Images in electroconvulsive therapy: electroconvulsive shocks dose-dependently increase dendritic arborization in the CA1 region of the rat hippocampus
Related Experiment Video
Updated: Apr 28, 2026
Electroconvulsive Seizures in Rats and Fractionation of Their Hippocampi to Examine Seizure-induced Changes in Postsynaptic Density Proteins
Published on: August 15, 2017
Jangama S M Smitha1, Ravindranath Roopa, Nagarchi Khaleel
1From the *Department of Anatomy, St John's Medical College; and Departments of †Neurophysiology and ‡Psychopharmacology, National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences, Bangalore, India.
Abstract:
Stress and depression are associated with impaired neuroplasticity in the hippocampus: there is decreased dendritic arborization and synaptogenesis, which is hypothesized to explain decreased adaptive competence of the organism. Representative light microscopy images are presented that show that 6 once-daily electroconvulsive shocks (ECSs) dose-dependently increased dendritic arborization in the CA1 region of the hippocampus in healthy, adult, male Wistar rats (n = 10 in each of sham, 10-mC, and 40-mC ECS groups). These neuroplasticity changes, identified 1 month after the last ECS, may explain a part of the mechanism of action of electroconvulsive therapy in conditions such as depression.
More Related Videos
09:51Recording Synaptic Plasticity in Acute Hippocampal Slices Maintained in a Small-volume Recycling-, Perfusion-, and Submersion-type Chamber System
Published on: January 1, 2018
10:55Assessment of Dendritic Arborization in the Dentate Gyrus of the Hippocampal Region in Mice
Published on: March 31, 2015