Cognitive Recovery After Electroconvulsive Therapy and General Anesthesia (RCC2)

Cognitive Recovery After Electroconvulsive Therapy and General Anesthesia Reconstitution of Consciousness and Cognition (Phase 2)

This study is geared toward characterizing the recovery of brain activity and cognitive function following treatments of electroconvulsive therapy and ketamine general anesthesia.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Depression; Delirium; Seizures; Cognitive Disorders
• Intervention / Treatment: Procedure: Electroconvulsive Therapy; Drug: Ketamine

Detailed Description

Seizures are often associated with loss of consciousness, possibly through effects on sub-cortical arousal systems, disruption of cortical-subcortical interactions, and ultimately through depressed neocortical function. Furthermore, people are often confused in the post-ictal state even when consciousness returns after a seizure. Disrupted cognitive function during the postictal phase has not been fully characterized but presents short and long-term implications. Many experience an acute disorder of attention, consciousness, and cognition, referred to as delirium. Memory deficits are also common. The neurobiology for these phenomena are incomplete and challenging to test, as seizures are typically sporadic and vary in intensity and character. In contrast, the setting of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) provides the opportunity to study the reconstitution of consciousness and cognition following seizures in an elective and predictable context.

There is no standard agent used to induce general anesthesia during ECT. Ketamine is receiving greater attention as an infusion for treating depression and for its potential benefits on improving ECT efficacy and expediting cognitive recovery. Further data are needed to determine whether ketamine may improve recovery of cognitive function relative to etomidate, a commonly used anesthetic for general anesthesia during ECT.

The investigators will evaluate the cognition function and electroencephalographic patterns that accompany the recovery from ECT and general anesthesia. Twenty patients with refractory depression will be randomized in this interventional single-blinded randomized crossover trial. Each patient will complete seven study visits. The first visit will be conducted during the dose-charge titration ECT treatment with etomidate anesthesia. After this session, patients will be randomized to three sessions each week for two weeks (six treatments total). Over the first week patients will be randomized in order for three treatment arms: (1) etomidate general anesthesia and ECT, (2) ketamine general anesthesia and ECT, and (3) ketamine alone. Patients will be blinded to the treatment arm for each session. Baseline and post-treatment measurements of cognition and ECT will be acquired on each of the six treatment sessions.

Patients that agree will have a MRI.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 17
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• United States
  • Missouri
    • Saint Louis, Missouri, United States, 63110
      • Washington University School of Medicine

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 14 years to 56 years (Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No
• Genders Eligible for Study: All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Treatment resistant depression requiring outpatient ECT
• Planned right unilateral ECT stimulation
• English speaking
• Able to provide written informed consent

Exclusion Criteria:

• Known brain lesion or neurological illness that causes cognitive impairment
• Schizophrenia
• Schizoaffective disorder
• Blindness or deafness or motor impediments that may impair performance for cognitive testing battery
• Inadequate ECT seizure duration with etomidate

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Basic Science
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Crossover Assignment
• Masking: Single

Number of Arms

3

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Active Comparator: Etomidate + ECT; General anesthesia for ECT will be induced with etomidate, approximately 0.2 mg/kg (0.1-0.6 mg/kg). Following application of stimulation electrodes to the patients scalp, an ECT charge will be administered at the previously determined therapeutic dose.	Procedure: Electroconvulsive Therapy; Dose of the ECT charge will be determined during titration session prior to randomization.; Other Names: ECT
Experimental: Ketamine + ECT; General anesthesia for ECT will be induced with ketamine, approximately 2 mg/kg (1-2.5 mg/kg). Following application of stimulation electrodes to the patients scalp, an ECT charge will be administered at the previously determined therapeutic dose.	Procedure: Electroconvulsive Therapy; Dose of the ECT charge will be determined during titration session prior to randomization.; Other Names: ECT; Drug: Ketamine; Ketamine will be used to induce general anesthesia with or without subsequent ECT. Within a single patient, the dose will remain consistent throughout the study and is estimated to be 2 mg/kg.
Sham Comparator: Ketamine alone; General anesthesia for ECT will be induced with ketamine, approximately 2 mg/kg (1-2.5 mg/kg). Following application of stimulation electrodes to the patients scalp, no ECT charge will be administered.	Drug: Ketamine; Ketamine will be used to induce general anesthesia with or without subsequent ECT. Within a single patient, the dose will remain consistent throughout the study and is estimated to be 2 mg/kg.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Change in Cognitive Function During Recovery: Rate of Recovery	A cognitive test battery was administered at 0, 30, 60, 90, and 120 minutes following return of consciousness after general anesthesia on each treatment day (1-6). The data from each treatment day (1-6) were averaged for analyses. Cognition Test Battery: Psychomotor Vigilance Task (PVT); Digital Symbol Substitution Task (DSST); Motor Praxis Task (MP); Visual Object Learning Task (VOLT); Abstract Matching (AM) Rate of Recovery for this measure is defined as the time (in inverse hours) for participants to return to their baseline performance for each task.	0, 30, 60, 90, 120 minutes following return of consciousness, assessed on treatment days 1-6.
Change in Cognitive Function During Recovery: Initial Decrement	A cognitive test battery was administered at 0, 30, 60, 90, and 120 minutes following return of consciousness after general anesthesia on each treatment day (1-6). The data from each treatment day (1-6) were averaged for analyses. Cognition Test Battery: Psychomotor Vigilance Task (PVT); Digital Symbol Substitution Task (DSST); Motor Praxis Task (MP); Visual Object Learning Task (VOLT); Abstract Matching (AM) Initial Decrement for this measure is defined as the difference between response times (in seconds) at baseline and t=0 for each task.	0, 30, 60, 90, 120 minutes following return of consciousness, assessed on treatment days 1-6.

