Metabolic correlates of antidepressant and antipsychotic response in patients with psychotic depression undergoing electroconvulsive therapy.

Objectives: Although electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is a very effective treatment of depression and psychosis, the mechanisms by which this occurs are not fully delineated. The objective of this study was to investigate the functional alterations in brain metabolism in response to ECT through the use of positron emission tomography assessment of cerebral glucose metabolism before and after a course of ECT.

Methods: Ten subjects with psychotic depression were studied with positron emission tomography using [F]fluorodeoxyglucose before and between 2 and 3 weeks after a course of ECT.