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Anterior Bifrontal ECT: A Clinical Trial

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 January 2018

Richard Abrams
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, New York Medical College, 5 East 102nd Street, New York, N.Y., 10029, U.S.A
Michael Alan Taylor
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, New York Medical College, 5 East 102nd Street, New York, N.Y., 10029, U.S.A

Extract

Unilateral ECT (U/ECT) produces therapeutic generalized convulsions with less amnesia and confusion than classical bilateral ECT (B/ECT). The clinical effects of these two methods have recendy been compared (Abrams et al., 1972) and reviewed (Abrams, 1972), with the conclusion that U/ECT is less effective than B/ECT in the treatment of depressed patients. Generalized seizures are induced with both methods, and we considered the possibility that the therapeutic advantage for B/ECT lay in its bilateral stimulation of the brain. An opportunity to evaluate the effects of bilateral stimulation exclusive of the temporal lobes arose at the suggestion of Inglis (1970) that seizures induced with treatment electrodes placed over the front of the head should improve mood but have less effect on memory than the other techniques.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Royal College of Psychiatrists, 1973 

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References

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