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Delirium Incidence and Severity	Assessed using 3D Confusion Assessment Method (CAM). The groups/arms for this outcome are separated by anesthetic regimen; however, due to the crossover design of this study all participants are included in analyses for each group.	Immediately following return of consciousness (t=0) during treatment days 1-6.
Suicidality	The groups/arms for this outcome are combined as a whole-group analysis due to the crossover design of this study, as pre-specified by the study protocol. Breaking up the analyses into the various arms of the study would change our scientific questions and approach. All participants included in analyses completed all treatments, the various arms for the study vary only in the order in which participants received each treatment. These data show the change in suicidality from baseline to treatment 6 based on the Scale of Suicide Ideation. The measure completed was the Scale of Suicide Ideation. For this study, participants completed the following questions of the questionnaire: wish to live (0 Moderate to Strong, 1 Weak, 2 None); wish to die (0 None, 1 Weak, 2 Moderate to Strong) The total scores range from 0-4. Lower scores indicate high suicide ideation, and high scores indicate low suicide ideation.	assessed at baseline on treatment days 1-6.
ECT Seizure Duration	Duration (in seconds) of seizure induced by ECT treatment	up to days 1-6
ECT Electrical Dose	The electrical dose necessary for seizure induction is determined during a dose-charge titration session prior to participant randomization and session 1. These results report the average electrical dose across all participants for the first treatment session during Treatment Week 1. The range for these data is 0 - 100% electrical charge.	First ECT treatment session during Treatment Week 1
Subjective Assessment of Whether ECT Was Performed, Determined by Asking the Patient.	To assess patient blinding of treatment performed, the patient will be asked: "Based on how you feel, did you have ECT today?" Results indicate participants correctly answering the subjective assessment.	Assessed at 120 minutes after return of responsiveness on treatment days 1-6
Change in Mood Assessed Using the Mood Self-Assessment Manikin	Mood Self-Assessment Manikin (SAM) Scale: 1 (very unpleasant) - 9 (very pleasant). The groups/arms for this outcome are combined as a whole-group analysis due to the Crossover design of this study, as pre-specified by the study protocol. Breaking up the analyses into the various arms of the study would change our scientific questions and approach. Further, any statistical analyses would be underpowered due to low participant numbers in each arm. Thus, the results are combined and reported as a whole group analysis. All participants included in analyses completed all treatments included in the study, the various arms for the study vary only in the order in which participants received each treatment. These data show the change in mood from baseline to treatment 6 based on the SAM. Additionally, data collected at baseline are not dependent on the study group/arm.	baseline and 120 minutes after return of responsiveness, assessed on treatment days 1-6
Average Change in Mood Based on the Depression PROMIS-CAT	PROMIS-CAT (Patient Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System-Computer Adaptive Testing) for depression The groups/arms for this outcome are combined as a whole-group analysis due to the Crossover design of this study, as pre-specified by the study protocol. Breaking up the analyses into the various arms of the study would change our scientific questions and approach. Further, any statistical analyses would be underpowered due to low participant numbers in each arm. Thus, the results are combined and reported as a whole group analysis. All participants included in analyses completed all treatments included in the study, the various arms for the study vary only in the order in which participants received each treatment. These data show the change in mood from baseline to treatment 6 based on the PROMIS-CAT. Additionally, data collected at baseline are not dependent on the study group/arm.	baseline and 120 minutes after return of responsiveness, assessed on treatment days 1-6
Change in Delta Band (0.5-4 Hz) Relative Power in the Scale EEG During Recovery	High-density EEG collected during 5-minute epochs of eyes-closed quiet resting at baseline and post-ECT. Results are reported as the percent of total power in the delta band over the sum of total power between 0.5 - 70Hz.	baseline, post-ECT from 0-120 minutes
Change in Theta Band (4-8 Hz) Relative Power in the Scalp EEG During Recovery	High-density EEG collected during 5-minute epochs of eyes-closed quiet resting at baseline and post-ECT. Results are reported as the percent of total power in the theta band over the sum of total power between 0.5 - 70Hz.	baseline, post-ECT from 0-120 minutes
Change in Alpha Band (8-13 Hz) Power in the Scalp EEG During Recovery	High-density EEG collected during 5-minute epochs of eyes-closed quiet resting at baseline and post-ECT. Results are reported as the percent of total power in the alpha band over the sum of total power between 0.5 - 70Hz.	baseline, post-ECT from 0-120 minutes
Change in Beta Band (13-20 Hz) Relative Power in the Scalp EEG During Recovery	High-density EEG collected during 5-minute epochs of eyes-closed quiet resting at baseline and post-ECT. Results are reported as the percent of total power in the beta band over the sum of total power between 0.5 - 70Hz.	baseline, post-ECT from 0-120 minutes
Change in Anterior-Posterior Functional Connectivity in the Scalp During Recovery	High-density EEG collected during 5-minute epochs of eyes-closed quiet resting at baseline and post-ECT. Results are reported as the coherence measure, which is used for tracking changes in anterior-posterior functional connectivity. Coherence is a measure of synchronization between two signals which is used to measure anterior-posterior functional connectivity. Coherence is a unitless measure between 0 and 1. High coherence between time-series of two neural populations reflects higher efficiency in communication between those populations and therefore stronger functional connectivity.	baseline, post-ECT from 0-120 minutes
Change in Anterior-Posterior Phase-lag in the Scalp EEG During Recovery	High-density EEG collected during 5-minute epochs of eyes-closed quiet resting at baseline and post-ECT. Phase-lag was assessed using the Phase-Lag Index (PLI), a measure ranging from 0 - 1. A consistent phase-lag between two tim-series results in a PLI of 1. A time-series without coupling results in a PLI near or equaling 0. Results show the difference in anterior-posterior PLI between baseline and post-ECT.	baseline, post-ECT from 0 -120 minutes
Change in EEG Entropy in the Scalp EEG During Recovery	High-density EEG collected during 5-minute epochs of eyes-closed quiet resting at baseline and post-ECT. Results are reported as permutation entropy (PE) measures in posterior regions, which we are using to track changes in scalp EEG entropy. Permutation Entropy (PE) is a measure that is used to quantify the complexity of time series signals. It is a unitless measure between 0 and 1. Lower the PE represents a more regular and more deterministic time series while higher PE represents a more complex time series.	baseline, Post-ECT from 0 -120 minutes

