Efficacy of Donepezil in Improving Cognitive Impairment Induced by Electroconvulsive Therapy in Patients with Mood Disorders: A Randomized, Double-blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial

 Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is an effective strategy in the treatment of mood disorders; however, it is associated with some cognitive complications.

 This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of donepezil as an acetylcholinesterase inhibitor in improving cognitive impairment induced by ECT in mood disorder patients.

 Ninety-six mood disorder patients were randomly assigned to the donepezil (5mg/day) or placebo groups. The Persian versions of the Mini-Mental Status examination (MMSE) and Addenbrooke’s Cognitive Examination Revised (ACE-R) were used to evaluate cognitive performance before the first ECT session, after the fourth ECT session, and four weeks after the last ECT session.

 The mean scores of MMSE and ACE-R revealed significant improvement in the donepezil group over time (P < 0.001). All ACE-R subscales increased significantly following the intervention implementation in the donepezil group (P < 0.001). Furthermore, the donepezil group reported no remarkable complications and completed the study.

 Donepezil co-administration with ECT may improve the ECT-induced cognitive disturbances.