Memory Test Performance Under Three Different Waveforms of ECT for Depression

Abstract

SummaryThirty-eight patients suffering from severe depression were given a course of ECT (Electroconvulsive therapy) in one of three waveforms. These were high-energy sine wave (HS), high-energy pulse (HP), and low-energy pulse (LP). Patients were assigned to one of these treatments on a double-blind basis. The patients were given a battery of memory tests before ECT commenced, after three treatments, at the termination of treatment, and two weeks after the last treatment. The marked improvement in both verbal and nonverbal memory scores was attributed to the lifting of depression. No significant differences were found between the memory scores of the three treatment groups at any point during the treatment period.