Abstract
AbstractTen elderly patients were evaluated serially for interictal cognitive changes during the course of ECT using the Mini Mental State Exam (MMSE) and a modification of the Digit Symbol Substitution task (M‐DSS), an assessment of attention that measures the speed of mental processing. Performance decrease on the M‐DSS and MMSE correlated with both the number of seizures and cumulative seizure duration. The M‐DSS correlated with the MMSE items of ‘orientation’ and ‘attention’, but not with the ‘recall’ item, suggesting that the interictal memory and attentional changes induced by ECT may occur independently. For most patients, the serial performance on both the MMSE and M‐DSS decreased significantly during the course of ECT; however, the increase in the M‐DSS (indicating a performance decrement) was greater than 100%, compared to a decrease in MMSE score of less than 10%. These data are preliminary and replication with more patients and extension of the assessment for several weeks following cessation of treatment is needed.
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