The disorganizing effects of electro-convulsive shock on a light discrimination habit in albino rats.

The permanence of effect of a series of electroconvulsive seizures on openfield behavior.

“…Our findings of relatively long-enduring changes in emotional behavior after administration of a series of ECS agrees with the observations of some authors (1, 6, 9, 10) and is at variance with observations made by others (2,3,4,7). Page (6), for example, observed that his convulsed animals were more passive, inactive, and submissive, showed little mixing behavior in the spontaneous activity of controls, and exhibited no competitive behavior for food and water.…”

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The evidence for behavioral changes following a series of ECS is equivocal. A variety of authors have noted such changes (1,6, 9, 10) while others (2,3,4,7) state that either no such changes occur or that they are only of a transitory nature. In a previous experiment (11) we showed that behavioral changes as measured in an open field do occur after a series of ECS.

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Memory Disturbances After Electroconvulsive Therapy

“…Impaired retention of maze habits in albino rats after a series of 25-30 daily ECS has been reported by Dun-CUR (1945) and Braun & Russel (19491, after a series of 10 daily ECS by Stone & Bakhtiari (1956). Horowitz & Stone (1947) found disorganization of a light discrimination habit in albino rats after 15 daily ECS. Suppression of conditioned emotional responses after a series of ECS has been shown by Brady (1951) and others.…”

The effect of electroconvulsive shock on the anticipatory gradient in the rat.

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In an effort to measure more precisely the behavioral changes effected by electroshock convulsion investigators have recently employed animals in the learning situation with some promise of rationalizing the empirics of electroconvulsive therapy (1, 2,4,10,11,15,17,18,22,23,24,25,27). Disruption of the learning function is generally reported with time scores suffering the greatest disturbance.In the development of his goal gradient hypothesis, Hull (13, 14) reports that the rat develops a positively accelerated speed-of-locomotion gradient in approaching the goal box of a straight runway.

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“…In an effort to measure more precisely the behavioral changes effected by electroshock convulsion investigators have recently employed animals in the learning situation with some promise of rationalizing the empirics of electroconvulsive therapy (1, 2,4,10,11,15,17,18,22,23,24,25,27). Disruption of the learning function is generally reported with time scores suffering the greatest disturbance.…”