Wiedemann Leonardo, Trumm Samuel, Bajbouj Malek, Grimm Simone, Aust Sabine
Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Department of Psychiatry and Neurosciences, Campus Benjamin Franklin, Hindenburgdamm 30, 12203 Berlin, Germany.
Medical School Berlin, Rüdesheimer Str. 50, 14197 Berlin, Germany.
Int J Clin Health Psychol. 2023 Oct-Dec;23(4):100412. doi: 10.1016/j.ijchp.2023.100412. Epub 2023 Sep 27.
BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVE: Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is effective for treatment-resistant and psychotic depression. One previously reported side effect of ECT is the disruption of memory reconsolidation. This study examines whether this disruption induced by ECT can be detected in routine neuropsychological assessments.
In this retrospective study, the Autobiographical Memory Interview (AMI) was applied before and after ECT. Memories of the same events and facts were tested pre and post ECT treatments. 38 patients, receiving ECT for the treatment of unipolar or bipolar depression, were matched for age, sex, and stimulus intensity and divided into two groups: Group A was tested on the day before the first ECT treatment, whereas group B two or more days before.
Patients who were tested by AMI on the day before ECT and thus reactivated memorie shortly before the first ECT treatment deteriorated in AMI score. Patients who had at least two days between memory activation and treatment improved regarding the number of recalled memories. Memory impairment was not associated with depression severity.
This finding suggests that ECT might be capable of impairing reconsolidation. The study demonstrates that memories of personal events can potentially be affected by ECT within a time interval of 24 h of memory vulnerability after reactivation. Implications for practice and future research are discussed.
背景/目的：电休克疗法（ECT）对难治性和精神病性抑郁症有效。ECT先前报道的一种副作用是记忆再巩固的破坏。本研究探讨在常规神经心理学评估中是否能检测到ECT引起的这种破坏。
在这项回顾性研究中，在ECT前后应用自传体记忆访谈（AMI）。在ECT治疗前后测试相同事件和事实的记忆。38例接受ECT治疗单相或双相抑郁症的患者，根据年龄、性别和刺激强度进行匹配，分为两组：A组在首次ECT治疗前一天进行测试，而B组在两天或更长时间前进行测试。
在ECT前一天接受AMI测试并因此在首次ECT治疗前不久重新激活记忆的患者，其AMI评分恶化。在记忆激活和治疗之间至少有两天时间的患者，在回忆记忆的数量方面有所改善。记忆损害与抑郁严重程度无关。
这一发现表明ECT可能能够损害再巩固。该研究表明，个人事件的记忆在重新激活后的24小时记忆易损期内可能会受到ECT的潜在影响。讨论了对实践和未来研究的启示。
