Electroconvulsive seizures induce proliferation of NG2-expressing glial cells in adult rat hippocampus

Background: Analysis of postmortem tissue from patients with major depression and bipolar disorder has revealed structural changes in several brain regions. We have shown that electroconvulsive seizure (ECS), used for the treatment of severe depression, induces proliferation (of both neuronal and nonneuronal cells in the adult rat hippocampus. Methods: Male Wistar rats were subjected to one or several ECS treatments, then injected with bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU) to detect cell proliferation. Animals were perfused either 1 day or 3 weeks following the last BrdU injection. Cells were double stained for BrdU and the cell type markers chondroitin sulfate proteoglycan (NG2), complement 3-receptor OX-42, 2', 3'-cyclic nucleotide 3'-phosphodiesterase (CNPase), Ca+ binding protein S100-beta, or neuron-specific nuclear protein (NeuN). Results: We identified NG2-expressing cells as a major cell type proliferating in the rat dentate gyrus in response to ECS. A sharp increase in NG2-positive cell proliferation was seen 2 days after ECS, and a large number of NG2-expressing cells persisted at 3 weeks. Conclusions: Our results show that antidepressant treatment can induce a strong proliferation of glial progenitor cells in the adult rat hippocampus. We propose that this may counteract degenerative changes found in depression and be an important neurobiological event underlying the clinical effect of electroconvulsive seizures. Biol Psychiatry 2003;54:1015-1024 (C) 2003 Society of Biological Psychiatry