Trajectory of associative memory impairment during electroconvulsive therapy in depression

Memory impairment is a serious cognitive side effect of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) in the treatment of major depressive episodes (MDEs) and has garnered widespread attention in clinical practice, but its underlying evolution pattern during the course of ECT remains rarely understood in detail. Associative memory (AM) is a core indicator that reflects memory impairment in ECT. This study aimed to identify the dynamic trajectory of AM impairment and explore associated predictive factors. 405 intensive longitudinal AM data from 81 patients with MDE were collected at the baseline, after the first, third, fifth, and eighth ECT using five sets of face-cued word memory paradigms. Changes in AM score over time were analyzed using a linear mixed effects model. Trajectory subgroups and predictive factors were investigated using growth mixture model and logistic regression. AM score during ECT were significantly lower than at baseline, with the lowest scores observed after the eighth ECT session. Two trajectories of rapid (N = 56, 69.14%) and slow (N = 25, 30.86%) AM impairment were differentiated. Older female with lower education level were significant predictors contributing to more rapid memory impairment for ECT. The evolving pattern of associative memory impairment during ECT appears to occur early and worsen with subsequent treatment. This study may provide the important evidence understanding of the number effect of ECT sessions on memory impairment and suggest individual factors for predicting ECT memory outcome.