Inhalant-Induced Convulsions

Remembering the lost neuroscience of pharmaco‐EEG

“…Since effective treatments could be induced chemically as well as electrically, we concluded that nothing about the electricity is specific for the treatment benefits. As electric inductions are much easier to administer, flurothyl was quickly phased out (14) [This experience cautioned me to doubt the recent enthusiasm for TMS, VNS and DBS as replacements for ECT; none elicit seizures more readily than the present method of electric induction and the induction of a seizure is essential to clinical benefits (15)]. …”

Memory Changes with ECT in Depression

“…The mean age of the "highest improvement" group (48.75) was statistically higher (t-test of differences between means: t = 10.54 P < 0.05) than the mean age of "failures" group (37.91). Since the other variables influencing the outcome such as medication, the type of distress, the severity of illness and en vironment were controlled, the higher improvement in the Previous studies have shown that ECT accompanied with grand mal convulsions is essential for clinical improvement (Fink et al, 1961;Fleming, 1956) and that convulsions are associated with some changes in the brain which are manifested in changes of EEG and memory performance. These EEG and memory changes produced after a series of ECTs have been subjected to different interpretations.…”

Brain Chemistry and Mental Disease

“…Comparison trials between ECT and flurothyl (Kurland, Cuervo, and Krantz 1960;Fink et al 1961) indicate that the two procedures are similar in safety and efficacy. The advantage claimed for flurothyl is that many patients prefer the drug to electroshock, the basis for this preference presumably being the anesthetic-like state that precedes the convulsion.…”

“…Electroshock therapy is currently administered after induction of sleep with barbiturates, and contractions are minimized by the concomitant use of succinylcholine so that the anestheticlike state accompanying the use of flurothyl presents no obvious advantage. Fink et al (1961) reported that flurothyl convulsions are less predictable and less easily induced than are electroshock seizures. Commercially available under the name Indoklon, this agent, given by inhalation or parenterally, fails to demonstrate any clear advantages over ECT.…”