Clinical Neuroscience of ECT (CNECT)

 Out on PubMed, from authors in Canada, in JECT, is this review: Implementing  Electroconvulsive  Therapy for Patients Experiencing Behavioral and Psychological Symptoms of Dementia: A Systematic Review. Nidumolu A, Kapustin D, Benzouak T, Rao S, Hassan S, Amanullah S. J ECT. 2025 Mar 17. doi: 10.1097/YCT.0000000000001125. Online ahead of print. PMID:  40094391 The abstract is copied below: Objectives: Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) has long been used to treat behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD). However, there are no guidelines for the use of ECT in this population. Contributing to efforts addressing this gap in the literature, this qualitative systematic review examines areas of consensus and disagreement in currently published protocols for the use of ECT in BPSD. Methods: MEDLINE and PsychInfo were searched for primary and secondary literature meeting the aim of this review. All articles were screened, full-text reviewed, and extracted in d...

 This from Medscape on March 21, 2025 The link is here: https://na01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.medscape.com%2Fviewarticle%2Fmanaging-mental-illness-pregnancy-and-postpartum-what-know-2025a10006os&data=05%7C02%7C%7C731ec011327343c227b208dd68b224a4%7C84df9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaaaaaaaaa%7C1%7C0%7C638781836499111114%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=PROldWCwoODo73NkHb8lgw3FZclxGa5RccXDSzokK0c%3D&reserved=0 The ECT part is here: The "current literature" links to this article: I blog about this because the article actually mentions ECT. It is mostly about drugs, but kudos to the author for not forgetting about ECT, as so many do.

 Out on PubMed, in JECT, from Italian and German authors, is this paper: "His Discovery Has Revolutionized Psychiatry; It Has Opened Vast Horizons": Ugo Cerletti, a Missing Nobel Prize Laureate? Sirgiovanni E, Hansson N. J ECT. 2025 Mar 19. doi: 10.1097/YCT.0000000000001136. Online ahead of print. PMID:  40105334 The abstract is copied below: Drawing on original sources from Italian and Swedish archives, this article provides novel insights into the life of Ugo Cerletti (1877-1963). Cerletti, the Italian neuropsychiatrist and originator (with his assistant Lucio Bini) of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) in the late 1930s, strongly coveted the Nobel Prize in the 1950s and 1960s. He would never receive it, despite maintaining close correspondence with his nominators and informants in Sweden. This article critically discusses potential reasons for the rejection of his candidacy, including the tensions between Cerletti and Bini and the general climate of suspicion against ECT tha...

Out on PubMed, from authors in Germany, is this paper: [Access to  electroconvulsive   therapy for people lacking decision making capacity and as nonvoluntary treatment : Expert consensus and statement of the German Association for Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics (DGPPN)]. Zilles-Wegner D, Gather J, Hasan A, Müller JL, Pollmächer T, Simon A, Steinert T, Sartorius A. Nervenarzt. 2025 Mar 5. doi: 10.1007/s00115-025-01816-8. Online ahead of print. PMID:  40042615   Review.   German The abstract is copied below: Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is a clinically well-established, evidence-based procedure for the treatment of particularly severe or treatment-resistant psychiatric and neuropsychiatric disorders. A considerable number of patients who require ECT are unable to provide informed consent due to their medical condition. Both international and national studies show that restrictive laws and legal rulings can hinder or even prevent the use of ECT in...

 Out on PubMed,  from authors in Italy, is this article: Treatment options for depression in Parkinson's disease: a mini-review. Raggi A, Serretti A, Ferri R. Int Clin Psychopharmacol. 2025 Mar 13. doi: 10.1097/YIC.0000000000000588. Online ahead of print. PMID:  40071596 The abstract is copied below: Depression is a common comorbidity in Parkinson's disease (PD), significantly reducing patients' quality of life. This mini-review examines pharmacological and nonpharmacological therapies for managing depression in PD, analyzing their benefits, and limitations. Pharmacological options include tricyclic antidepressants, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs), levodopa, dopaminergic agonists, and monoamine oxidase B inhibitors. Nonpharmacological strategies involve brief psychodynamic therapy, cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), physical exercise, phytomedicine, massage therapy, music therapy, phototherapy, yo...

  NY Times: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/22/us/politics/kitty-dukakis-dead.html Washington Post: https://www.washingtonpost.com/obituaries/2025/03/22/kitty-dukakis-michael-alcoholism-mental-health-dead/ From the NY Times: She and her husband believed that her drinking was driven by a deep-seated depression, but antidepressants and talk therapy were not helping. They spent almost two decades searching for treatment while she went in and out of rehab. Finally, they learned about electroconvulsive therapy, or ECT, a procedure that can wipe out a person’s memory but can also be highly effective in treating the most severe depressions. As she said in her second book, “Shock: The Healing Power of Electroconvulsive Therapy” (2006), written with the journalist Larry Tye, she turned to it as a last resort. To her surprise, she said, ECT gave her back her life, lifting a cloud from her mind and allowing her to experience a full range of feelings. She said that having a clearer mind helped...

I will be on hiatus for much of the month of March, but may sporadically post something. So please keep checking PubMed for ECT articles, and I look forward to  being back soon. CK

Just a reminder the the new APA Task Force Report book on ECT is available. It contains nearly 2000 ECT references, so is a good entry point into the ECT literature. It also has sample consent forms that can be used as modifiable templates.