Early Change in Cognitive Performance Accompanying Bilateral ECT.

In order to characterize the onset and evolution of early cognitive changes that accompany bilateral electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), the performance of 13 ECT-treated and 16 psychiatric control patients on a battery of neuropsychological tests administered daily was compared. These tests included: Digit Symbol, spokes, letter cancellation, and short-term memory tests. While both groups improved on all tests, performance of ECT patients vs. controls on letter cancellation tests diverged significantly (p < 0.005) after three ECTs. The authors speculate that this finding reflects an alteration in attentional processes caused by bilateral ECT.