Evidence
![](https://psychiatryai.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/psychiatryai_com.webp)
Biol Psychiatry Cogn Neurosci Neuroimaging. 2024 Aug 9:S2451-9022(24)00236-2. doi: 10.1016/j.bpsc.2024.08.002. Online ahead of print.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Monitoring cognitive side-effects following electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is crucial for balancing side-effects and clinical effectiveness. Unfortunately, evidence-based guidelines on cognitive testing following ECT are lacking. A frequently used test in global ECT practice is the Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE). We examined the change of the MMSE and its performance in identifying a decline in predefined neuropsychological measures sensitive to ECT-induced cognitive changes: verbal recall and verbal fluency.
METHODS: The mean MMSE scores pre- and one week post-ECT were compared using a Wilcoxon signed-rank test. The Reliable Change Index was calculated for all cognitive measures to indicate whether an individual’s change score from pre- to post-ECT is considered statistically significant. The sensitivity and specificity of the MMSE were calculated.
RESULTS: 426 patients with depression from five sites were included from the Dutch ECT Consortium. The mean MMSE increased significantly from 26.2 (SD=3.9) pre-ECT to 26.8 (SD=3.8) post-ECT (p=0.002). 36 patients (8.5%) showed a significant decline in MMSE score post-ECT. The sensitivity of the MMSE in identifying patients who experienced a significant decline in verbal recall or verbal fluency ranged from 3.6% to 11.1%. The specificity of the MMSE in identifying patients who did not experience a significant decline in verbal recall or verbal fluency ranged from 95.6% to 96.6%.
CONCLUSIONS: Given the very low sensitivity of the MMSE, we propose reconsidering the prominence of the MMSE in ECT practice and cognitive monitoring guidelines, advocating for a more comprehensive approach to assess ECT-induced cognitive changes.
PMID:39128496 | DOI:10.1016/j.bpsc.2024.08.002
![Google](https://www.google.com/images/branding/googlelogo/2x/googlelogo_light_color_92x30dp.png)
![Google Keep](https://www.gstatic.com/images/branding/product/1x/keep_48dp.png)
![Share on Linkedin](https://psychiatryai.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/linkedin-logo-png-2048-1.png)
Estimated reading time: 5 minute(s)
Latest: Psychiatryai.com #RAISR4D Evidence
![](/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/bd462cc11bcf0bd0d0d6f1d0f8b7cd04-modified-1.png)
Cool Evidence: Engaging Young People and Students in Real-World Evidence
![](/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/bd462cc11bcf0bd0d0d6f1d0f8b7cd04-modified-1.png)
Real-Time Evidence Search [Psychiatry]
![](/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/pubmed.png)
AI Research
![](/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Il5nR_nf_400x400-modified-1.png)
The sensitivity of the Mini-Mental State Examination to detect objective cognitive side-effects induced by electroconvulsive therapy, results from the Dutch ECT Consortium
![](https://psychiatryai.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/psychiatryai_com.webp)
🌐 90 Days
Evidence Blueprint
The sensitivity of the Mini-Mental State Examination to detect objective cognitive side-effects induced by electroconvulsive therapy, results from the Dutch ECT Consortium
![](https://psychiatryai.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/psychiatryai_com.webp)
☊ AI-Driven Related Evidence Nodes
(recent articles with at least 5 words in title)
More Evidence
![](https://psychiatryai.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/psychiatryai_com.webp)