Twenty-nine patients given unilateral ECT were tested for memory with
each treatment. Forgetting of nonverbal material correlated positively with
seizure duration and with anesthetic dose. Seizure duration did not
correlate with forgetting of verbal material or with changes in Hamilton
depression ratings. Seizure duration was inversely related to
succinylcholine and methohexital doses. These findings suggest that muscle
relaxant and anesthetic doses can be adjusted to lessen the amnestic
effects of ECT. There are, however, insufficient data on the relationship
between seizure length and ECT efficacy to specify a minimum duration for
seizures, individually or cumulatively.
Abstract Teaser