Systematic Monitoring of Cognitive Function during Electroconvulsive Therapy: A Retrospective Analysis of Data from a Service Using a Short Cognitive Testing Battery

Abstract

Objective International guidelines suggest repeating cognitive testing at intervals throughout a course of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) to monitor its effects on cognitive function. However, it is apparent that few services do this, and an optimal battery of testing has not yet been established. We aimed to evaluate the utility of such routine cognitive testing in a clinic where patients had been routinely tested at intervals throughout a course of ECT. Methods All patients referred for ECT at a public ECT clinic were offered routine cognitive testing to monitor cognitive function during their course of ECT. Testing was conducted at baseline and after 3, 6, and 9 treatments. Analyses examined whether change in individual measures predicted reduction in autobiographical memory at subsequent measures and whether the results that were given to clinicians informed treatment decisions. Results Changes in cognitive test results were not associated with clinician decisions to change treatment parameters. Only change in digit span forwards after 3 treatments was associated with later reduction in Colombia University Autobiographical Interview-Short Form (CUAMI-SF) of greater than 25%, with a larger improvement in digit span forwards being associated with greater chance of having a 25% reduction in CUAMI-SF. Conclusions There was no evidence that the screening undertaken in this clinic had been helpful in determining treatment decisions or that changes in cognitive tests predicted in a reliable way who would later experience changes in autobiographical memory. However, follow-up testing was not completed reliably, and longer-term data regarding autobiographical memory were not collected.