Structural Changes in Depressed Patients Directly After Treatment With Electroconvulsive Therapy and 3 Months Later.

Objectives: It is assumed that neuroplasticity plays a central role in the effect of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) on patients with major depressive disorder. We carried out an explorative study to map out the extent in which gray matter volume changes could be found directly after ECT treatment and after follow-up.

Methods: Initially, 12 patients with treatment-resistant depression were recruited from the Radboud Medical Center.