Glucocorticoid mechanisms may contribute to ECT-induced retrograde amnesia.

Abstract

RATIONALE:

Cortisol levels rise sharply immediately after electroconvulsive therapy (ECT); the resultant stimulation of steroid receptors in the hippocampus may be beneficial or harmful to cognition, depending on the magnitude of the stimulation. Steroid mechanisms may therefore modulate ECT-induced amnesia.

OBJECTIVES:

Using mifepristone (a glucocorticoid receptor antagonist) as a chemical probe, we sought to examine steroid mechanisms in an animal model of ECT-induced retrograde amnesia.

MATERIALS AND METHODS:

Adult, male Wistar rats (n = 68) trained in a step-through passive-avoidance task were randomized to receive mifepristone (20 or 40 mg kg(-1) day(-1)) or vehicle (control). These treatments were administered 1 day before the electroconvulsive shock (ECS) course and, again, 1 h before each of five once-daily true (30 mC) or sham ECS. Recall of pre-ECS learning was tested 1 day after the last ECS.

RESULTS:

Relative to sham ECS, true ECS resulted in significant retrograde amnesia in the vehicle group but not in either of the mifepristone groups. In sham ECS-treated animals, mifepristone did not significantly influence recall. In ECS-treated rats, the higher but not the lower dose of mifepristone was associated with significant protection against the retrograde amnesia evident in the vehicle group.

CONCLUSION:

Mifepristone administered before the ECT seizure may attenuate ECT-induced retrograde amnesia. This suggests that glucocorticoid mechanisms may contribute to ECT-induced retrograde amnesia.

• Authors: Nandakumar Nagaraja, Chittaranjan Andrade, Suresh Sudha, Nagendra Madan Singh, J Suresh Chandra, B V Venkataraman
• Journal: Psychopharmacology (Psychopharmacology (Berl)) Vol. 190 Issue 1 Pg. 73-80 (Jan 2007) ISSN: 0033-3158 [Print] Germany
• PMID: 17072590 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't)

Chemical References

• Hormone Antagonists
• Receptors, Glucocorticoid
• Mifepristone

Topics

• Amnesia, Retrograde (physiopathology)
• Animals
• Avoidance Learning (drug effects, physiology)
• Disease Models, Animal
• Dose-Response Relationship, Drug
• Electroshock
• Hippocampus (drug effects, physiopathology)
• Hormone Antagonists (pharmacology)
• Male
• Mental Recall (drug effects, physiology)
• Mifepristone (pharmacology)
• Premedication
• Rats
• Rats, Wistar
• Receptors, Glucocorticoid (antagonists & inhibitors, physiology)