title: Brain anatomic effects of electroconvulsive therapy. A prospective magnetic resonance imaging study.
abstract: To determine prospectively whether electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) produces structural brain changes, 35 inpatients with depression underwent magnetic resonance imaging before and twice after (at 2 to 3 days and at 6 months) completion of a course of brief-pulse, bilateral ECT. The magnetic resonance images were analyzed blindly for evidence of changes in brain structure using two approaches: measurement of regional brain volumes and a pairwise global comparison. Structural brain abnormalities were present in many patients before ECT. The course of ECT produced no acute or delayed (6-month) change in brain structure as measured by alterations of the total volumes of the lateral ventricles, the third ventricle, the frontal lobes, the temporal lobes, or the amygdala-hippocampal complex. In five subjects, the pairwise global comparisons revealed an apparent increase in subcortical hyperintensity, most likely secondary to progression of ongoing cerebrovascular disease during follow-up. Our results confirm and extend previous imaging studies that also found no relationship between ECT and brain damage.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC.
authors.forename: C E
authors.initials: CE
authors.lastname: Coffey
authors.forename: R D
authors.initials: RD
authors.lastname: Weiner
authors.forename: W T
authors.initials: WT
authors.lastname: Djang
authors.forename: G S
authors.initials: GS
authors.lastname: Figiel
authors.forename: S A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Soady
authors.forename: L J
authors.initials: LJ
authors.lastname: Patterson
authors.forename: P D
authors.initials: PD
authors.lastname: Holt
authors.forename: C E
authors.initials: CE
authors.lastname: Spritzer
authors.forename: W E
authors.initials: WE
authors.lastname: Wilkinson
mesh_terms: D000679:Amygdala / Q000033:anatomy & histology; D001921:Brain / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000473:pathology; D002552:Cerebral Ventricles / Q000033:anatomy & histology; D002561:Cerebrovascular Disorders / Q000473:pathology; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000628:therapy*; D004565:Electroconvulsive Therapy / Q000009:adverse effects*; D005260:Female; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000033:anatomy & histology; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies