Ultrasonic antidepressant therapy might be more effective than electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) in treating severe depression

Abstract

ECT is widely acknowledged as an effective treatment for severe depression (I), but its drawbacks of entailing a seizure, general anesthesia, post-ictal confusion and memory disturbance can be problematical to the extent of preventing some patients from undergoing the treatments often enough to sustain relief. According to Higgins et al (2), stimulation of specific points on the surface of the temporal lobes reliably produces a pleasure response without causing a seizure, confusion or memory impairment. Due to reciprocal inhibition between the brain’s reward and punishment pathways (3), such a response might be expected to relieve depression. Work done by Velling and Shklyaruk with animals, specifically rabbits, (4) suggests that much stimulation could be produced in humans through the intact skull and scalp by using ultrasound focused from outside of the head. Ultrasound transducers contained in water-filled, baglike stimulators, like those used by Gavrilov (5) to stimulate auditory nerves through intact skull, when placed in contact with the outside of the head, would eliminate the need for conductive gel, which can be messy. Since there would be no pain or other tactile sensation, anaesthesia would be unnecessary. Hence, externally-focused ultrasound could provide the same benefit as ECT, that is, relief of depression, without