COMPARISON OF FRONTOPARIETAL AND TEMPOROPARIETAL UNILATERAL ELECTROCONVULSIVE THERAPY

Abstract

An intraindividual, double‐blind, cross‐over comparison of the anterograde effect on memory of unilateral non‐dominant frontoparietal (FP) and temporoparietal (TP) ECT was performed in connection with the second and third treatments of ECT‐series. Treatment technique was standardized and seizure duration was measured by means of EEG. Memory functions were examined 3 and 6 hours after treatments by means of parallel memory tests, and three operationally defined memory variables, immediate and delayed reproduction, and their difference, forgetting, were scored.The duration of the electrical stimulation (with constant intensity) necessary to evoke generalized seizure was similar in the two methods. The duration of seizure activity was significantly shorter after FP‐ECT. In spite of this difference, the anterograde effect on the memory variables was closely similar in the two treatments.The shorter duration of seizure activity after FP‐ECT indicates that a maximal seizure is more difficult to obtain with frontal electrode position. The lack of difference in anterograde effect between TP‐ECT and FP‐ECT indicates that little further reduction of memory impairment can be expected with new unilateral electrode positions.