Ictal electroencephalographic correlates of posttreatment neuropsychological changes in electroconvulsive therapy: a hypothesis-generation study.

Objectives: Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) has been associated with memory and neuropsychological changes, but which features of ECT are associated with those changes have not been well investigated. The aim of this hypothesis-generation study was to examine correlations between ictal electroencephalographic (EEG) characteristics and cognitive side effects after ECT.

Methods: Eight patients with major depressive disorder were examined with the Wechsler Memory Scale-Revised (WMS-R), the Stroop test, the Trail Making Test, and verbal fluency before and after ECT treatment.