Publications
Low and High - Dose electroconvulsive shock: Comparative analysis of Cortical Surface Area in Wistar Rats
Dr. Azra Jabeen, Dr. Roopa R, Dr. Khaleel, Dr. Yogitha R Background: Neuroplasticity is the ability of brain to reorganize structure and function in response to stimuli. Electroconvulsive shock (ECS), an experimental analogue of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), induces morphological and molecular changes in the brain. Neuroplasticity has been demonstrated in the basolateral amygdala, hippocampus and subventricular zone, but cortical correlates remain less well studied. The aim & objective is to observe the effect of low and high-dose ECS on cortical neuroplasticity by measuring surface area (SA) of representative cortices in Golgi–Cox stained sections. To estimate and compare the SA of representative - primary, secondary, retrosplenial granular and dysgranular cerebral cortices in Golgi stained coronal sections of control(sham), low dose and high dose ECS treated rats Materials and Methods: ECS induced cortical sections were obtained of Wistar rat brains previously used in departmental studies that demonstrated amygdalar plasticity. Rats were grouped into control, low-dose ECS, and highdose ECS groups. Cortical surface area was examined under the microscope, photographed and SA quantified using ImageJ software, and comparisons were made using one-way ANOVA with Tukey’s post hoc test. Results: The mean cortical surface area was numerically higher in ECS-treated groups (low dose: 6.43 ±1.73square milli micron and high dose 6.11±1.12square milli micron) Conclusion: ECS-treated groups (low and high-dose) showed numerically greater cortical surface area compared to control. However, these differences were not statistically significant (p > 0.05). Keywords: Neuroplasticity, Electroconvulsive shock, Golgi stain, cortical morphometry.
