The efficacy of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) as a treatment for psychiatric disorders, including major depressive disorder (MDD) is hypothesized to depend on induction of molecular and cellular events that trigger structural plasticity in neurons. Electroconvulsive seizures (ECS) in animal models can help to inform our understanding of how electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) impacts the brain. ECS induces structural plasticity in neuronal dendrites in many brain regions, including the piriform cortex, a highly epileptogenic region that has also been implicated in depression. ECS-induced structural plasticity is associated with differential expression of unique isoforms encoding the neurotrophin, brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), but the functional significance of these transcripts in dendritic plasticity is not clear. Here, we demonstrate that different Bdnf isoforms are expressed non-stochastically across neurons of the piriform cortex following ECS. Specifically, cells expressing Bdnf exon 1-containing transcripts show a unique spatial recruitment pattern in response to ECS. We further demonstrate that Bdnf Ex1 expression in these cells is necessary for ECS-induced dendritic spine plasticity.

中文翻译：

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电痉挛性癫痫发作后从启动子I诱导Bdnf有助于梨状皮层神经元的结构可塑性

假设电惊厥疗法（ECT）作为治疗包括重度抑郁症（MDD）在内的精神疾病的功效取决于诱导触发神经元结构可塑性的分子和细胞事件。动物模型中的电惊厥性癫痫发作（ECS）可以帮助我们了解电惊厥疗法（ECT）如何影响大脑。ECS会在许多大脑区域（包括梨状皮层）的神经元树突中诱导结构可塑性，梨状皮层是一种高度致癫痫的区域，也与抑郁有关。ECS诱导的结构可塑性与编码神经营养蛋白，脑源性神经营养因子（BDNF）的独特同工型的差异表达有关，但是这些转录本在树突状可塑性中的功能意义尚不清楚。这里，我们证明，ECS后，梨状皮层神经元之间的不同Bdnf亚型是非随机表达的。具体而言，表达包含Bdnf外显子1的转录本的细胞响应ECS表现出独特的空间募集模式。我们进一步证明，这些细胞中的Bdnf Ex1表达对于ECS诱导的树突棘可塑性具有必要。