Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2007 May;32(3):193-202.

Electroconvulsive shock enhances striatal dopamine D1 and D3 receptor binding and improves motor performance in 6-OHDA-lesioned rats

Elissa M Strome  1 , Athanasios P Zis, Doris J Doudet
Affiliations

Electroconvulsive shock enhances striatal dopamine D1 and D3 receptor binding and improves motor performance in 6-OHDA-lesioned rats

Elissa M Strome et al. J Psychiatry Neurosci. 2007 May.

Abstract
in English, French

Objective: Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is a widely used and effective treatment for mood disorders and appears to have positive effects on the motor symptoms of Parkinson's disease (PD), improving motor function for several weeks. Because repeated electroconvulsive shock (ECS) in normal animals enhances striatal dopamine (DA) D(1) and D(3) receptor binding, we hypothesized that upregulation of D(1) and D(3) receptors may also be occurring in the parkinsonian brain after repeated ECS treatment.

Methods: Rats were rendered hemi-parkinsonian through unilateral infusion of the DA-specific neurotoxin 6-hydroxydopamine into the medial forebrain bundle and substantia nigra. The animals were tested for hindlimb and forelimb function before and 48 hours after the last of 10 daily treatments with ECS or sham. After sacrifice, DA receptor binding was determined autoradiographically.

Results: While there was no increase in forelimb use in the cylinder test, ECS treatment significantly improved hindlimb motor performance on a tapered beam-walking test and enhanced striatal D(1) and D(3) receptor binding, without affecting D(2) receptor binding.

Conclusion: This study suggests that at least part of the mechanism of action of ECT in PD may be enhanced DA function within the direct pathway of the basal ganglia and may support the further study and use of ECT as a potential adjunct treatment for PD.

Objectif: L'électrochoc est un traitement très répandu et efficace contre les troubles de l'humeur et il semble avoir des effets positifs sur les symptômes de la maladie de Parkinson (MP) qui touchent la motricité, car il améliore la fonction motrice pendant plusieurs semaines. Parce que l'électrochoc à répétition chez des animaux normaux améliore la fixation aux récepteurs D1 et D3 de la dopamine striatale, nous avons posé en hypothèse qu'il peut y avoir aussi régulation à la hausse des récepteurs D1 et D3 dans un cerveau parkinsonien après des électrochocs à répétition.

Méthodes: On a rendu des rats hémiparkinsoniens par perfusion unilatérale de neurotoxine 6-hydroxydopamine spécifique à la dopamine dans le faisceau médian du cerveau antérieur et les substances noires. On a vérifié le fonctionnement des pattes arrière et avant des animaux avant et 48 heures après 10 traitements quotidiens d'électrochoc ou traitements factices. Après le sacrifice, on a déterminé par autoradiographie qu'il y avait fixation aux récepteurs de la dopamine.

Résultats: Même si les sujets n'ont pas utilisé davantage leurs pattes avant au cours du test du cylindre, l'électrochoc a amélioré considérablement la performance motrice des pattes arrière au cours du test de la poutre en queue de billard et a amélioré la fixation aux récepteurs D1 et D3 de la dopamine striatale sans avoir d'effet sur la fixation aux récepteurs D2.

Conclusion: Cette étude indique que le mécanisme d'action de l'électrochoc dans les cas de MP peut consister en partie à améliorer la fonction de la dopamine par la voie directe des noyaux gris centraux et pourrait appuyer une étude plus poussée et l'utilisation de l'électrochoc comme traitement d'appoint éventuel contre la MP.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

None
Fig. 1: Forelimb use asymmetry test scores before 6-OHDA lesioning, and before and after repeated electroconvulsive therapy (ECS) or sham treatment. There was no significant effect of ECS treatment. Values are mean ± SEM, n = 17 animals per group. SEM = standard error of the mean.
None
Fig. 2: Tapered beam (TB) test scores for the hindlimb contralateral to the lesion in electroconvulsive therapy (ECT)- and sham-treated rats before 6-OHDA lesioning and before and after repeated ECS or sham treatment. There is a significant treatment × time interaction (*p < 0.02), with ECS-treated rats showing lower scores after treatment, compared with sham-treated controls. Values are mean ± SEM, n = 16 animals per group. SEM = standard error of the mean.
None
Fig. 3: Densitometric of autoradiographs representing [3H]SCH 23390 binding in the striatum. D1 binding was significantly increased after repeated electroconvulsive therapy (ECS) treatment in both the dorsal and ventral striatum (*p < 0.04). Values are mean ± SEM, n = 9–10 animals per group. SEM = standard error of the mean.
None
Fig. 4: Densitometric measurement of autoradiographs representing [11C]raclopride binding in the striatum. There was no effect of repeated ECS treatment on D2 binding, but it was significantly increased in the lesioned dorsal striatum (#p < 0.001). Values are mean ± SEM, n = 8–10 animals per group. SEM = standard error of the mean.
None
Fig. 5: Densitometric measurement of autoradiographs representing [3H]7-OH-DPAT binding in the striatum. D3 receptor binding was significantly increased in both the dorsal and ventral striatum after repeated electroconvulsive therapy (ECS) treatment (*p < 0.05), and significantly decreased in the lesioned ventral striatum (#p < 0.002). Values are mean ± SEM, n = 8–10 animals per group.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Bernheimer H, Birkmayer W, Hornykiewicz O, et al. Brain dopamine and the syndromes of Parkinson and Huntington. Clinical, morphological and neurochemical correlations. J Neurol Sci 1973;20:415-55. - PubMed
    1. Jankovic J. Motor fluctuations and dyskinesias in Parkinson's disease: clinical manifestations. Mov Disord 2005;20(Suppl 11):S11-6. - PubMed
    1. Leentjens AF. Depression in Parkinson's disease: conceptual issues and clinical challenges. J Geriatr Psychiatry Neurol 2004;17:120-6. - PubMed
    1. Kho KH, van Vreeswijk MF, Simpson S, et al. A meta-analysis of electroconvulsive therapy efficacy in depression. J ECT 2003;19: 139-47. - PubMed
    1. Pagnin D, de Quriroz V, Pini S, et al. Efficacy of ECT in depression: a meta-analytic review. J ECT 2004;20:13-20. - PubMed

Publication types