A patient's major depression and Cotard's syndrome (the delusion of
being dead) both resolved completely after 12 ECT treatments. A SPECT study
1 week before ECT showed reduced blood flow in the frontoparietal medial
and dorsolateral frontal cortex, basal ganglia, and thalamus; SPECT 1 month
after ECT showed perfusion increments in those regions. This case study
demonstrates that Cotard's syndrome in the context of major depression may
be successfully treated with ECT and suggests that the psychiatric
improvement was accompanied by increased blood flow in specific brain
areas.
Abstract Teaser