Neuropsychological effects of electroconvulsive therapy

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Abstract
Although ECT as the treatment of choice for psychotic depression has been in use for many years, little is know about the neocortical residual of such treatents inferred from behavoioral measures. The major portion of the literature has been concerned with inferred or observed changes in affective state. The presents study compared pre‐and posttreatment performances on the Halstead‐Reitan neuorpsychological beattery of 20 patients who were receiving ECT from two different machines, Most Ss gave indicators of cerebral impariment prior to treatment when performance of one side of the body was contrasted with performance of the other side. After treatment there was an incresed number of Ss who evidenced signs consistent with damage to the right cerebral hemisphere. Some conceren was raised that a large number of patients who eventually are subjected to ECT because of depression behave in this way because of an undiagnosed neocortical dysfunction. There is some suggestion that the effect of the procedure is to either create or intenisfy right hemispher focus as inferred from behavioral measures.

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