VISUOSPATIAL IMPAIRMENT IN DEPRESSION - A CONTROLLED ECT STUDY

In order to study the effect of bilateral electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) on visuospatial function in depression, a comparison was made between the performance of 20 ECT‐treated patients and 20 healthy controls on a battery of neuropsychological tests including the Complex Figure Test (CFT) and the Mini‐Mental State Examination (MMSE). The CFT but not the MMSE performances of depressives vs controls were impaired in pre‐ECT testing. While ECT does not affect visuospatial performance, cognitive deficits are unveiled by MMSE. Possible meanings of these findings are discussed. Copyright © 1990, Wiley Blackwell. All rights reserved