Abstract
With the introduction of pulsed‐wave therapy devices, electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) has become widely practised and is now widely used in the elderly due to its high safety profile. However, the increased use of ECT in elderly patients with low pulsed‐wave therapy output and high seizure thresholds has led to an increase in the number of non‐seizure cases, which poses a major challenge in clinical practice. In addition, although many basic studies have been conducted to elucidate the mechanism of ECT’s superior immediate efficacy and effectiveness, the action mechanism of ECT remains to be elucidated. In recent years, evidence on the response to non‐seizure cases has been accumulating. We have also conducted a mechanistic study of the mechanism of action of ECT focusing on astrocytes and obtained very interesting results. In this paper, we first discuss the current most desirable response to ECT for seizure failure. We then introduce our astrocyte‐focused mechanistic studies of ECT and discuss the possibility of developing new therapeutic agents that can mimic the excellent rapid and effective effects of ECT.
