ECT causes both retrograde and/or anterograde amnesia?

• A. Retrograde
• B. Anterograde
• C. Retrograde & Anterograde
• D. No amnesia

Answer: (C)

Electroconvulsive therapy can disrupt memory processes in both directions. The seizure and anesthesia can interfere with forming new memories after the treatment (anterograde amnesia) and can also affect recall of memories from the period around the treatment itself (retrograde amnesia). This memory impairment is typically temporary, with most people recovering over days to weeks, though some autobiographical memories from the surrounding period may be blurred. Because ECT can impact both encoding and retrieval around the time of treatment, the best choice is that both retrograde and anterograde amnesia can occur.