Unilateral electroconvulsive therapy and cerebral dominance: effect of right- and left-sided electrode placement on verbal memory.

Unilateral electroconvulsive therapy was given to 32 right-handed patients for relief of depression. Sixteen patients received electrode placement on the right side for the first treatment and on the left side for the second treatment. For the other 16 patients the order of sides was reversed. The word Associate Learning subtest of the Wechsler Memory Scale was administered about 20 minutes after each treatment (Wechsler, 1945). Results supported the hypothesis that performance on this test would be better when the electrodes were applied over the right than when they were applied over the right than when they were applied over the left cerebral hemisphere. It is suggested that investigation along these lines could assist in establishing the cerebral dominance of individual patients.