Effects of Low-Dose Ketamine Combined With Propofol on Phosphorylation of AMPA Receptor GluR1 Subunit and GABAA Receptor in Hippocampus of Stressed Rats Receiving Electroconvulsive Shock

Abstract

Low-dose ketamine combined with propofol may play a role in enhancing the antidepressant efficacy of ECS in stressed rats, ameliorating the cognitive impairment associated with ECS by balancing the expression of p-GluR1 and p-GABAAR in the hippocampus of stressed rats.

Effect of different charges of modified electroconvulsive seizure on the cognitive behavior in stressed rats: Effects of GluR1 phosphorylation and CaMKIIα activity

“…The CUMS procedure, which has been successfully used in previous studies to establish animal models of depression (17,29,37), was first successfully established by Willner et al (38) in 1987. However, it should be noted that CUMS procedures may differ slightly in certain aspects between different laboratories, primarily due to convenience and logistics (29,39).…”

“…Based on previous results, a constant dosage of anesthetics, ketamine (10 mg/kg) and propofol (80 mg/kg), was administered intraperitoneally (i.p.) 10 min prior to ECS treatment in each group (17). On the day of the experiment, the rats were anesthetized to prepare them for MECS treatments.…”

“…These disadvantages may limit the clinical use of ketamine, especially for patients with psychiatric disorders. Based on these concerns, a previous study revealed that compared with propofol anesthesia, a low, subanesthetic dose of ketamine combined with propofol could enhance the antidepressant efficacy and further improve the cognitive performance following ECS, an animal analog of human ECT, in stressed stressed rats (17). As the stimulus intensity is germane to both therapeutic and adverse effects of ECT (18), the appropriate stimulus intensity of this modified ECS (MECS) with the introduction of compound anesthetics, requires further study.…”

“…However, another study suggested that ketamine may exert rapid antidepressant-like effects by enhancing the AMPA receptor relative to NMDA receptor throughput in critical neuronal circuits (21). Furthermore, previous studies indicated that the antidepressant effects induced by ketamine or MECS were associated with glutamate receptor 1 (GluR1) (17,21). The AMPA receptor is made up of heterotetrameric complexes comprising at least two of four subunits (GluR1-4) (22).…”

<p>BDNF and the Antidepressant Effects of Ketamine and Propofol in Electroconvulsive Therapy: A Preliminary Study</p>

“…4 In stressed rats undergoing ECT, ketofol played an important role in enhancing antidepressant efficacy and ameliorating neurocognitive impairment. 5 Wang et al found that ketofol was superior in improving depressive symptoms over propofol alone and was associated with fewer adverse events than ketamine alone, suggesting that ketofol should be considered as the firstchoice anaesthesia in patients with MDD undergoing ECT. 3 The neurobiological mechanisms underlying the antidepressant effects of ketofol anaesthesia in ECT are complex and not fully understood.…”