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Long-term Potentiation Disruption Underlying Cognitive Impairment in ECT

NCT06733558 · Status: WITHDRAWN · Phase: EARLY_PHASE1 · Type: INTERVENTIONAL

Last updated 2026-01-21

No results posted yet for this study

Summary

Cognitive problems, like memory loss, are common after brain injuries like trauma or stroke. These problems make daily life harder, and the investigators don't yet know the best ways to help the brain recover. Scientists think that a process in the brain called long-term potentiation (LTP) is important for memory and learning. When LTP isn't working properly, it may cause problems with thinking and memory. But studying LTP in people is hard because it happens deep inside the brain.

Our research uses a treatment called electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) to better understand LTP. ECT is a treatment for severe depression that works by causing a controlled seizure in the brain. While ECT often helps depression, it can temporarily cause memory and thinking problems, which usually improve over time. This makes ECT a good way to study how thinking and memory recover.

The investigators will use a tool called electroencephalography (EEG) to measure brain activity during different stages of ECT treatment. EEG is a safe and non-invasive way to track changes in LTP. Specifically, the investigators will measure how the brain responds to visual signals using something called visual evoked potentials (VEPs). These signals can show how LTP is affected by ECT.

The study's main goal is to track changes in LTP using VEPs during and after ECT. By studying these changes, the investigators hope to learn how ECT affects the brain and how it recovers. This could help improve treatments for brain injuries and other conditions that cause memory and thinking problems.

Conditions

Interventions

PROCEDURE

Electroconvulsive Therapy

Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is a medical treatment that uses controlled electrical stimulation to induce a brief, generalized seizure in the brain. This intervention is performed under general anesthesia with muscle relaxants to ensure patient comfort and safety. ECT is typically used to treat severe depression, bipolar disorder, and other mental health conditions when other treatments, such as medication and psychotherapy, have not been effective.

Sponsors & Collaborators

  • National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS)

    collaborator NIH

  • University of New Mexico

    lead OTHER

Study Design

Allocation
NA
Purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
NONE
Model
SINGLE_GROUP

Eligibility

Min Age
18 Years
Max Age
80 Years
Sex
ALL
Healthy Volunteers
No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start
2025-01-21
Primary Completion
2026-07-31
Completion
2026-07-31

Countries

  • United States

Study Locations

More Related Trials

Entities

Diseases

Read the full study record

This page highlights key information. For complete eligibility criteria, study locations, investigator contacts, and the full protocol, visit the original record on ClinicalTrials.gov.

View NCT06733558 on ClinicalTrials.gov