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Researchers in the Netherlands examined whether electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) could disrupt reconsolidation of reactivated aversive emotional memories. Participants were 42 patients with unipolar depression receiving unilateral or bilateral ECT with etomidate anesthesia (mean age, 57). Participants were either at the end of acute-phase ECT or in a maintenance course.
Patients were shown two slideshows with audio of emotionally aversive stories. A week later, memory for one or the other story was reactivated in the participants, who viewed part of the first slide and were then asked questions promoting recall of the story. Participants were assigned to ECT immediately after memory reactivation, followed by memory testing 1 day later; post-r…