Prolonged Memory Defects following Electro-Therapy

Extract

Levy et al. (1942) reported impaired memory in 8 out of 11 patients treated by electric shock. Impairment lasted from one to several weeks, and in one patient was present after several months. Grinker, discussing this paper, compared the psychometric and clinical picture following electro-therapy with that seen in the “punch drunk” syndrome, in which careful testing, he warned, reveals permanent damage. This to my best knowledge is the only note hitherto made that impairment of memory occurring during or after electro-therapy has any serious significance. The following case-notes revealing memory defects lasting a year or more suggest that Grinker's apprehensions may be justified.