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Study Explains How Shock Therapy Might Ease Severe Depression

Treatment appears to reduce connections in a part of the brain involved in thought and socializing

March 19, 2012 RSS Feed Print

Looking at brain connections in people with severe depression could help clinicians predict who will benefit from electroshock therapy as well as who will relapse after treatment, Schwarzbauer suggested. Between about 60 percent and 80 percent of people become depressed again, usually within six months of the treatment.

Beyond depression, functional MRI of the entire brain could offer insights into other conditions that could be related to changes in brain networks, including autism, schizophrenia and dementia, Schwarzbauer said.

More information

The U.S. National Institute of Mental Health has more on electroshock therapy.