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Electrode placement in ECT: cognitive effects

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 July 2009

J. S. Lawson ,
James Inglis ,
N. J. Delva ,
Martin Rodenburg ,
J. J. Waldron  and
F. J. J. Letemendia
J. S. Lawson
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, Queen's University and the Kingston Psychiatric Hospital, Kingston, Ontario, Canada
James Inglis
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, Queen's University and the Kingston Psychiatric Hospital, Kingston, Ontario, Canada
N. J. Delva
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, Queen's University and the Kingston Psychiatric Hospital, Kingston, Ontario, Canada
Martin Rodenburg
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, Queen's University and the Kingston Psychiatric Hospital, Kingston, Ontario, Canada
J. J. Waldron
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, Queen's University and the Kingston Psychiatric Hospital, Kingston, Ontario, Canada
F. J. J. Letemendia*
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, Queen's University and the Kingston Psychiatric Hospital, Kingston, Ontario, Canada
*
1Address for correspondence: Dr F. J. J. Letemendia, Department of Psychiatry, Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario, K7L 3N6, Canada.
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Synopsis

Forty patients suffering from a major depressive disorder, for whom electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) was clinically indicated, were assigned to one of three electrode placement groups: bitemporal (BT), right unilateral (RU) or bifrontal (BF). Comparisons of these groups in terms of cognitive status showed that the BF placement, which avoided both temporal regions, spared both verbal and nonverbal functions. These differential effects, which were independent of the degree of clinical depression, were not, however, evident three months after the last ECT.

Type
Original Articles
Information
Psychological Medicine , Volume 20 , Issue 2 , May 1990 , pp. 335 - 344
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1990

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