Electroconvulsive treatment reduces long-term potentiation in rat hippocampus

The effect of repeated electroconvulsive treatment (ECT) was investigated on long-term potentiation (LTP) in the rat hippocampal slice. Extracellular, recordings of population spikes and excitatory postsynaptic potentials (EPSP) were made from the pyramidal cell layer of CA1 in response to stimulation of the stratum radiatum. LTP was induced by 5 high-frequency trains of stimuli. ECT (10 treatments, 1 treatment every day for 20 days) markedly inhibited LTP of the population spike and EPSP. Thus LTP of the 25% maximum population spike was 104% in control, and 20% in rats 24 h after ECT. LTP of the EPSP was 35% in control and 12% after ECT.