Electroconvulsive Therapy News and Research

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Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) involves the induction of a seizure for therapeutic purposes by the administration of a variable frequency electrical stimulus shock via electrodes applied to the scalp.

Electroconvulsive therapy combats treatment-resistant schizophrenia

The use of electroconvulsive therapy improves the chances of a treatment response in patients with continued schizophrenia symptoms despite use of antipsychotic medication, a randomised trial shows.

3 Sep 2014

Brain stimulation effective for treating depression

Brain stimulation treatments, like electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) and transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), are often effective for the treatment of depression. Like antidepressant medications, however, they typically have a delayed onset.

22 Jul 2014

UTHealth study to assess deep brain stimulation for treatment-resistant depression

A pilot study at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth) will assess the use of deep brain stimulation (DBS) in the medial forebrain bundle of the brain for treatment-resistant depression.

5 Mar 2014

USC's Keck Medicine becomes world's first center to implant responsive brain device to treat epilepsy

On Dec. 18, Keck Medicine of USC became the world's first medical center to implant a responsive brain device newly approved by the Food and Drug Administration to treat epilepsy, with potential to help millions of people worldwide.

20 Dec 2013

Medical device to reduce frequency of seizures in epilepsy patients gets FDA approval

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved a device to help reduce the frequency of seizures in epilepsy patients who have not responded well to medications.

14 Nov 2013

Multiple aspects to severe bipolar mixed states

Researchers have identified four subgroups of severe bipolar mixed states, characterized by distinct symptomatologic presentations.

1 Oct 2013

Oxytocin shows evidence of therapeutic value for autism, schizophrenia

The hormone oxytocin could play a role in treating psychiatric disorders such as autism and schizophrenia, according to a review article in the September Harvard Review of Psychiatry. The journal is published by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, a part of Wolters Kluwer Health.

17 Sep 2013

New form of electroconvulsive therapy could prevent adverse cognitive side effects

Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is the most effective acute treatment for severe major depression. However, even with newer forms of ECT, there remains a significant risk of adverse cognitive effects, particularly memory problems.

7 May 2013

Researchers study how ketamine reduces side effects of ECT in people with severe depression

The largest trial into the use of Electroconvulsive Therapy in the UK in more than 30 years will look into how the use of the Class C drug ketamine might reduce the side effects of ECT for those being treated for severe depression.

2 May 2013

Electroconvulsive therapy improves quality of life in patients with severe depression

Patients whose severe depression goes into remission for six months following electroconvulsive therapy report a quality of life similar to that of healthy individuals, researchers say.

16 Apr 2013

New born neurons as a therapeutic strategy: an interview with Mi-Hyeon Jang, Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota

There are two regions in the brain that continue to produce new neurons well into adulthood. One of these regions is the hippocampus and as we converse this region is actively involved in memory formation, mood regulation and cognition.

2 Apr 2013

sFRP3 protein appears to be target of both antidepressant drugs and electroconvulsive therapy

Through a series of investigations in mice and humans, Johns Hopkins researchers have identified a protein that appears to be the target of both antidepressant drugs and electroconvulsive therapy.

11 Feb 2013

Basis of antidepressant drugs and electroconvulsive therapy found

Through a series of investigations in mice and humans, Johns Hopkins researchers have identified a protein that appears to be the target of both antidepressant drugs and electroconvulsive therapy. Results of their experiments explain how these therapies likely work to relieve depression by stimulating stem cells in the brain to grow and mature.

7 Feb 2013

FDA to step up evaluation of metal hip implants, other devices

The Food and Drug Administration is studying whether several medical devices already on the market, such as electroconvulsive therapy devices for depression and emergency defibrillators, require additional evidence to prove they're safe.

19 Jan 2013

Electroconvulsive therapy releases opiate-like substances

Researchers used electricity on certain regions in the brain of a patient with chronic, severe facial pain to release an opiate-like substance that's considered one of the body's most powerful painkillers.

3 Jan 2013

AZD6765 briefly improves treatment-resistant patients' depression symptoms in minutes

A drug that works through the same brain mechanism as the fast-acting antidepressant ketamine briefly improved treatment-resistant patients' depression symptoms in minutes, with minimal untoward side effects, in a clinical trial conducted by the National Institutes of Health. The experimental agent, called AZD6765, acts through the brain's glutamate chemical messenger system.

13 Dec 2012

Zucker Hillside Hospital celebrates opening of new $120 million inpatient pavilion

Zucker Hillside Hospital today celebrated the opening of a new 130,000-square-foot, $120 million inpatient pavilion. Constructed with the generous support of North Shore-LIJ Health System trustees Donald and Barbara Zucker and other donors, the 130,000-square-foot building will consolidate outdated living quarters dispersed across the psychiatric facility's campus, significantly improving the coordination of services and treatment along the continuum of care.

12 Dec 2012

Sharp decline in ECT availability and use in the U.S. general hospitals

Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is considered the most effective treatment option for patients with severe depression who cannot find symptom relief through antidepressant medications or psychotherapy. In a new study, researchers at Butler Hospital and Bradley Hospital in Rhode Island found a sharp decline in the availability and use of ECT in general hospitals across the U.S.

21 Nov 2012

BD family history risk factor for recurrent episodes in MDD

A family history of bipolar disorder increases the likelihood of recurrent episodes of hypomania or mania in individuals with prior major depressive disorder, suggest findings published in Bipolar Disorders.

1 Oct 2012

Scientists discover biological marker that may help identify patients’ response to antidepressants

Scientists have discovered a biological marker that may help to identify which depressed patients will respond to an experimental, rapid-acting antidepressant. The brain signal, detectable by noninvasive imaging, also holds clues to the agent's underlying mechanism, which are vital for drug development, say National Institutes of Health researchers.

7 Aug 2012