Electroconvulsive therapy generates a postictal wave of spreading depolarization in mice and humans.

ABSTRACT: Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is a fast-acting, highly effective, and safe treatment for medication-resistant depression. Historically, the clinical benefits of ECT have been attributed to generating a controlled seizure; however, the underlying neurobiology is understudied and unresolved. Using optical neuroimaging of neural activity and hemodynamics in a mouse model of ECT, we demonstrated that a second brain event follows seizure: cortical spreading depolarization (CSD). We found that ECT pulse parameters and electrode configuration directly shaped the wave dynamics of seizure and subsequent CSD. To translate these findings to human patients, we used non-invasive diffuse optical monitoring of cerebral blood flow and oxygenation during routine ECT treatments. We observed that human bra

SUBMITTER: Rosenthal ZP 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11565954 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature