A Neuroendocrine View of ECT.
A neuroendocrine hypothesis to explain the clinical activity of convulsive therapy is described. The hypothesis is based on the diabetes/insulin model and suggests that hypothalamic dysfunction with an insufficiency of a mood-maintaining peptide is the basis for affective disorders. Repeated seizures enhance the production and release of the hypothalamic peptide antidepressin-the active principle that relieves both neuroendocrine and behavioral abnormalities.
Fink
Max
M
Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science, School of Medicine, State University of New York at Stony Brook, New York, and the International Association for Psychiatric Research, Inc., St. James, New York, USA.
Nemeroff
Charles B.
CB