Evaluation of cumulative cognitive deficits from electroconvulsive therapy

Evaluation of cumulative cognitive deficits from electroconvulsive therapy.

BACKGROUND Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is the most effective acute treatment for severe depression, but widely held concerns about memory problems may limit its use. AIMS To find out whether repeated or maintenance courses of ECT cause cumulative cognitive deterioration. METHOD Analysis of the results of 10 years of cognitive performance data collection from patients who have received E...

Hippocampal volume is associated with physician-reported acute cognitive deficits after electroconvulsive therapy.

Predicting memory problems in older depressed patients receiving electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is difficult. In this study, hippocampal volume and acute memory outcomes were examined in 15 patients following an index course of ECT. Smaller hippocampal volume was associated with poorer ECT-related memory outcomes. These results add to a growing literature on memory, ECT, and the hippocampus. A...

Medical evaluation of patients undergoing electroconvulsive therapy.

Copyright © 2009 Massachusetts Medical Society. A fter a period of declining use, electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is now used more widely as a treatment for major depression and other psychiatric disorders.1 Many patients undergoing ECT are elderly and have multiple coexisting medical conditions. Consultants are often asked to provide a medical evaluation before ECT, although many may feel unco...

Adverse effects of electroconvulsive therapy on cognitive performance

Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) has historically been shown to be a highly effective method of treating major depression and catatonic state otherwise resistant to psychopharmacotherapy.1-5 However, ECT has also been associated with a variety of transient impairments in cognitive performance during and following the treatment.6-10 The side effects, often subjectively reported by the patients, i...

Electroconvulsive Therapy