Electroconvulsive shocks

Table 20.7 Neurochemical changes generally found after chronic administration of antidepressant drugs or repeated electroconvulsive shock...

Heal, DJ, Butyler, SA, Hurst, EM and Buckett, WR (1989) Antidepressant treatments, including sibutramine hydrochloride and electroconvulsive shock, decrease betal- but not beta2-adrenoceptors in rat cortex. J. Neurochem. 53 1019-1025. 

Stanford, SC and Nutt, DJ (1982) Comparison of the effects of repeated electroconvulsive shock on 2- and -adrenoceptors in different regions of the rat brain. Neurosci. 1 1753-1757. 

Ginkgo alters lipid metabolism created by electroconvulsive shock treatments. EGb 761 reduced accumulation of free fatty acids and removal of diacylglycerol, which is more pronounced in the hippocampus than cerebral cortex (Rodriguez de Turco et al. 1993). Ginkgo also has protective effects on lipid membranes under hypoxic conditions. Bilobalide, but not ginkgolides, suppressed hydrolysis of choline induced... 

Several studies have looked at the effects of combined preparations that include ginseng. A preparation of Biota orientalis, Panax ginseng, and Schisandra chinensis (S-113 m) improved memory retention in a passive-avoidance task with senescence-accelerated mice (Nishiyama et al. 1996). This combination also reduced memory impairments induced by ethanol and scopolamine in the step-down test and electroconvulsive shock-induced memory impairment (Nishiyama et al. 1995). 

Lasarova MB, Mosharrof AH, Petkov VD, Markovska VL, Petkov W. (1987). Effect of piracetam and of standardized ginseng extract on the electroconvulsive shock-induced memory disturbances in "step-down" passive avoidance. Acta Physiol Pharmacol Bulg. 13(2) 11-17. 

Rodriguez de Turco EB, Droy-Lefaix MT, Bazan NG. (1993). Decreased electroconvulsive shock-induced diacylglycerols and free fatty acid accumulation in the rat brain by Ginkgo biloba extract (EGb 761) selective effect in hippocampus as compared with cerebral cortex. J Neurochem. 61(4) 1438-44. 

Korf J, Venema K. 1985. Amino acids in rat striatal dialysates methodological aspects and changes after electroconvulsive shock. J Neurochem 45(5) 1341-1348. 

Another striking characteristic of aversive memories is their abiUty to reconsolidate on reactivation. By definition, memories should be insensitive to disruption, for instance by electroconvulsive shocks or drugs, once they have been consohdated. This is, in fact, the case as long as the treatments do not coincide with memory recall. Reactivation of a memory, however, makes it labile again because of reconsoUdation processes (Sara 2000 Nader 2003). Reconsolidation resembles consolidation in that similar cascades of molecular... 

Goddard AW, Mason GF, Almai A, Rothman DL, Behar KL, Petroff OA, Charney DS, Krystal JH (2001) Reductions in occipital cortex GABA levels in panic disorder detected with Ih-magnetic resonance spectroscopy. Arch Gen Psychiatry 58 556-561 Grant MM, Weiss JM (2001) Effects of chronic antidepressant drug administration electroconvulsive shock on locus coeruleus electrophysiologic activity. Biol Psychiatry 49 117-129... 

Nalepa I, Kreiner G, Kowalska M, Sanak M, Zelek-Molik A, Vetulani J (2002) Repeated imipramine electroconvulsive shock increase alpha(lA)-adrenoceptor mRNA level in rat prefrontal cortex. Eur J Clin Pharmacol 444 151-159 Nesse RM, Ciu-tis GC, Thyer BA, McCann DS, Huber-Smith MJ, Knopf RF (1985) Endocrine and cardiovascular responses during phobic anxiety. Psychosom Med 47 320-332 Nisenbaiun LK, Zigmund MJ, Sved AF, Abercrombie ED (1991) Prior exposure to chronic stress results in enhanced synthesis and release of hippocampal norepinephrine in response to a novel stressor. J Neurosci 11 1473-1484 Nutt DJ (1989) Altered alpha2-adrenoceptor sensitivity in panic disorder. Arch Gen Psychiatry 46 165-169... 

