Improvement in depression-related cognitive dysfunction following ECT

Long-term cognitive changes were observed in 8 depressed patients whose pretreatment cognitive impairment (depressive dementia or pseudodementia) resolved after treatment with ECT. Improved performance on the Mattis Dementia Rating Scale was maintained throughout a 4-year follow-up period. Improvements on Memory and Initiation and Perseveration subscales were most consistent over time. These aspects of cognitive functioning may be the most susceptible to the effects of depression, and this may be a factor to consider in clinically evaluating older patients with both depression and cognitive impairment. The findings indicate that elderly patients with cognitive dysfunction secondary to depression may experience improvement in cognitive functioning that is stable over time with remission of the affective disorder.