Repeated electroconvulsive shock has no specific anxiolytic effect but reduces social interaction and exploration in...

Administration of repeated electroconvulsive shock (ECS) to rats did not result in a specific anxiolytic profile in the social interaction test, but did significantly reduce several spontaneous behaviours: social interaction, locomotor activity, exploratory head-dipping and rearing. None of these behavioural changes was reversed by the administration of pentylenetetrazol prior to each seizure, a treatment that abolishes ECS-induced changes in GABA and 5-HT in the brain.