Ameliorative activity of co-administration of ketamine and ECT on depression like behaviors in depressed rats

Mohsen Khalili | Jamshid Narenjkar | Elham Zahedi | Ashkan Sanaie Rad

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URL :   http://research.shahed.ac.ir/WSR/WebPages/Report/PaperView.aspx?PaperID=106251
Date :  2018/05/10
Publish in :    Journal of Basic and Clinical Pathophysiology


Keywords :Ketamine, Electroconvulsive therapy, Depression

Abstract :

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Background and Objective: Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is the end choice treatment for patients with major depressive disorder (MDD). Regarding researches that show NMDA receptor inactivation could yield the same results as antidepressant drugs, however, the present study examined co-administration of ECT and ketamine (as NMDA antagonist) on depressed rat behaviors. Materials and Methods: Fifty healthy adult male Wistar rats were divided into control (normal, no treatment) and CUMS induced depressed rats. The depressed animals were subdivided into 1- ECT, 2-ketamine, and 3- ECT + ketamine and 4- no treatment. We used sucrose preference, forced swimming, open field and elevated plus maze tests for evaluation of depression-related behavioral function. Results: Data analysis in CUMS depressed rats that treated with ketamine + ECT showed higher sucrose consumption in sucrose preference test, more immobility in forced swimming, and the vast activity in open field and plus maze tests. Conclusion: The behavioral analysis tests show that combination therapy with ketamine and electroconvulsive could markedly reduce depression and anxiolytic behaviors than ketamine or ECT treatment alone.