Publication details
Cognitive dysfunction of the first-episode schizophrenia men treated with electroconvulsion therapy
| Authors | |
|---|---|
| Year of publication | 2005 |
| Type | Article in Periodical |
| Magazine / Source | European Neuropsychopharmacology |
| MU Faculty or unit | |
| Citation | |
| Field | Psychiatry, sexuology |
| Keywords | ECT; first-episode schizophrenia; cognitive dysfunction |
| Description | Naturalistic observation of the treatment of 88 first-episode schizophrenia men. They were assessed with a small neuropsychologic battery (Bourdon test, Benton test, reaction times) when they were clinically stabilized. 10 patients (11%) were treated with ECTs: the electrodes were placed bitemporally, the mean number of ECTs was 8,5. Neuropsychologic data from patients treated with ECTs were compared with the data from patients treaded with APs only. The overall performance in all test dimensions (attention, visuospatial skills, psychomotor speed, reaction times) was under the norm. The only difference between groups was in auditory reaction times: reaction time of ECT treated patients was longer (30 vs. 25 sec.) Electroconvulsive therapy might still be usefull in special clinical situations (i.e. pharmacoresistency in severely agitated patients, catatonia, neuroleptic malignant syndrome) without (as our data suggest) significant impact on cognitive functions. |
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