POST-ECT INCREASES IN MRI REGIONAL T-2 RELAXATION-TIMES AND THEIR RELATIONSHIP TO COGNITIVE SIDE-EFFECTS - A PILOT-STUDY

This pilot study examined the hypothesis that magnetic resonance imagi ng T-2 relaxation times of specific brain regions increase after elect roconvulsive therapy (ECT) and that these increases are related to the cognitive side effects of ECT. Six depressed patients undergoing unil ateral ECT were studied. The results demonstrate significant post-ECT T-2 increases in the right and left thalamus, and suggest a correlatio n between regional T-2 increase and anterograde memory impairment foll owing ECT. These findings are consistent with a post-ECT increase in b rain water content (perhaps secondary to a breakdown of the blood-brai n barrier) and suggest that this process may be related to the memory impairment following ECT.