Busnello João Vicente, Leke Renata, Oses Jean Pierre, Feier Gustavo, Bruch Ricardos, Quevedo João, Kapczinski Flávio, Souza Diogo O, Cruz Portela Luis Valmor
Departamento de Bioquímica, Instituto de Ciências Básicas da Saúde, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul. Ramiro Barcelos, 2600-Anexo 90035-003 Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil.
Life Sci. 2006 May 22;78(26):3013-7. doi: 10.1016/j.lfs.2005.11.028. Epub 2006 Jan 18.
Electroconvulsive therapy is considered one of the most effective treatments of major depression, but controversy still exists on whether it may be brain damaging. The aim of this work was to evaluate the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) levels of neuron specific enolase (NSE), protein S100B and lactate of rats submitted to acute and chronic models of ECS. Rats were submitted to either one shock (acute) or a series of eight shocks, applied one at every 48 h (chronic). CSF samples were collected at 0, 3, 6, 12, 24, 48 and 72 h after the shock in the acute model and at these same time intervals after the last shock in the chronic model. Both models did not produce significant alterations in the levels of NSE. S100B levels were significantly increased at 6 h in the chronic model (p<0.0001). There was a significant increase in the levels of lactate at 0 h in both models (p<0.001). These results support the proposition that ECS does not produce neural damage, and suggest that the alterations in the levels of S100B and lactate may reflect an astrocytic activity of a protective nature.
