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Re: Dopamine

Posted by OldSchool on March 14, 2002, at 14:13:17

In reply to Re: Dopamine, posted by Geezer on March 14, 2002, at 14:00:14

Here is some info on ECT increasing dopamine levels:

http://www.mhsource.com/expert/exp1033098g.html

ECT and the Brain
Q. My mother receives ECT treatment for chronic depression episodes. I would like to know more about how ECT works on the brain. Can you also recommend some literature?
A. The precise mechanism of ECT (electroconvulsive therapy) is not known, despite a good deal of research. What is known is that it is extremely effective for severe depression and a number of other serious psychiatric conditions, and that it is a very safe procedure for the vast majority of patients. The memory disturbance that has alarmed the general public is relatively minor and temporary; in fact, IQ test scores have been found to improve after ECT, probably because the depression has been successfully treated. There is no credible evidence that ECT causes brain damage.

In general, it is thought that ECT stimulates deep brain structures that are involved in the regulation of mood. Major changes also occur in numerous chemicals that normally govern the communication between nerve cells in the brain-- the so-called neurotransmitters. These chemicals, such as serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine, are altered in complex ways by ECT. Dopamine is a brain chemical that tends to boost mood and energy. Increased dopamine levels may be linked to ECT's effects on depression. But since ECT also works well in mania, something else must be going on. ECT also increases the activity of certain brain receptors for serotonin, a chemical that plays an important part in depression. (Medications like Prozac also work on serotonin, but in different ways than ECT).

For more information about ECT, contact the National Depressive and Manic Depressive Association at 800-82-NDMDA. The booklet Electroconvulsive Therapy: A Guide, by Dries & Barklage (Lithium Information Center, Dean Foundation, 8000 Excelsior Drive, Suite 302, Madison WI 53717-1914), is a bit dated (1989) but may still be useful. A more technical view is provided by H. Sackheim in Psychopharmacology Bulletin, 30:281-308, 1994.

March 1998

Since ECT is used sometimes off label for parkinsons and neuroleptic induced movement disorders, it must have some major dopaminergic activity.

Old School


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URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20020313/msgs/97996.html