@article{ref1,
title="Short- and long-term evaluation of cognitive functions after electroconvulsive therapy in a Japanese population",
journal="Psychiatry and the Clinical Neurosciences",
year="2018",
author="Takagi, Shunsuke and Takeuchi, Takashi and Yamamoto, Naoki and Fujita, Munehisa and Furuta, Ko and Ishikawa, Hiroyo and Motohashi, Nobutaka and Nishikawa, Toru",
volume="72",
number="2",
pages="95-102",
abstract="AIM: While electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is a well-established, safe and effective treatment for mental illnesses, the potential for adverse effects on cognitive functions remains controversial. We aimed to evaluate multiple cognitive functions in different time periods before and after ECT in a Japanese population. <br><br>METHODS: A battery of five neurocognitive tests was administered to patients who underwent a course of ECT treatment at three time-points: before, immediately after, and 4 weeks after ECT. <br><br>RESULTS: A transient but significant decline in letter fluency function was observed immediately after ECT, but had recovered well by 4 weeks. We also observed a significant improvement in the trail-making task at 4 weeks after ECT. <br><br>CONCLUSION: In a Japanese population, adverse effects of ECT on verbal fluency function-related and other cognitive impairments were transient. Over the longer term, we detected significant improvements in the performance of tasks that presumably reflected information processing speed and executive functions.<br><br>This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.<p /> <p>Language: en</p>",
language="en",
issn="1323-1316",
doi="10.1111/pcn.12614",
url="http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/pcn.12614"
}