Effect of electroconvulsive therapy in schizophrenia patients on some attention tests

Effect Of Electroconvulsive Therapy İn Schizophrenia Patients On Some Attention Tests Objective: Schizophrenia patients are known to have impaired cognitive function besides positive and negative symptoms. It is not clear how effects and adverse effects of electroconvulsive therapy,which is used to treat psychiatric illnesses like schizophrenia, catatonia, mania and resistant major depressive disorder, occur. Main objective of this study is to investigate the effects of electroconvulsive therapy in some attention tests in schizophrenia patients. Materials and Methods: A total of 103 schizophrenia patients (39 outpatients whom are treated with antipsychotics; 32 patients admitted to the hospital and took ECT+antipsychotic treatment; 32 patients admitted to the hospital but only treated with antipsychotics), diagnosed with DSM 5 and ages between 18-50 and 42 healthy volunteers are included in this study. Stroop and number sequence tests are used as attention tests. Disease severity is evaluated with SANS and SAPS scales. Results: In all 3 groups included in this study, significant deteriorations in stroop 4 and stroop time difference tests were found. No significant deterioration were found in number sequence test in any group. In the ECT+antipsychotic treatment group; stroop 4, stroop time difference and stroop spontaneous improvement tests were related with both negative and positive symptoms. In the group that took only antipsychotic treatment,stroop spontaneous improvement scores were related with positive symptoms. In the ECT treatment group, when stroop spontaneous improvement scores before and after ECT were compared, there was a significant improvement. But in stroop 4 and stroop time difference tests, which were impaired compared to the normal, no significant changes were found. In the group that is only treated with antipsychotics; stroop 4, stroop time difference and stroop spontaneous improvement tests showed significant improvements after the therapy. Conclusions: This study showed that when ECT was included besides drug therapy, attention tests showed improvements rather than deteriorations but this improvement was less than drug therapy alone. But it should be remembered that the group treated with ECT had more severe disease. Key words:schizophrenia, ECT, cognitif funcitons