Memory Changes in Patients With Major Depression Disorder Treated With ECT

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Current literature provides insufficient information on the degree of cognitive impairment during and after electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), mostly due to the fact that applied tests lacked sensitivity and flexibility. Our goal was to evaluate cognitive functioning in adult depressed patients treate...

Current literature provides insufficient information on the degree of cognitive impairment during and after electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), mostly due to the fact that applied tests lacked sensitivity and flexibility. Our goal was to evaluate cognitive functioning in adult depressed patients treated with bi & uni lateral & ECT, using tests sensitive for detection of possible acute and medium-term memory changes.(9) Major depressive disorder (MDD) is estimated to affect around 16 million Americans (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration [SAMHSA], 2013) and, according to the World Health Organization, is the leading cause of disability worldwide (World Health Organization 2012). Among In the U.S. workforce, the prevalence of MDD has been estimated at 7.6% .(2) Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is an effective treatment for severe depression but entails cognitive adverse effects, particularly the effects on memory. ECT may cause a temporary deficit in the cognitive processes of information encoding, consolidation, and retrieval. Transient memory disturbances are regarded as an inevitable adverse effect of therapeutic convulsions. Various strategies have been tried to decrease the cognitive adverse effects while retaining the antidepressant effect, including the use of unilateral instead of bilateral electrode placement, changes in waveform, and reducing the electrical stimulus intensity, (4).

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