The effects of electroconvulsive therapy on human learning and memory.

Abstract

The effects of electroconvulsive therapy on human learning and memory are reviewed in terms of treatment variables (including number and frequency of treatments, characteristics of the convulsive agent, and different electrode placements), test procedures and task specific characteristics, and temporal parameters. Differences between the effects of bilateral and unilateral ECT may be due to the balance of verbal symbolic and nonverbal imaginal processes evoked by the range of stimuli used. Results have implications for the understanding of human brain-behaviour relationships, and for the cost-benefit evaluation of electrically induced convulsions as a form of psychiatric treatment. RESUME Analyse critique des effets produits par le traitement d'electrochoc sur I'apprentissage et la memoire: I'analyse touche aux variables du traitement (nombre et frequence des traitements, caracteristiques de I'electrochoc, disposition variee des electrodes), aux methodes de test et aux caracteristiques des taches, ainsi qu'aux parametres temporels. Les differences observees entre les effets produits par I'electrochoc bilateral ou unilateral peuvent etre dues a I'equilibre des processus symboliques verbaux et images non verbaux evoques par I'eventail res stimuli utilises. Les resultats ont des repercussions sur la comprehension des rapports entre le cervoau humain et le comportement ainsi que sur revaluation (couts et benefices) de I'electrochoc comme forme de traitement psychiatrique.

Imagery

“…Patients receiving electroconvulsive shock therapy (ECT) had depressive moods following left-hemisphere intervention ; following right-hemisphere disturbance from ECT, euphoric or indifferent moods occurred (Robertson & Inglis, 1977). Other research shows that the right side is associated with negative emotions while the left is associated with positive ones.…”

Human neuropsychology in Canada: The 1970s.

“…The results of this study support a dual encoding theory of memory. He points out that the effects of ECT on brainbehaviour relationships cannot be assessed adequately without a battery of variables representative of the full range of functions subsumed by the cerebral hemispheres (Robertson & Inglis, 1977).…”