Donepezil Double Blind Trial for ECT Memory Disfunction

BeerYaakov Mental Health Center40 enrolled

Overview

This is a double blind randomized investigation of donepezil for patients suffering from schizophrenia, undergoing ECT. Patients will be randomized to receive either donezepil or plasebo, in order to gauge whether donezepil has a protective effect on memory disfunction, while patients are treated with ECT. Several parameters will be invistigated at baseline: general psychopathological measures, memory function scales, side effects scales. The same measurements will be taken throughout the trial and one month after ending the ECT.

Study Type

INTERVENTIONAL

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

TREATMENT

Masking

DOUBLE

Enrollment

Conditions

Schizophrenia Schizoaffective Disorder Schizophreniform Disorder

Interventions

Eligibility

Sex: ALLMin age: 18 YearsMax age: 60 Years

Medical Language ↔ Plain English

Inclusion Criteria: * Schizophrenia, Schizoaffective disorder, schizophreniform disorder patients who meet criteria for diagnoses by DSM-IV criteria and evaluated by the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV (SCID) Exclusion Criteria: * History of serious neurological disorders including neurodegenerative deseases, mental retardation, substance and/or alcohol dependence. * Pregnant women * Patients who recieved ECT within 6 month * Patients whith contraindication to Donepezil treatment. * Patients with Lithium treatment

Outcomes

Primary Outcomes

Data will be analyzed using SPSS for Windows.

Time frame: after 5 ECT treatments

Results of the memory and neurocognitive measures will be examined

Time frame: after 8 ECT treatments

using repeated MANOVA with before, within and after ECT treatment.

Time frame: 1 month after the last ECT treatment