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Increased transcranial magnetic motor threshold after ECT

A case report

  • CASE REPORT
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European Archives of Psychiatry and Clinical Neuroscience Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract.

Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is a powerful antidepressive treatment, but its mechanism of action remains poorly understood. To clarify the influence of ECT on corticospinal tract excitability we tested the motor threshold, the motor evoked potential (MEP) input/output curve, and the intracortical excitability using transcranial magnetic stimulation in a depressed patient before and after successful treatment with ECT. Resting motor thresholds were increased bilaterally after treatment, and the input/output curve less steep. These results point to a decreased excitability of the corticospinal motor tract after successful ECT.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychiatry, University of Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany, , , , , , DE

    Martin Sommer, Anja Dieterich, Eckart Rüther & Jens Wiltfang

  2. Department of Clinical Neurophysiology, University of Göttingen, Robert-Koch-Str. 40, 37075 Göttingen, Germany. msommer@gwdg.de, , , , , , DE

    Walter Paulus

Authors
  1. Martin Sommer
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  2. Anja Dieterich
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  3. Eckart Rüther
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  4. Walter Paulus
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  5. Jens Wiltfang
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Additional information

Received: 14 November 2001 / Accepted: 30 January 2002

Correspondence to Martin Sommer, M. D.

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Sommer, M., Dieterich, A., Rüther, E. et al. Increased transcranial magnetic motor threshold after ECT . European Archives of Psychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences 252, 250–252 (2002). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00406-002-0387-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00406-002-0387-0

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