title: ECT: its brain enabling effects: a review of electroconvulsive therapy-induced structural brain plasticity.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Since the past 2 decades, new evidence for brain plasticity has caused a shift in both preclinical and clinical ECT research from falsifying the "brain damage hypothesis" toward exploring ECT's enabling brain (neuro)plasticity effects.
  
  
  METHODS
  By reviewing the available animal and human literature, we examined the theory that seizure-induced structural changes are crucial for the therapeutic efficacy of ECT.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Both animal and human studies suggest electroconvulsive stimulation/electroconvulsive therapy (ECT)-related neuroplasticity (neurogenesis, synaptogenesis, angiogenesis, or gliogenesis).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  It remains unclear whether structural changes might explain the therapeutic efficacy and/or be related to the (transient) learning and memory impairment after ECT. Methods to assess in vivo brain plasticity of patients treated with ECT will be of particular importance for future longitudinal studies to give support to the currently available correlational data.
authors.affiliation: From the *University Psychiatric Center KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium; †VUmc Amsterdam/GGZinGeest, Amsterdam, the Netherlands and ‡Institute of Neuropsychiatry, Copenhagen, Denmark.
authors.forename: Filip
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Bouckaert
authors.forename: Pascal
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Sienaert
authors.forename: Jasmien
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Obbels
authors.forename: Annemieke
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Dols
authors.forename: Mathieu
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Vandenbulcke
authors.forename: Max
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Stek
authors.forename: Tom
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Bolwig
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001921:Brain / Q000503:physiopathology*; D003863:Depression / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy*; D004565:Electroconvulsive Therapy / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D009473:Neuronal Plasticity / Q000502:physiology*