Abstract
BackgroundAlthough electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is regarded as one of the efficient treatments for intractable psychiatric disorders, the mechanism of therapeutic action remains unclear. Recently, many studies indicate that ECT affects the immune-related cells, such as microglia, astrocytes, and lymphocytes. Moreover, microglial activation and astrocytic activation have been implicated in the postmortem brains of schizophrenia patients. We previously demonstrated that Gunn rats showed schizophrenia-like behavior and microglial activation in their brains. The present study examined the effects of electroconvulsive shock (ECS), an animal counterpart of ECT, on schizophrenia-like behavior, microgliosis, and astrogliosis in the brain of Gunn rats.MethodsThe rats were divided into four groups, i.e., Wistar sham, Wistar ECS, Gunn sham, and Gunn ECS. ECS groups received ECS once daily for six consecutive days. Subsequently, prepulse inhibition (PPI) test was performed, and immunohistochemistry analysis was carried out to determine the activation degree of microglia and astrocytes in the hippocampus by using anti-CD11b and anti-glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) antibody, respectively.ResultsWe found PPI deficit in Gunn rats compared to Wistar rats, and it was significantly improved by ECS. Immunohistochemistry analysis revealed that immunoreactivity of CD11b and GFAP was significantly increased in Gunn rats compared to Wistar rats. ECS significantly attenuated the immunoreactivity of both CD11b and GFAP in Gunn rats.ConclusionsECS ameliorated schizophrenia-like behavior of Gunn rats and attenuated microgliosis and astrogliosis in the hippocampus of Gunn rats. Accordingly, therapeutic effects of ECT may be exerted, at least in part, by inhibition of glial activation. These results may provide crucial information to elucidate the role of activated glia in the pathogenesis of schizophrenia and to determine whether future therapeutic interventions should attempt to up-regulate or down-regulate glial functions.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12974-016-0688-2) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
Highlights
Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is regarded as one of the efficient treatments for intractable psychiatric disorders, the mechanism of therapeutic action remains unclear
The present study evaluated the effects of electroconvulsive shock (ECS), an animal model of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), on schizophrenia-like behavior, as well as on microgliosis and astrogliosis in the hippocampus of Gunn rats
After consecutive administration of ECS for 6 days, we found a higher %prepulse inhibition (PPI) at 70 dB in the Gunn ECS group (GE) group compared to the Gunn sham group (GS) group, the ECS efficacy did not reach significance
Summary
Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is regarded as one of the efficient treatments for intractable psychiatric disorders, the mechanism of therapeutic action remains unclear. The present study examined the effects of electroconvulsive shock (ECS), an animal counterpart of ECT, on schizophrenia-like behavior, microgliosis, and astrogliosis in the brain of Gunn rats. Views on ECT vary; some researchers consider that it is probably ineffective and certainly causes brain damage, while others think it is completely safe and the most effective treatment available in psychiatry [4]. Both the generalized seizure and the dose of electricity used seem to be important for the therapeutic effect of ECT, which has multiple, varied, and lasting effects on the CNS [5, 6]. Pro-inflammatory cytokines, including TNF-α, are released from immunerelated glial cells in the CNS [9, 10]
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