Cognitive Effects of Electroconvulsive Therapy in Patients with Major Depressive, Bipolar and Schizophrenia Disorders

Background & Aim: Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is a highly effective treatment for affective and schizophrenic disorders. The main objective of this study was to examine the cognitive effects of ECT in patients with major depressive, bipolar and schizophrenia disorders. Methods: In this study we administered a battery of cognitive tasks on 90 patients with major depressive, bipolar and schizophrenia disorders, one day before and after the termination of ECT. The effects were measured by a set of computerized cognitive tests including: auditory reaction time, visual reaction time, verbal memory, Benton visual memory, Wisconsin card sort and motor function. The collected data were analyzed using One-way ANOVA and dependent t-test. Results: The results showed that depressive patients had poorer verbal memory and motor function after the termination of ECT compared to pretest, but their executive function was improved (p