Decreased regional brain metabolism after ect.
OBJECTIVE
The antidepressant action of ECT may be related to its anticonvulsant properties. Positron emission tomography (PET) studies of regional cerebral metabolic rate for glucose were used to test this hypothesis.


METHODS
Ten patients with major depression were studied with PET before and approximately 5 days after a course of bilateral ECT. Statistical parametric mapping was used to identify regions of decreased cerebral glucose metabolism.


RESULTS
Widespread regions of decreased regional cerebral glucose metabolism were identified after ECT, especially in the frontal and parietal cortex, anterior and posterior cingulate gyrus, and left temporal cortex. A region-of-interest analysis similarly indicated post-ECT reductions in regional cerebral glucose metabolism.


CONCLUSIONS
ECT reduces neuronal activity in selected cortical regions, a potential anticonvulsant and antidepressant effect.
Nobler
M S
MS
Department of Biological Psychiatry and Neuroscience, New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York 10032, USA.
Oquendo
M A
MA
Kegeles
L S
LS
Malone
K M
KM
Campbell
C C
CC
Sackeim
H A
HA
Mann
J J
JJ
D001921:Brain / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000378:metabolism*; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000378:metabolism / Q000628:therapy*; D004565:Electroconvulsive Therapy; D005260:Female; D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D005625:Frontal Lobe / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000378:metabolism; D007839:Functional Laterality; D005947:Glucose / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017397:Prefrontal Cortex / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000378:metabolism; D014055:Tomography, Emission-Computed / Q000706:statistics & numerical data
D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18; D005947:Glucose