Acute effect of electroconvulsive therapy on brain perfusion assessed by Tc99m-hexamethylpropyleneamineoxim and single photon emission computed tomography.

Regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) was measured in relative terms with Tc99m-hexamethylpropyleneamineoxim and single photon emission computed tomography in 11 patients undergoing electroconvulsive therapy (ECT). The patients suffered from major depressive disorder (n = 8) or schizoaffective disorders (n = 3). rCBF was measured under general anesthesia 3 days prior to the ECT treatment and coinciding with the ECT stimulation. ECT caused a redistribution of the tracers uptake. The uptake became more pronounced in frontal parts of the brain and in the basal ganglia than in posterior parts of the cortex, and the thalamus. This selective effect of ECT on rCBF may be related to catecholaminergic projections to anterior parts of the brain.