OPEN Foundation

M. Ardalan

Rapid antidepressant effect of ketamine correlates with astroglial plasticity in the hippocampus

February 8, 2017 / Depression, Ketamine, Neuroscience, Papers, Psychiatry, Psychology, Psychopharmacology, Publications / By / , , ,

Abstract

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Astroglia contribute to the pathophysiology of major depression and antidepressant drugs act by modulating synaptic plasticity; therefore, the present study investigated whether the fast antidepressant action of ketamine is reflected in a rapid alteration of the astrocytes’ morphology in a genetic animal model of depression.

EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH: S-Ketamine (15 mg·kg-1 ) or saline was administered as a single injection to Flinders Line (FSL/ FRL) rats. Twenty-four hours after the treatment, perfusion fixation was carried out and the morphology of glial fibrillary acid protein (GFAP)-positive astrocytes in the CA1 stratum radiatum (CA1.SR) and the molecular layer of the dentate gyrus (GCL) of the hippocampus was investigated by applying stereological techniques and analysis with Imaris software. The depressive-like behaviour of animals was also evaluated using forced swim test.

KEY RESULTS: FSL rats treated with ketamine exhibited a significant reduction in immobility time in comparison with the FSL-vehicle group. The volumes of the hippocampal CA1.SR and GCL regions were significantly increased 1 day after ketamine treatment in the FSL rats. The size of astrocytes in the ketamine-treated FSL rats was larger than those in the FSL-vehicle group. Additionally, the number and length of the astrocytic processes in the CA1.SR region were significantly increased 1 day following ketamine treatment.

CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: Our results support the hypothesis that astroglial atrophy contributes to the pathophysiology of depression and a morphological modification of astrocytes could be one mechanism by which ketamine rapidly improves depressive behaviour.

Ardalan, M., Rafati, A. H., Nyengaard, J. R., & Wegener, G. (2017). Rapid antidepressant effect of ketamine correlates with astroglial plasticity in the hippocampus. British Journal of Pharmacology, 174(6), 483-492. 10.1111/bph.13714
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Neurovascular Plasticity of the Hippocampus One Week after a Single Dose of Ketamine in Genetic Rat Model of Depression

July 21, 2016 / Depression, Ketamine, Neuroscience, Papers, Psychopharmacology, Publications / By / , , , ,

Abstract

Glutamatergic system and the structural plasticity hypothesis are principal components for rapid and sustained antidepressant effects of novel antidepressant therapeutics. This study represents the first investigation of the structural plasticity of the hippocampus as one of the main contributed mechanisms to the sustained anti-depressive effect of ketamine. Flinders Sensitive Line (FSL) and Flinders Resistant Line (FRL) rats were given a single intraperitoneal injection of ketamine (15 mg/kg) or saline 7 days before perfusion-fixed. The optical fractionator method was used to estimate the total number of neurons in the granular cell layer. Microvessel length in the molecular layer of DG was evaluated with global spatial sampling method. By use of the physical disector method, the number of synapses was estimated. The volume of the hippocampus was larger in the FRL-vehicle rats compared with FSL-vehicle group and in FSL-ketamine versus FSL-vehicle rats (P < 0.05). The number of non-perforated synapses was significantly higher in the FSL-ketamine versus FSL-vehicle group, (P = 0.01). A significant effect of ketamine on enhancement of the number of neurons in DG in FSL rats was observed (P = 0.01). The total length of the microvessels 1 week after ketamine treatment in the FSL rats significantly increased (P  < 0.05). Our results indicate that neurovascular changes of hippocampus could be one of the possible mechanisms underlying the sustained antidepressant effect of ketamine by reversing alteration of the number of the excitatory synapses, neuronal number and length of the microvessels in the hippocampus.

Ardalan, M., Wegener, G., Polsinelli, B., Madsen, T. M., & Nyengaard, J. R. (2016). Neurovascular Plasticity of the Hippocampus One Week after a Single Dose of Ketamine in Genetic Rat Model of Depression. Hippocampus. http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/hipo.22617
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