Search PubMed⌕ Search

PubMed · 1100781

Electroconvulsive therapy and memory.

Abstract

Recent research on the effects of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) on memory is critically reviewed. Despite some inconsistent findings, unilateral nondominant ECT appears to affect verbal memory less than bilateral ECT. Adequate research on multiple monitored ECT is lacking. With few exceptions, the research methodologies for assessing memory have been inadequate. Many studies have confounded learning with retention, and only very recently has long term memory been adequately studied. Standardized assessment procedures for short term and long term memory are needed, in addition to more sophisticated assessment of memory processes, the duration of memory loss, and qualitative aspects of memories.

Explore related subjects

Keep this discovery

Explore connections, maps & timelines

BibTeXRIS

R G Harper, A N Wiens. 1975. Electroconvulsive therapy and memory.. https://doi.org/10.1097/00005053-197510000-00004

Cite the original work for its findings. Save a collection to share your selection of sources.

KEEP EXPLORING

Related citations

Histamine H3 antagonist thioperamide dose-dependently enhances memory consolidation and reverses amnesia induced by dizocilpine or scopolamine in a one-trial inhibitory avoidance task in mice.

In the literature, there is some evidence indicating that H3 histamine receptor antagonists, in particular thioperamide, can facilitate learning and memory retrieval in laboratory rodents. The present study aimed at verifying whether this also holds for memory consolidation, a phase of memory for which there is scarcity of convincing data on the effects of H3 receptor antagonists given systemically. To that end, memory consolidation was assessed in C57BL/6J mice using the one-trial step-through inhibitory avoidance task, the compounds being injected immediately after training (foot-shock) and performance measured 24 h later. More specifically, the following effects of thioperamide (1.25-20 mg/kg) were dose-dependently analysed: (1) its potential direct effects on memory consolidation; (2) its potential reversing effects on retrograde amnesia induced by the NMDA antagonist dizocilpine (MK-801, 0.5 mg/kg) and (3) its potential reversing effects on the well-known amnesia induced by the muscarinic antagonist scopolamine (0.25 mg/kg). We found that thioperamide exerted a dose-dependent facilitative effect on memory consolidation. Furthermore, the H3 receptor antagonist reversed scopolamine- and especially dizocilpine-induced amnesia. The results strongly support the view that the brain mechanisms of memory consolidation involve a functional interaction between the NMDA and the H3 sites.

Amnesia↗

Scopolamine-induced amnesia can be prevented by heat shock pretreatment in rats.

The current study used the passive avoidance test to examine whether heat shock pretreatment has an effect on the memory impairment induced by scopolamine. Heat shock protein (HSP) 72 overexpression was detected in different brain structures in rats 16 h after heat shock treatment, but not in rats receiving no heat shock or 48 h after heat shock treatment. The step-through latency of either pre- or post-training administration of scopolamine in rats 16 h after heat shock treatment was significantly higher than those of the rats receiving no heat shock or 48 h after heat shock treatment. However, rats, 16 h after heat shock treatment and having been given scopolamine, performed no better than rats treated only with scopolamine. Hence, the present results indicate that heat shock has a protective, but not therapeutic, effect on the memory impairment induced by scopolamine by overexpression of HSP72 in rat brain.

Amnesia↗

Design of new cognition enhancers: from computer prediction to synthesis and biological evaluation.

To discover new cognition enhancers, a set of virtually designed synthesizable compounds from different chemical series was investigated using two computer-aided approaches. One of the approaches is prediction of biological activity spectra for substances (PASS) and the second is prediction of toxicity, mutagenicity, and carcinogenicity (DEREK). To increase the probability of finding new chemical entities, we investigated a heterogeneous set of highly diverse chemicals including different types of heterocycles: five-membered (thiophenes, thiazoles, imidazoles, oxazoles, pyrroles), six-membered (pyridines, pyrimidines), seven-membered (diazepines, triazepines), fused five+six-membered heterocycles (indoles, benzothiazoles, purines, indolizines, neutral, mesoionic, and cationic azolopyridines). A database including 5494 structures of compounds was created. On the basis of the PASS and DEREK prediction results, eight compounds with the highest probability of cognition-enhancing effect were selected. The cognition-enhancing activity testing showed that all of the selected compounds had a pronounced antiamnesic effect and were found to reduce significantly scopolamine-induced amnesia of passive avoidance reflex (PAR). The action of compounds at doses of 1 and 10 mg/kg caused a statistically significant increase in latent time of reflex and in the number of animals, which did not enter the dark chamber when testing the PAR. Therefore, on the basis of computer prediction, new cognition-enhancing agents were discovered within the chemical series, in which this activity was not known previously.

Amnesia↗