Longitudinal reference data for the German D-AMI in major depression and healthy controls: implications for future ECT research
4 affiliations
- 1Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Tübingen
- 2German Center for Mental Health (DZPG), partner site Tübingen
- 3Department of Psychiatry 3, Rheinhessen-Fachklinik Alzey
- 4German Center for Neurodegenerative Disorders (DZNE)
Abstract
Background: Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is an effective treatment for major depressive disorder (MDD). Retrograde autobiographical memory impairment is considered one of the clinically relevant adverse effects of ECT; however, no validated German instrument is available to assess autobiographical memory. Although longitudinal autobiographical memory data are available from previous studies of patients with depression not receiving ECT, corresponding reference data for the German-language AMI-SF have not been established. This study evaluated the feasibility and interrater reliability of the German Autobiographical Memory Interview-Short Form (D-AMI) and established longitudinal reference data in MDD and healthy controls.
Methods: Sixty participants (30 patients with MDD and 30 healthy controls), none of whom received ECT during the observation period, completed the D-AMI at baseline and after a 6-week interval. Feasibility was assessed by completion rates and missing data. Interrater reliability was evaluated in a subset (n = 10) using a two-way random-effects intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC). Longitudinal performance was quantified using D-AMI score change and its baseline-normalized expression, retrieval consistency. Associations between autobiographical memory measures and depressive symptom severity were explored.
Results: The D-AMI demonstrated a 100% completion rate with no missing data. Interrater reliability was ICC[2,1] = 0.71 (95% CI = 0.17-0.92), indicating considerable uncertainty. The magnitude of longitudinal inconsistency was greater in patients with MDD than in healthy controls, although this between-group difference should be interpreted cautiously because study site and rater were confounded with group.
Conclusions: The D-AMI is a feasible instrument for assessing autobiographical memory in German-speaking populations, while the preliminary interrater reliability estimate requires confirmation in larger samples. The observed magnitude of longitudinal D-AMI inconsistency provides reference information for repeated assessments in the absence of ECT; however, the between-group difference requires cautious interpretation because group, site, and rater effects could not be separated. These findings provide the first longitudinal reference data for the German D-AMI and indicate that changes in autobiographical memory scores should not automatically be interpreted as evidence of ECT-related memory impairment. Rather, such changes should be considered in the context of test-retest variability and retrieval consistency.
Related
- Physical activity in preclinical Alzheimer disease: current evidence and implications for multimodal longitudinal research
- Speech markers of depression: cross-sectional discrimination, longitudinal association, and treatment response prediction
- Maternal bonding difficulties and postpartum depression in pediatric clinical practice: a longitudinal study in a Japanese cohort
- Associations of digital exclusion with joint trajectories of depression and self-rated health: evidence from two prospective longitudinal studies
- Association of depression and epilepsy in rural northern Rwanda: a prospective longitudinal study with a patient-centered approach
BibTeX
@article{kayser2026longitudinal,
title = {{Longitudinal reference data for the German D-AMI in major depression and healthy controls: implications for future ECT research}},
author = {Sarah Kayser and Christian Plewnia and Magdalena Adan and Ruby Schaaf and Andreas J. Fallgatter},
journal = {Frontiers in Psychiatry},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.3389/fpsyt.2026.1967204},
url = {https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2026.1967204/full},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Longitudinal reference data for the German D-AMI in major depression and healthy controls: implications for future ECT research
AU - Sarah Kayser
AU - Christian Plewnia
AU - Magdalena Adan
AU - Ruby Schaaf
AU - Andreas J. Fallgatter
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/13
JO - Frontiers in Psychiatry
DO - 10.3389/fpsyt.2026.1967204
UR - https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2026.1967204/full
AB - Background: Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is an effective treatment for major depressive disorder (MDD). Retrograde autobiographical memory impairment is considered one of the clinically relevant adverse effects of ECT; however, no validated German instrument is available to assess autobiographical memory. Although longitudinal autobiographical memory data are available from previous studies of patients with depression not receiving ECT, corresponding reference data for the German-language AMI-SF have not been established. This study evaluated the feasibility and interrater reliability of the German Autobiographical Memory Interview-Short Form (D-AMI) and established longitudinal reference data in MDD and healthy controls. Methods: Sixty participants (30 patients with MDD and 30 healthy controls), none of whom received ECT during the observation period, completed the D-AMI at baseline and after a 6-week interval. Feasibility was assessed by completion rates and missing data. Interrater reliability was evaluated in a subset (n = 10) using a two-way random-effects intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC). Longitudinal performance was quantified using D-AMI score change and its baseline-normalized expression, retrieval consistency. Associations between autobiographical memory measures and depressive symptom severity were explored. Results: The D-AMI demonstrated a 100% completion rate with no missing data. Interrater reliability was ICC[2,1] = 0.71 (95% CI = 0.17-0.92), indicating considerable uncertainty. The magnitude of longitudinal inconsistency was greater in patients with MDD than in healthy controls, although this between-group difference should be interpreted cautiously because study site and rater were confounded with group. Conclusions: The D-AMI is a feasible instrument for assessing autobiographical memory in German-speaking populations, while the preliminary interrater reliability estimate requires confirmation in larger samples. The observed magnitude of longitudinal D-AMI inconsistency provides reference information for repeated assessments in the absence of ECT; however, the between-group difference requires cautious interpretation because group, site, and rater effects could not be separated. These findings provide the first longitudinal reference data for the German D-AMI and indicate that changes in autobiographical memory scores should not automatically be interpreted as evidence of ECT-related memory impairment. Rather, such changes should be considered in the context of test-retest variability and retrieval consistency.
SN - 1664-0640
ER -