Clinical Neuroscience of ECT (CNECT)

 Out on PubMed, from authors in Brazil, in JECT, is this case report: Extreme Agitation in Mania Treated With Intravenous Continuous Infusion of Dexmedetomidine and  ECT . Tolentino A, Santaella F, Barros FMR, Barnes L, Torre OD, Schlittler L, Oliveira KD, Dos Santos Junior A, Dalgalarrondo P, Banzato CEM. J ECT. 2024 Apr 8. doi: 10.1097/YCT.0000000000001007. Online ahead of print. PMID:  38587401 The report is here . And here: This is a very interesting case report describing the use of IV dexmedetomidine to treat pre-ECT agitation in mania. It would have been helpful to have the details of the anesthetic management and something about the ECT parameters. Dexmedetomidine is an up-and-comer in the ECT world; I'm predicting much more common use in conjunction with ECT in the future...

 Here is a link to a video produced by Dr. Michael Grozinger and colleagues in Germany: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nEVAjMncCQo Another screen shot: This is an excellent addition to the patient information video resources available online. It is narrated by the patient, Thomas, and covers his ECT experience in 15 minutes. Its low key approach should make it very approachable for patients. Kudos to Dr. Grozinger and colleagues for producing this.

 Out on PubMed, from authors in Pisa, Italy, is this reiew: Pseudodementia in Patients with Unipolar and Bipolar Disorders: A Case Series and Literature Review. Elefante C, Brancati GE, Acierno D, Pistolesi G, Ricciardulli S, Weiss F, Romeo F, Lattanzi L, Maremmani I, Perugi G. J Clin Med. 2024 Mar 19;13(6):1763. doi: 10.3390/jcm13061763. PMID:  38541988   Free PMC article Review. The abstract is copied below: Even though pseudodementia has been historically linked to depression, other psychiatric conditions may cause reversible cognitive alterations. The purpose of this study is to improve our understanding of pseudodementia occurring throughout the entire bipolar spectrum. A systematic review was conducted according to PRISMA guidelines. PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science databases were searched up to March 2023. Fifteen articles on patients with pseudodementia and bipolar disorder (BD), mania, hypomania, or mixed depression have been included. Moreover, seven female patients with mo

 Out on PubMed, from authors in Boston, is this article: Epigenome  Defines Aberrant Brain  Laterality  in Major Mental Illnesses. Abdolmaleky HM, Nohesara S, Thiagalingam S. Brain Sci. 2024 Mar 7;14(3):261. doi: 10.3390/brainsci14030261. PMID:  38539649 The abstract is copied below: Brain-hemisphere asymmetry/laterality is a well-conserved biological feature of normal brain development. Several lines of evidence, confirmed by the meta-analysis of different studies, support the disruption of brain laterality in mental illnesses such as schizophrenia (SCZ), bipolar disorder (BD), attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), and autism. Furthermore, as abnormal brain lateralization in the planum temporale (a critical structure in auditory language processing) has been reported in patients with SCZ, it has been considered a major cause for the onset of auditory verbal hallucinations. Interestingly, the peripheral counterparts of abnormal brain lat

"Classics in ECT" brings you this review by Hungarian ECT experts: Electroconvulsive therapy: 80 years old and still going strong. Gazdag G , Ungvari GS. World J Psychiatry. 2019 Jan 4;9(1):1-6. doi: 10.5498/wjp.v9.i1.1. eCollection 2019 Jan 4. PMID:  30631748   The abstract is here: Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), which is among the oldest and most controversial treatments in the field of psychiatry, has its 80th birthday this year. In this brief historical overview, the discovery of the therapeutic effects of convulsive therapy by Laszló Meduna, and the circumstances that motivated Ugo Cerletti and Lucio Bini to use electricity as a means of seizure induction are described. Meduna's original theory about the antagonism between epilepsy and schizophrenia has been replaced by hypotheses on the mechanism of action of ECT. The position of ECT in modern psychiatry is also discussed with special attention to its most important clinical indications, including catatonia, and p

Out on PubMed, is this entry in The Medical Letter on Drugs and Therapeutics: Drugs for bipolar disorder. [No authors listed] Med Lett Drugs Ther. 2024 Apr 1;66(1699):49-54. doi: 10.58347/tml.2024.1699a. PMID:  38576143 Keywords:  Abilify; Caplyta; Carbatrol; Depakote; Deplin; Equetro; Geodon; L-methylfolate; Lamictal; Latuda; Lithobid; Lybalvi; Risperdal; Rykindo; SSRIs; Saphris; Seroquel; Symbyax; Tegretol; Vraylar; Zyprexa; adverse effects; antidepressants; antipsychotics; aripiprazole; asenapine; bipolar disorder; bupropion; carbamazepine; cariprazine; depression; divalproex sodium; dosage; drug interactions; efficacy;  electroconvulsive therapy ; fluoxetine; lamotrigine; lithium; lumateperone; lurasidone; olanzapine; pregnancy; quetiapine; risperidone; safety; samidorphan; valproate; valproic acid. The link is here: https://secure-medicalletter-org.us1.proxy.openathens.net/TML-article-1699a#a6 And from the text: ELECTROCONVULSIVE THERAPY (ECT) —   ECT is generally reserved for sev