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Washington University School of Medicine
• Collaborators: James S McDonnell Foundation

Publications and helpful links

General Publications

• Hickman LB, Kafashan M, Labonte AK, Chan CW, Huels ER, Guay CS, Guan MJ, Ching S, Lenze EJ, Farber NB, Avidan MS, Hogan RE, Palanca BJA. Postictal generalized electroencephalographic suppression following electroconvulsive therapy: Temporal characteristics and impact of anesthetic regimen. Clin Neurophysiol. 2021 Apr;132(4):977-983. doi: 10.1016/j.clinph.2020.12.018. Epub 2021 Jan 28.
• Hickman LB, Hogan RE, Labonte AK, Kafashan M, Chan CW, Huels ER, Ching S, Lenze EJ, Maccotta L, Eisenman LN, Keith Day B, Farber NB, Avidan MS, Palanca BJA. Voltage-based automated detection of postictal generalized electroencephalographic suppression: Algorithm development and validation. Clin Neurophysiol. 2020 Dec;131(12):2817-2825. doi: 10.1016/j.clinph.2020.08.015. Epub 2020 Sep 11.
• Palanca BJA, Maybrier HR, Mickle AM, Farber NB, Hogan RE, Trammel ER, Spencer JW, Bohnenkamp DD, Wildes TS, Ching S, Lenze E, Basner M, Kelz MB, Avidan MS. Cognitive and Neurophysiological Recovery Following Electroconvulsive Therapy: A Study Protocol. Front Psychiatry. 2018 May 14;9:171. doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2018.00171. eCollection 2018.

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): April 1, 2016
• Primary Completion (Actual): September 11, 2019
• Study Completion (Actual): September 11, 2019

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: April 30, 2016
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: May 3, 2016
• First Posted (Estimate): May 4, 2016

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): June 28, 2021
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: June 25, 2021
• Last Verified: June 1, 2021

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Depression; Ketamine; Anesthesia; Confusion; Seizures; Physiological Effects of Drugs; Neurologic Manifestations; Mental Disorders; Pharmacologic Actions; Electroencephalography; Delirium; Signs and Symptoms; Electroconvulsive therapy; Cognitive Disorders; Neurobehavioral Manifestations; Etomidate
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Behavioral Symptoms; Mental Disorders; Nervous System Diseases; Neurologic Manifestations; Confusion; Neurobehavioral Manifestations; Neurocognitive Disorders; Depression; Delirium; Seizures; Cognition Disorders; Physiological Effects of Drugs; Neurotransmitter Agents; Molecular Mechanisms of Pharmacological Action; Central Nervous System Depressants; Peripheral Nervous System Agents; Analgesics; Sensory System Agents; Anesthetics, Dissociative; Anesthetics, Intravenous; Anesthetics, General; Anesthetics; Excitatory Amino Acid Antagonists; Excitatory Amino Acid Agents; Ketamine
• Other Study ID Numbers: 201512110

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: No