been shown to have antidepressant, antipsychotic, antimanic, antiparkinsonian, and anticonvulsive effects. It is possible that different biological effects of ECT are responsible for different clinical effects or that several biological effects in concert work together to produce a given clinical effect. This paper comments on the array of possible mechanisms and points toward the future of mechanistic research in ECT.",

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AB - The exact therapeutic mechanism of action of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) remains unresolved. Numerous psychological theories from decades ago have been proven untrue. In the ensuing years, ECT has been proven to have numerous reproducible effects on brain chemistry, regional brain activity, electroencephalographic sleep stages, and neurogenesis. Clinically, ECT has been shown to have antidepressant, antipsychotic, antimanic, antiparkinsonian, and anticonvulsive effects. It is possible that different biological effects of ECT are responsible for different clinical effects or that several biological effects in concert work together to produce a given clinical effect. This paper comments on the array of possible mechanisms and points toward the future of mechanistic research in ECT.

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KW - Mechanism

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Searching for the mechanism(s) of ECT's therapeutic effect

Abstract

Keywords

ASJC Scopus subject areas

UN SDGs

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