The effect of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation on behaviors and hippocampal GR protein ex-pression in depression model rats / 中国神经精神疾病杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective To explore the effect of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) on behaviors and hippocampal glucocorticoid receptor (GR) protein expression in chronic stress depression model rats and the possible antidepressant mechanism of rTMS. Method Seventy-five male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into the blank control group (n=15) and the stress-induced group (n=60). Singly housing and chronic unpredictable mild stress (CUMS) were used to induce the depression model in stress-induced group. Forty-five CUMS rats were selected and ran?domly divided into rTMS group (receiving 10 Hz rTMS intervention for 3 weeks), sham group (receiving pseudo rTMS treatments for 3 weeks) and depression group (with no further treatment). Body weight measurements and performance in the sucrose consumption and forced swimming test (FST) were evaluated before modeling, after modeling and after inter?vention. The GR protein and GR mRNA expression level in the hippocampus were examined after intervention. Results Compared with control group, the body weight growth rate and the sugar water preference were significantly lower in stress-induced group (P0.05), were higher than those in sham group and depression group (P<0.01). The immobility times of FST in rTMS group and control group were shorter than sham group and depression group (P<0.01). Compared with rTMS group and control group, GR and GR mRNA expression levels in the hippocampus were significantly reduced in sham group and depression group (P<0.01). Conclusion rTMS can improve depression behavior of CUMS rats, which may be associated with upregulation of GR expression in the hippocampus.