Is There an Optimal Electrode Placement for Patients With Schizophrenia Undergoing Electroconvulsive Therapy?

Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is a recognized treatment option for patients with schizophrenia, especially when patients do not respond adequately to antipsychotic medication or when rapid response is needed in severe cases. The 3 common electrode placements, namely, bitemporal, bifrontal and right unilateral (RUL) modalities, have all been described by various studies to be efficacious in symptom reduction. However, the optimal electrode placement with the greatest success rate in the treatment of schizophrenia has yet to be ascertained. Furthermore, the benefit of switching ECT modalities after poor response to the initial electrode placement has not been well studied. Hence, to illustrate the twin issues of the optimal ECT modality as well as the effect of switching ECT modalities after initial nonresponse in patients with schizophrenia, we describe 2 distinct patients who underwent multiple courses of bifrontal and RUL ECT, but only responded well to bifrontal ECT. This is possibly due to the patients' anatomical differences as well as varying brain stimulation patterns produced by the different electrode placements. Thus, we believe that the prescription of ECT in patients with schizophrenia should be individualized, and a switch to a different ECT modality should be strongly considered if there is a lack of response to a particular modality.