Animal behavioral models can be used to evaluate the effect of antidepressants on depression [Thiebot et al. 1992]. If TMS and ECT exert antidepressant effects by a similar mechanism, animal models for depression that are sensitive to electroconvulsive shock [ECS] should also be sensitive to TMS. ECS has effects on known animal models for depression. These effects may be displayed after recovery from the immediate effects of the convulsions [Thiebot et al. 1992]. We evaluated the effects of TMS on the forced swimming test and on apomorphine-induced stereotypy, a sensitive behavioral measure for the effects of repeated ECS. 

Ebstein R, Belmaker R, Grunhaus L, et al Lithium inhibition of adrenaline-stimulated adenylate cyclase in humans. Nature 259 411-413, 1976 Ebstein RP, Hermoni M, Belmaker RH The effect of lithium on noradrenahne-in-duced cyclic AMP accumulation in rat brain inhibition after chronic treatment and absence of supersensitivity. J Pharmacol Exp Ther 213 161-167, 1980 Ebstein RP, Lerer B, Shlaufman M, et al The effect of repeated electroconvulsive shock treatment and chronic lithium feeding on the release of norepinephrine from rat cortical vesicular preparations. Cell Mol Neurobiol 3 191-201, 1983 Ebstein RP, Moscovich D, Zeevi S, et al Effect of lithium in vitro and after chronic treatment on human platelet adenylate cyclase activity prosreceptor modification or second messenger signal amplification. Psychiatry Res 21 221-228, 1987 Eccleston D, Cole AJ Calcium-channel blockade and depressive illness. Br J Psychiatry 156 889-891, 1990... 

Kawashima K, Araki H, Uchiymya Y, et al Amygdaloid catecholaminergic mechanisms involved in suppressive effects of electroconvulsive shock on duration of immobility in rats forced to swim. Eur J Pharmacol 141 1-6, 1987 Keck PE Jr, McElroy SL New uses for antidepressants social phobia. J Clin Psychiatry 58 (suppl 14) 32-36, 1997... 

Nowak G, Zak J Effects of repeated treatment with antidepressant drugs and electroconvulsive shocks on the D2 dopaminergic receptor turnover in the rat brain. Pharmacol Toxicol 69 87-89, 1991... 

Paul lA, Layer RT, Skolnick P, et al Adaptation of the N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor complex in rat front cortex following chronic treatment with electroconvulsive shock or imipramine. Eur J Pharmacol 247 305-312, 1993 Paul SM, Purdy RH Neuroactive steroids. FASEB J 6 2311-2322, 1992 Paul V, Balasubramaniam E, Kazi M The neurobehavioural toxicity of endosulfan in rats a serotonergic involvement in learning impairment. Eur J Pharmacol 270 1-7, 1994... 

Pandey GN, Heinze WJ, Brown BD, et al. Electroconvulsive shock treatment decreases beta-adrenergic receptor sensitivity in rat brain. Nature 1979 280 234-235. 

Pandey GN, Pandey SC, Isaac L, et al. Effect of electroconvulsive shock on 5HT 2 and a-adrenoceptors and phosphoinositide signalling system in rat brain [Molecular Pharmacology section], EurJ Pharmacol 1992 226 303-310. 

Electroconvulsive shock (ECS), as well as ischemia, induces increases in free fatty add (FFA) and diacylglycerol (DAG) in the rat brain, probably due to the breakdown of membrane phospholipids through the activation of phospholipases (PLC, PLAj/A,). EGb treatment (100 mg/kg/day, p.o. for 14 days) selectively decreases endogenous FFA levels and increases endogenous DAG levels in the hippocampus. Therefore, ECS-induced accumulation of FFAis prevented in the hippocampus of EGb-treated rats during clonic seizures (30 sec to 2 min after... 

V. Petkov et al. Protective effect of G115 extract against electroconvulsive shock in rats... 

Because suicide is one of the leading causes of death in elderly people and in other populations, rapid and effective treatment of depression is warranted. Current therapies include the use of electroconvulsive (shock) therapy, psychiatric intervention, and antidepressant drugs such as tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs), monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs), and serotonin-selective reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs). Recently, in the U.S., the use of St. John s wort (Hypericum perforatum) has become more prevalent, especially in the treatment of depression. 

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