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. 2024 Jan-Mar;65(1):13-17.
doi: 10.47162/RJME.65.1.02.

Neurobiological mechanisms and therapeutic impact of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT)

Ana Maria Cojocaru  1 , Antonia Ioana Vasile, Simona Corina Trifu
Affiliations

Neurobiological mechanisms and therapeutic impact of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT)

Ana Maria Cojocaru et al. Rom J Morphol Embryol. 2024 Jan-Mar.

Abstract

Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is an efficient therapeutic resource for psycho-pharmacotherapeutic resistant forms of depression. ECT is a form of electrical brain stimulation involving the induction of a controlled seizure, clinically similar to an epileptic seizure, that is initiated in the prefrontal region of the brain and spreads to the cortex and subcortex, including the diencephalic structures. This is achieved by creating a transcranial electric field and synchronously depolarizing neuronal membranes. The mechanisms of action of ECT are not yet fully understood, but several hypotheses have been proposed to explain how it affects the brain: neurotransmitter changes, neuroplasticity, network connectivity, endocrine system regulation and changes in regional cerebral blood flow and regional metabolism.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interests.

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