Electronarcosis, also called electric stunning or electrostunning, is a profound

stupor Stupor is the lack of critical mental function and a level of consciousness, in which an affected person is almost entirely unresponsive and responds only to intense stimuli such as pain. The word derives from the Latin '' stupor'' ("numbness, in ...

produced by passing an electric current through the brain. Electronarcosis may be used as a form of

electrotherapy Electrotherapy is the use of electrical energy as a medical treatment. In medicine, the term ''electrotherapy'' can apply to a variety of treatments, including the use of electrical devices such as deep brain stimulators for neurological disea ...

in treating certain mental illnesses in humans, or may be used to render

livestock Livestock are the Domestication, domesticated animals that are raised in an Agriculture, agricultural setting to provide labour and produce diversified products for consumption such as meat, Egg as food, eggs, milk, fur, leather, and wool. The t ...

unconscious prior to slaughter.

History

In 1902, Stephen Leduc discovered he could produce a narcotic-like state in animals, and eventually, he tried it on himself, where he remained conscious but unable to move in a dream-like state. In 1951, an American psychiatrist Hervey M. Cleckley published a paper on the results of treating 110 patients having anxiety neuroses with electronarcosis therapy. He argued that patients may benefit from electronarcosis after other treatments have failed. A 1974 paper discussed the advantage of using electronarcosis for short-term general anesthesia. Researchers achieved electronarcosis by applying 180 mA at a frequency of 500 Hertz to the

mastoid part of the temporal bone The mastoid part of the temporal bone is the posterior (back) part of the temporal bone, one of the bones of the skull. Its rough surface gives attachment to various muscles (via tendons) and it has openings for blood vessels. From its borders, t ...

Phases

Electronarcosis results in a condition similar to an

epileptic seizure A seizure is a sudden, brief disruption of brain activity caused by abnormal, excessive, or synchronous neuronal firing. Depending on the regions of the brain involved, seizures can lead to changes in movement, sensation, behavior, awareness, o ...

, with the three phases called ''tonic'', ''clonic'', and ''recovery''. * During the tonic phase, the patient or animal collapses and becomes rigid. * During the clonic, muscles relax and some movement occurs. * During recovery, the patient or animal becomes aware.

Livestock

Electronarcosis is one of the methods used to render animals unconscious before slaughter and unable to feel pain. Electronarcosis may be followed immediately by

electrocution Electrocution is death or severe injury caused by electric shock from electric current passing through the body. The word is derived from "electro" and "execution", but it is also used for accidental death. The term "electrocution" was coined ...

or by bleeding. Modern electronarcosis is typically performed by applying 200

volt The volt (symbol: V) is the unit of electric potential, Voltage#Galvani potential vs. electrochemical potential, electric potential difference (voltage), and electromotive force in the International System of Units, International System of Uni ...

s of high frequency

alternating current Alternating current (AC) is an electric current that periodically reverses direction and changes its magnitude continuously with time, in contrast to direct current (DC), which flows only in one direction. Alternating current is the form in w ...

of about 1500

hertz The hertz (symbol: Hz) is the unit of frequency in the International System of Units (SI), often described as being equivalent to one event (or Cycle per second, cycle) per second. The hertz is an SI derived unit whose formal expression in ter ...

for 3 seconds to the animal's head. A high-frequency current is alleged to not be felt as an electric shock or cause skeletal muscle contractions. A wet animal will pass a current of over an

ampere The ampere ( , ; symbol: A), often shortened to amp,SI supports only the use of symbols and deprecates the use of abbreviations for units. is the unit of electric current in the International System of Units (SI). One ampere is equal to 1 c ...

. If other procedures do not follow electronarcosis, the animal will usually recover. Studies have been used to determine optimal parameters for effective electronarcosis.

References

Electrotherapy Neuroscience Physical psychiatric treatments Treatment of depression Analgesics Animal killing {{neuroscience-stub

History

Phases

Livestock

See also

References