Effect of Electroconvulsive Therapy on Memory in Depressive Disorders

Cognitive dysfunction in melancholia

“…Our finding of a pattern of bifrontal-right parietal dysfunction in melancholia confirms and extends our earlier report (Taylor et al 1981). It is also consistent with the studies of Cronholm & Ottosson (1961); Whitehead (1973) and Zung et al (1968), demonstrating that depressed patients have impaired performance on verbal learning, gestaltic and visual learning tasks, and on large batteries of cognitive tasks, (Donnelly et al 1972;Fromm-Auch, 1983), and exhibit generalized impairment which is worse in the anterior regions and in the non-dominant hemisphere (Kronfol et al 1978). Electrophysiologic studies, (Flor-Henry, 1976;Koukkou et al 1983;Kruszeski et al 1983;Myslobodsky & Horesh, 1978) generally support this cognitive literature.…”

Overdiagnosis of Dementia

“…Unfortunately, there is no laboratory test for depression. Our experience, like that of others, is that the conventional psychologic tests (Beck, Zung, Hamilton) are of little value in a geriatric population (7)(8)(9). We depend on a family or personal history of an affective disorder, somatic signs, and a high index of suspicion.…”

Automatic and effortful processing in depression.

“…The majority of studies (Friedman, 1964;Granick, 1963;Hart, Kwentus, Taylor, & Harkins, 1987;Staton et al, 1981) found no differences between depressed and nondepressed patients on the presumably automatic Picture Completion and Information subscales, but at least one study (Robertson & Taylor, 1985) of the performance of depressives on the Picture Completion subscale found evidence contradictory to our argument. Finally, several authors reported that depressed patients' IQ scores increase with clinical improvement and decrease with clinical deterioration (Callagan, 1952;Davidson, 1939;Fisher, 1949;Stromgren, 1977;Zung, Rogers, & Krugman, 1968), suggesting that the severity of symptoms influences the degree of impairment in intellectual functioning.…”

“…Depression has been associated with memory deficits on wordlearning tests (Cole & Zarit, 1984;Coughlan & Hollows, 1984;Cronholm & Ottosson, 1961;Friedman, 1964;Henry, Wein- This article is intended solely for the personal use of the individual user and is not to be disseminated broadly. Hart, Kwentus, Taylor, & Harkins, 1987;Stromgren, 1977;Wechsler, 1945;Williams, Little, Scales, & Blockman, 1987;Zung et al, 1968), the Immediate Reproduction subscale of Ihe WMS (Rapaporl, 1945), recall of nonsense syllables (Cohen, Weingartner, Smallberg, Pickar & Murphy, 1982), visual relenlion lesls (Friedman, 1964;Robertson & Taylor, 1985;Zung et al, 1968), spalial and nonspatial associate learning lesls (Gruzelier, Seymour, Wilson, Jolley, & Hirsch, 1988), and Ihe Synonym Learning Tesl (Cawley, Post, & Whilehead, 1973;Hemsi, Whilehead, & Post, 1968; nonsignificant tendency).…”