Propofol and methohexital as anesthetic agents for electroconvulsive therapy: a randomized, double-blind comparison of electroconvulsive therapy seizure quality, therapeutic efficacy, and cognitive performance.

Background: Propofol is often used as an anesthetic agent for electroconvulsive therapy (ECT). Whether the relatively short seizure duration, resulting from the medication, deteriorates the seizure quality and therapeutic outcomes, or whether propofol might be associated with small but significant post-ECT cognitive impairments, is still a subject of controversy. The purpose of our study was to test these hypotheses in comparison with methohexital.

[Dimensions of depressive behavior].

This study investigates the significance of a schedule of modes of behavior by comparing depressive and non-depressive persons. Using factor analytical methods it can be shown that behavioral modes of depressives form a heterogeneous group. Furthermore, it seems that two diametrically opposed mechanisms underlie depressive behavior: increase or decrease of behavioral mode frequency.