Electroconvulsive TherapyNeural Biomarkers of Electroconvulsive Therapy Response

Inclusion Criteria:

1. current positive symptoms rated ≥4 (moderate) on one or more of these BPRS 53 items: hallucinatory behavior, unusual thought content, suspiciousness, conceptual disorganization;
2. has failed at least one trial of treatment with antipsychotic drug, lasting 6 weeks in duration,
3. competent and willing to sign informed consent;
4. for women, negative pregnancy test and agreement to use a medically accepted birth control method; and
5. Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM)-IV diagnosis of schizophrenia, schizoaffective or schizophreniform disorder.

Exclusion Criteria:

1. serious neurological or endocrine disorder;
2. any medical condition which requires treatment with a medication with psychotropic effects;
3. significant risk of suicidal or homicidal behavior;
4. cognitive (MMSE ≤ 23) or language limitations that would preclude subjects providing informed consent;
5. contraindications to treatment with electroconvulsive therapy;
6. contraindications to magnetic resonance imaging (e.g. pacemaker)