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Related Concept Videos

Electroconvulsive Therapy01:30

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Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), or shock therapy, remains a critical biomedical intervention for severe, treatment-resistant depression. While its origins can be traced back to Hippocrates' observations that malaria-induced convulsions alleviated mental illness, modern ECT has evolved significantly from its earlier, more primitive applications. First introduced in 1938 by Ugo Cerletti and his colleagues, ECT involves inducing controlled seizures using electrical currents. In its early years,...
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Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 19, 2026

Electroconvulsive Seizures in Rats and Fractionation of Their Hippocampi to Examine Seizure-induced Changes in Postsynaptic Density Proteins
09:07

Electroconvulsive Seizures in Rats and Fractionation of Their Hippocampi to Examine Seizure-induced Changes in Postsynaptic Density Proteins

Published on: August 15, 2017

Long-term decrease in immediate early gene expression after electroconvulsive seizures.

Julien Braga Calais1, Samira S Valvassori, Wilson R Resende

  • 1Laboratório de Neurociências-LIM-27, Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de São Paulo-USP, Hospital das Clínicas, Instituto de Psiquiatria, São Paulo, SP, Brazil.

Journal of Neural Transmission (Vienna, Austria : 1996)
|August 10, 2012
PubMed
Summary

Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) can cause memory deficits. This study found that electroconvulsive seizures (ECS) decreased immediate early gene expression in the hippocampus, correlating with long-term memory impairment in rodents.

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Last Updated: May 19, 2026

Electroconvulsive Seizures in Rats and Fractionation of Their Hippocampi to Examine Seizure-induced Changes in Postsynaptic Density Proteins
09:07

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Pupillary Response as Assessment of Effective Seizure Induction by Electroconvulsive Therapy
04:51

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Published on: April 11, 2019

Analysis of Gene Expression Changes in the Rat Hippocampus After Deep Brain Stimulation of the Anterior Thalamic Nucleus
09:46

Analysis of Gene Expression Changes in the Rat Hippocampus After Deep Brain Stimulation of the Anterior Thalamic Nucleus

Published on: March 8, 2015

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Molecular Psychiatry

Background:

  • Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) effectively treats severe depression but can cause memory deficits.
  • Immediate early genes (IEGs) like Egr1, Fos, and Arc are crucial for neuronal plasticity and memory.
  • Changes in IEG expression are hypothesized to mediate long-term brain adaptations after electroconvulsive seizures (ECS), an animal model of ECT.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the long-term effects of acute and chronic ECS on hippocampal IEG expression.
  • To correlate IEG changes with memory deficits following ECS treatment.

Main Methods:

  • Real-time PCR was used to quantify Egr1, Fos, and Arc mRNA levels in the hippocampus after acute and chronic ECS.
  • Rodents underwent behavioral tests (open field, passive avoidance) to assess memory function after chronic ECS.

Main Results:

  • ECS induced a transient increase in Egr1 and Fos expression immediately post-treatment.
  • Both acute and chronic ECS led to a sustained decrease in hippocampal IEG levels (>24 hours).
  • Chronic ECS induced significant long-term memory deficits, observed two weeks after the final seizure.

Conclusions:

  • Downregulation of hippocampal immediate early genes may underlie the long-term memory deficits associated with electroconvulsive seizures.
  • These findings offer insights into the molecular mechanisms of ECT-induced side effects.