Original ArticlesNitroprusside and ECS-Induced Retrograde AmnesiaSudha, S. Ph.D.*; Andrade, Chittaranjan M.D.†; Anand, Arun M.B.B.S.*; Guido, Shobha M.D.*; Venkataraman, B. V. Ph.D.* Author Information *Department of Pharmacology, St. John's Medical College, Bangalore; and †Department of Psychopharmacology, National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences, Bangalore, India Received January 27, 2000; accepted June 6, 2000. Address correspondence and reprint requests to Dr. C. Andrade, Department of Psychopharmacology, National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences, Bangalore 560 029, India. E-mail: [email protected] or [email protected] The Journal of ECT: March 2001 - Volume 17 - Issue 1 - p 41-44 Buy Abstract Previous research found that the administration of verapamil and felodipine immediately before electroconvulsive shocks (ECS) attenuated ECS-induced retrograde amnesia. This study examined whether sodium nitroprusside, an antihypertensive drug that does not affect calcium channels, has a similar action. Adult male Sprague-Dawley rats received nitroprusside (0.5 mg/kg ip) or saline 3 minutes before each of three once-daily true or sham ECS. Retention of pre-ECS learning was studied 1 day after ECS using a passive avoidance task. Nitroprusside was associated with increased seizure duration in ECS-treated rats, and with enhanced recall in both true and sham ECS groups. The latter finding suggests that nitroprusside nonspecifically improves cognitive functions, and does not support the hypothesis that ECS-induced cognitive impairment is a result of blood–brain barrier breach. Nitric oxide mechanisms may underlie the benefits purveyed by nitroprusside. © 2001 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, Inc.
