Glycopyrrolate versus atropine in post-ECT amnesia in the elderly

The neurotransmitter acetylcholine is important in memory function, and low brain concentrations may be associated with cognitive impairment. Our hypothesis was that atropine, a centrally acting anticholinergic drug known to cause amnesia, confusion, and delirium, may further exacerbate the amnesia and/or confusion resulting from electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) when used as a preanesthetic, and that the peripherally acting glycopyrrolate would by comparison decrease these side effects. We randomly administered glycopyrrolate versus atropine in equivalent doses as the preanesthetic agent to 20 consecutively admitted geriatric patients with major depression, for whom ECT was the clinical treatment of choice. Patients were matched for age, Hamilton Scale for Depression, and baseline performance on the Buschke Selective Reminding Task (BSRT). We found no significant difference in outcome between patients treated prior to ECT with atropine versus glycopyrrolate, as assessed by the above measures. We conclude from this study that atropine is no more deleterious to memory than is glycopyrrolate when given before ECT.