CAN ECT-INDUCED COGNITIVE EFFECTS BE ALTERED PHARMACOLOGICALLY

1. A systematic review of the literature revealed twelve clinical tria ls that evaluated nine different drugs, and used three different conce ptual models to prevent, restore or treat ECT-induced cognitive defici ts. 2. This review indicated inconclusive results regarding clinical u tility of any of the drugs. 3. Major factors discussed include the com plexities involved in the evaluation of ECT-induced cognitive deficits , and the techniques of evaluating changes in cognitive functions. 4. Our conclusion is that future research should emphasize understanding the neural mechanisms related to ECT-induced cognitive deficits. We su ggest several areas for future exploration.