Disturbances in Brain Function Following Convulsive Shock Therapy

As a result of the recent widespread use of convulsive shock therapy for psychiatric disorders, the effect of this treatment on the structure and function of the brain has become a matter of considerable concern to clinicians. This has been augmented since convulsive shock therapy has been successfully employed to shorten attacks of affective disorders in which intellectual functions are maintained and emerge undisturbed with spontaneous recovery. MATERIAL AND METHODS Patients under the regimen of convulsive therapy were studied neurologically and psychiatrically before and after treatment. Electroencephalograms were recorded before the first shock and at varying times after cessation of the treatment; some patients were completely rechecked at intervals several months after discharge from the hospital. Such studies were carried out on 23 patients, all but 4 of whom were suffering from primary or secondary affective disorders (see table 1 for significant data). Of the 4 other patients, 2 were