title: Repeated ECS differentially affects rat brain 5-HT1A and 5-HT2A receptor expression.
abstract: We investigated the effect of electroconvulsive shock (ECS), administered five times over 10 days, on 5-HT1A and 5-HT2A receptor mRNA and binding site densities in the rat brain using in situ hybridization histochemistry and quantitative autoradiography. ECS treatment increased 5-HT1A receptor mRNA abundance and binding site densities in the dentate gyrus, but decreased these parameters in the CA3c layer of the hippocampus. No changes in 5-HT1A receptor mRNA and binding sites occurred in other hippocampal subfields, neocortex or raphe nuclei. Repeated ECS was also found to increase 5-HT2A receptor binding site densities in the neocortex and this was accompanied by a non-significant increase in cortical 5-HT2A receptor mRNA abundance. Our study demonstrates that in the rat, repeated ECS produces anatomically and molecularly discrete effects on 5-HT1A and 5-HT2A receptor gene expression. These changes may be relevant to the therapeutic effect of repeated ECS in depression.
authors.affiliation: University Department of Psychiatry, Radcliffe Infirmary, Oxford, UK.
authors.forename: P W
authors.initials: PW
authors.lastname: Burnet
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mead
authors.forename: S L
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Eastwood
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Lacey
authors.forename: P J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Harrison
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Sharp
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001345:Autoradiography; D001665:Binding Sites / Q000187:drug effects; D001923:Brain Chemistry / Q000502:physiology*; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000378:metabolism; D004597:Electroshock; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation / Q000502:physiology; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000378:metabolism; D006651:Histocytochemistry; D017403:In Situ Hybridization; D008297:Male; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000096:biosynthesis; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D011985:Receptors, Serotonin / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D012333:RNA, Messenger; D011985:Receptors, Serotonin