Toxoplasmosis Infection and Cognitive Deficit after Electroconvulsive Treatment (ECT), Is There a Connection?

Electroconvulsive treatment (ECT) has developed over 70 years to a modern, effective way of liftingdepressive moods. Memory loss and visual acuity after electroconvulsive treatment is the only remainingrelevant criticism of the treatment modality when considering the overall rate of remission from thistreatment compared to all other treatment modalities. A depressive state impedes memory, and memoryimproves on several qualities of cognition after treatment. However, the comparison of a person’s memoryability from the months before depression started to the level after a course of ECT is never performed, forobvious reasons. Some infectious diseases are known to influence memory negatively through effects onthe dopamine receptors. More specifically, former toxoplasmosis infection may be a factor. Preliminarydata on titres of toxoplasma IgG may indicate a connection to the development of long-standing memoryproblems after ECT.