Brain biochemical and behavioral effects of 1, 2, 4 or 8 weeks′ electroshock treatment

Abstract

In experiment 1, littermate male Wistar rats were given minimal, maximal, or sham seizures 3 or 5 times per week for 4 or 8 weeks, beginning at 30 days of age. The treatment resulted in increased cortical brain weight; body weight was reduced in the maximally convulsed S s but not in the minimally convulsed S s. Acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity was increased slightly in the ventral cortex. Monoamine oxidase (MAO) activity was increased throughout the cortex. In Experiment 2, S s were treated 5 or 10 times per week for 1, 2, or 4 weeks. Body weight was reduced after only one week, whereas were four weeks required for the increase in brain weight to be detected. AChE activity was slightly increased in the cortex after two weeks. MAO activity was significantly increased in some parts of the cortex after only one week and throughout most of the cortex after two or four weeks. Performance in a two-trial spatial discrimination in an underwater T-maze tended to be poorer in maximally convulsed groups, but the differences were not significant at these short treatment durations.