Opiate antagonism fails to reverse post-ECT cognitive deficits.

The opiate antagonist naloxone has been reported to improve memory in animals and to produce partial improvement in Alzheimer's dementia. The usefulness of naloxone for reversing ECT-induced cognitive impairment was tested by comparing the effects of naloxone and placebo on several tests of cognitive performance in 10 patients who underwent bilateral ECT. No significant differences were found between naloxone and placebo. The results suggest that at the doses used, naloxone is not effective in reversing ECT-induced memory deficits.