0000000000605398
AUTHOR
Thomas E. Schlaepfer
Effects of magnetic seizure therapy on anterograde and retrograde amnesia in treatment‐resistant depression
Background Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is the gold standard for treatment-resistant depression (TRD). However, cognitive side effects, mainly anterograde and retrograde amnesia, frequently occur. Magnetic seizure therapy (MST) is tested using more focal seizure induction. However, the suggestion MST may be more beneficial than ECT because it causes fewer amnesia have not yet been comprehensively investigated using common neuropsychological testing specifically for ECT. We aimed to examine whether MST causes anterograde and retrograde amnesia. Methods Ten patients with TRD were treated with MST (8.9 [2] treatments) at 100% machine output, a frequency of 100 Hz and 657.4 (62) pulses per t…
Degree of Postictal Suppression Depends on Seizure Induction Time in Magnetic Seizure Therapy and Electroconvulsive Therapy.
OBJECTIVES Anesthesia is required for both magnetic seizure therapy (MST) and electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), although it has anticonvulsant properties. In this case, bispectral index (BIS) monitoring, a specific electroencephalogram-derived monitoring, can be used to find the optimal seizure induction time during anesthesia to elicit adequate seizures. A measurement of seizure adequacy in electroencephalogram is the postictal suppression. The purpose of this study was to investigate the influence of seizure induction time on the degree of postictal suppression by comparing BIS versus no-BIS monitoring in MST and ECT. METHODS Twenty patients with treatment-resistant depression were randoml…
Clinical Predictors of Response to Magnetic Seizure Therapy in Depression
Objectives Magnetic seizure therapy (MST) is a novel convulsive brain stimulation method in clinical testing, which is used as an alternative for electroconvulsive therapy in patients with treatment-resistant depression (TRD). Preliminary studies have suggested that MST leads to fewer cognitive adverse effects than electroconvulsive therapy but has similar efficacy. However, the clinical predictors of response to MST have not been evaluated yet. This study aimed to investigate whether these predictors can be identified in patients with TRD. Methods Thirty-eight patients with TRD were included. As clinical predictors for treatment response, we used the diagnosis, sex, age, family history, an…
Escitalopram for the prevention of peginterferon-alpha2a-associated depression in hepatitis C virus-infected patients without previous psychiatric disease: a randomized trial
BACKGROUND: Depression is a major complication during treatment of chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection with interferon-alpha (IFN-alpha). It is unclear whether antidepressants can prevent IFN-induced depression in patients without psychiatric risk factors. OBJECTIVE: To examine whether preemptive antidepressant treatment with escitalopram can decrease the incidence or severity of depression associated with pegylated IFN-alpha in HCV-infected patients without a history of psychiatric disorders. DESIGN: Randomized, multicenter, double-blind, prospective, placebo-controlled, parallel-group trial. (ClinicalTrials.gov registration number: NCT00136318) SETTING: 10 university and 11 academic…