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16 eight treatments, though some patients may require more. Patients who respond well to ECT tend to notice a dierence in neurovegetative symptoms of depression, such as sleep, energy level and appetite, after the third or fourth treatment. The "subjective feeling of wellness — 'I feel I'm no longer depressed,' may be one of the last things to improve, and sometimes even comes after the whole series is concluded," Lincoln says. Some patients who experience recurrent depression may receive ECT on a maintenance basis, every month or every other month after their initial series is complete. The recommendation for all patients is that they continue other forms of treatment with their psychiatrist or therapist. After her first ECT series, Cindy continued to see her regular psychiatrist and therapist. She now is determined by a series of factors, including the patient's age and gender. The generalized seizure itself lasts a matter of seconds. Brain Reset "When you do PET scans of the patient before ECT and after the ECT, you see changes in the mood regulating centers (of the brain)," Lincoln says. But doctors do not yet fully understand how and why the procedure works. The controlled seizure likely works on the brain in multiple ways, she says. It increases blood flow, triggers a recalibration of the brain's cellular membranes, releases neurotransmitters related to mood modulation, and releases other chemicals that restore and create new brain cells. To put it very simply, the brain resets itself. Patients typically receive treatments three times a week for about six to Lincoln first observed the procedure in real life during her residency. Since then, she received additional training in ECT here in Wichita and at the Duke University Medical Center. As a faculty member at KUSM-Wichita, she now works with psychiatric residents like Shelby Nix, M.D., to demonstrate the procedure and its potential. In contrast to negative on-screen portrayals of ECT, the version practiced by Lincoln and Nix is "still very therapeutic, but causes minimal side eects," says Nix, who joined the KUSM-Wichita faculty this fall. The patient receives a muscle relaxant to keep the body from convulsing, their vital signs are monitored, and they are also monitored by EEG and EKG during the procedure. The whole process typically lasts from two to five minutes. An ECT machine administers the "dose" of electricity, which, like medication,