title: Brain-behavior relationship in a case of successful ECT for drug refractory catatonic OCD.
abstract: This case report describes the successful response to electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) in a patient with an unusual presentation of catatonia, whose onset occurred in the context of an extremely severe form of refractory obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). We correlated the clinical improvement in catatonic and OCD symptoms with specific changes in brain function as shown by regional cerebral blood flow scans, neurological soft signs examination, and neuropsychological testing. All assessments were conducted before and after the ECT course. The results strongly suggest that a right hemisphere dysfunction was the neural correlate of our patient's symptoms, and that ECT, by reverting this abnormality, may serve as an effective therapeutic approach for refractory catatonic OCD.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neuroscience and Behavior, Functional Area of Psychiatry, Psychiatry, AOU Federico II, Naples, Italy. giordano.durso@unina.it
authors.forename: Giordano
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: D'Urso
authors.forename: Antonio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mantovani
authors.forename: Anna Maria
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Barbarulo
authors.forename: Ludovica
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Labruna
authors.forename: Giovanni
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Muscettola
mesh_terms: D001519:Behavior / Q000502:physiology*; D001921:Brain / Q000503:physiopathology*; D002389:Catatonia / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy*; D002560:Cerebrovascular Circulation / Q000502:physiology; D003545:Cysteine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives; D004565:Electroconvulsive Therapy; D004569:Electroencephalography; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D009422:Nervous System Diseases / Q000150:complications; D009460:Neurologic Examination; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D009771:Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy*; D015609:Organotechnetium Compounds; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D011603:Psychophysiology; D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D015899:Tomography, Emission-Computed, Single-Photon; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D015609:Organotechnetium Compounds; D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; C059659:technetium Tc 99m bicisate; D003545:Cysteine