Traumatic memory retrieval followed by electroconvulsive therapy as a treatment for posttraumatic stress disorder: A pilot study

Alvaro Cabral Araujo; Nickolas Carui; Alia Garrudo Guirado; Daniela Schiller; Francisco Lotufo Neto; Felipe Corchs

doi:10.1016/j.psychres.2023.115353

Traumatic memory retrieval followed by electroconvulsive therapy as a treatment for posttraumatic stress disorder: A pilot study

Psychiatry Res. 2023 Aug:326:115353. doi: 10.1016/j.psychres.2023.115353. Epub 2023 Jul 17.

Authors

Alvaro Cabral Araujo¹, Nickolas Carui¹, Alia Garrudo Guirado², Daniela Schiller³, Francisco Lotufo Neto¹, Felipe Corchs⁴

Affiliations

¹ Department and Institute of Psychiatry, University of São Paulo Medical School, São Paulo, Brazil.
² Institute of Mathematics and Statistics, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil.
³ Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York. USA.
⁴ Department and Institute of Psychiatry, University of São Paulo Medical School, São Paulo, Brazil. Electronic address: felipe.corchs@usp.br.

PMID: 37487462
DOI: 10.1016/j.psychres.2023.115353

Abstract

Delivering electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) during the reconsolidation of traumatic memories may enhance the treatment efficacy in posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). To test this, 14 patients with severe and refractory PTSD were randomly allocated to receive ECT sessions either after retrieving the traumatic (n=8) or a neutral (n=6) memory. We found that delivering ECT after retrieving the traumatic memory enhanced the improvement of PTSD symptoms and the reduction of subjective reactivity to the traumatic memory. Reduction in anxiety and mood symptoms and physiological reactivity to the traumatic memory were observed in the sample as a whole regardless of memory retrieval.

Keywords: Electroconvulsive therapy; Memory reconsolidation; Posttraumatic stress disorder.

Publication types

Randomized Controlled Trial
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Electroconvulsive Therapy*
Humans
Memory / physiology
Pilot Projects
Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic* / therapy
Treatment Outcome