Effects of repeated electroconvulsive shocks on dopamine supersensitivity psychosis model rats.

While the long-term administration of antipsychotics is known to cause dopamine supersensitivity psychosis (DSP), recent studies revealed that DSP helps form the foundation of treatment resistance. Electroconvulsive shock (ES) is one of the more effective treatments for treatment-resistant schizophrenia. The objective of this study was to examine whether repeated ES can release rats from dopamine supersensitivity states such as striatal dopamine D2 receptor (DRD2) up-regulation and voluntary hyperlocomotion following chronic administration of haloperidol (HAL). HAL (0.75 mg/kg/day) was administered for 14 days via mini-pumps implanted in rats, and DRD2 density and voluntary locomotion were measured one day after drug cessation to confirm the development of dopamine supersensitivity. The rats with or without dopamine supersensitivity received repeated ES or sham treatments, and then DRD2 density was assessed and a voluntary locomotion test was performed. Chronic treatment with HAL led to the up-regulation of striatal DRD2 and hyperlocomotion in the rats one day after drug cessation. We thus confirmed that these rats experienced a dopamine supersensitivity state. Moreover, after repeated ES, locomotor activity and DRD2 density in the DSP model rats fell to the control level, while an ES sham operation had no effect on the dopamine supersensitivity state. The present study suggests that repeated ES could release DSP model rats from dopamine supersensitivity states. ES may be helpful for patients with DSP.

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Déclaration de conflit d'intérêts

Declaration of competing interest Dr. Oda received grant funding from the SENSHIN Medical Research Foundation. Dr. Kanahara received grant funding from the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare of Japan and the SENSHIN Medical Research Foundation and reports honoraria from Otsuka, Eli Lilly, Meiji Seika, Sumitomo Dainippon, and Janssen. Dr. Shirayama received research support from Eisai, Eli Lilly Japan, Otsuka Pharmaceutical, MSD K.K., Taisho Toyama Pharmaceutical Company, Pfizer Japan, Takeda, and Mitsubishi-Tanabe. Dr. Hashimoto has served as a scientific consultant to Astellas, Dainippon-Sumitomo, and Taisho, and received research support from Abbvie, Dainippon-Sumitomo, Mochida Pharmaceutical Company, Otsuka, and Taisho. Dr. Iyo received consultant fees from Eli Lilly, Sumitomo Dainippon, Pfizer, and Abbott and reports honoraria from Janssen, Eli Lilly, Otsuka, Meiji Seika, Astellas, Sumitomo Dainippon, Ono, GlaxoSmithKline, Takeda, Mochida, Kyowa Hakko, MSD, Eisai, Daiichi-Sankyo, Novartis, Teijin, Shionogi, Hisamitsu, and Asahi Kasei. Dr. Oishi and Dr. Nakata have no potential conflicts of interest to report. Dr. M. Kimura, Dr. Oishi, Dr. H. Kimura, Dr. Yoshino, and Dr. Niitsu have no potential conflicts of interest to report.