Am J Psychiatry 1988; 145:701-706
Copyright © 1988 by American Psychiatric Association
Effects of ECT on brain structure: a pilot prospective magnetic resonance imaging study
CE Coffey, GS Figiel, WT Djang, DC Sullivan, RJ Herfkens and RD Weiner
Department of Psychiatry, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC 27710.
The authors describe a pilot prospective investigation of the effects of
ECT on brain structure using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). In nine
patients with major depression, a course of ECT produced no acute changes
in brain structure according to blind raters' assessments of cortical
atrophy and global comparison of pre- and post-ECT studies. There were also
no significant changes in the ventricle-brain ratios. Pre-ECT brain
abnormalities were common in these patients yet were also unaffected by
ECT. Future MRI studies of ECT should include more subjects and should
address long-term changes and subtle brain abnormalities.
