Impact of ketamine administration on chronic unpredictable stress-induced rat model of depression during extremely low-frequency electromagnetic field exposure: Behavioral, histological and molecular study.

Brain and behavior · 2023 · Harm · Low evidence

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HarmLow evidencePaper 5802

In CUS-exposed male rats, the combination of ketamine (5 mg/kg IP) and ELF-EMF exposure (10 Hz, 10 mT; 3 h/day for 3 days) increased depression-like behavior, increased degenerated neurons, decreased GFAP(+) cells in CA1 and mPFC, increased caspase-3 expressi…

Study snapshot

PublicationBrain and behavior · 2023

Study typeanimal

Reported directionHarm

Evidence ratingLow

Abstract

OBJECTIVES: In the study, we examined the effects of ketamine and extremely low-frequency electromagnetic fields (ELF-EMF) on depression-like behavior, learning and memory, expression of GFAP, caspase-3, p53, BDNF, and NMDA receptor in animals subjected to chronic unpredictable stress (CUS). METHODS: After applying 21 days of chronic unpredictable stress, male rats received intraperitoneal (IP) of ketamine (5 mg/kg) and then were exposed to ELF-EMF (10-Hz, 10-mT exposure conditions) for 3 days (3 h per day) and behavioral assessments were performed 24 h after the treatments. Instantly after the last behavioral test, the brain was extracted for Nissl staining, immunohistochemistry, and real-time PCR analyses. Immunohistochemistry (IHC) was conducted to assess the effect of ketamine and ELF-EMF on the expression of astrocyte marker (glial fibrillary acidic protein, GFAP) in the CA1 area of the hippocampus and medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC). Also, real-time PCR analyses were used to investigate the impacts of the combination of ketamine and ELF-EMF on the expression of caspase3, p53, BDNF, and NMDA receptors in the hippocampus in rats submitted to the CUS procedure. Results were considered statistically significant when p < .05. RESULTS: Our results revealed that the combination of ketamine and ELF-EMF increased depression-like behavior, increased degenerated neurons and decreased the number of GFAP (+) cells in the CA1 area and mPFC, incremented the expression of caspase-3, and reduced the expression of BDNF in the hippocampus but showed no effect on the expression of p53 and NMDA-R. CONCLUSIONS: These results reveal that combining ketamine and ELF-EMF has adverse effects on animals under chronic unpredictable stress (CUS).

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AI evidence extraction

Structured fields below were generated from the paper’s abstract and metadata to make the evidence easier to inspect. Automated extraction may be incomplete or incorrect; verify important details against the original paper.

Study typeanimal

Effect directionharm

PopulationMale rats subjected to chronic unpredictable stress (CUS)

Sample sizeNot supplied

ExposureELF · 3 days (3 h/day) after 21 days CUS; exposure conditions 10 Hz, 10 mT

Evidence strengthLowConfidence: 74% · Peer reviewed: yes

Main findings

Outcomes measured

Depression-like behavior
Learning and memory (behavioral assessments)
Neuronal degeneration (Nissl staining)
GFAP(+) astrocyte marker expression in CA1 hippocampus and medial prefrontal cortex (IHC)
Hippocampal gene expression of caspase-3, p53, BDNF, NMDA receptor (real-time PCR)

Limitations

Sample size not reported in abstract
Study evaluates combined ketamine + ELF-EMF effects; effects of ELF-EMF alone are not described in the abstract
Details of learning/memory results are not provided in the abstract
Exposure source/setup not specified in abstract

View raw extracted JSON

{
  "study_type": "animal",
  "exposure": {
    "band": "ELF",
    "source": null,
    "frequency_mhz": null,
    "sar_wkg": null,
    "duration": "3 days (3 h/day) after 21 days CUS; exposure conditions 10 Hz, 10 mT"
  },
  "population": "Male rats subjected to chronic unpredictable stress (CUS)",
  "sample_size": null,
  "outcomes": [
    "Depression-like behavior",
    "Learning and memory (behavioral assessments)",
    "Neuronal degeneration (Nissl staining)",
    "GFAP(+) astrocyte marker expression in CA1 hippocampus and medial prefrontal cortex (IHC)",
    "Hippocampal gene expression of caspase-3, p53, BDNF, NMDA receptor (real-time PCR)"
  ],
  "main_findings": "In CUS-exposed male rats, the combination of ketamine (5 mg/kg IP) and ELF-EMF exposure (10 Hz, 10 mT; 3 h/day for 3 days) increased depression-like behavior, increased degenerated neurons, decreased GFAP(+) cells in CA1 and mPFC, increased caspase-3 expression, and decreased BDNF expression in the hippocampus. No effects were observed on p53 or NMDA receptor expression.",
  "effect_direction": "harm",
  "limitations": [
    "Sample size not reported in abstract",
    "Study evaluates combined ketamine + ELF-EMF effects; effects of ELF-EMF alone are not described in the abstract",
    "Details of learning/memory results are not provided in the abstract",
    "Exposure source/setup not specified in abstract"
  ],
  "evidence_strength": "low",
  "confidence": 0.74,
  "peer_reviewed_likely": "yes",
  "keywords": [
    "extremely low-frequency electromagnetic field",
    "ELF-EMF",
    "10 Hz",
    "10 mT",
    "chronic unpredictable stress",
    "CUS",
    "rat model",
    "depression-like behavior",
    "ketamine",
    "GFAP",
    "caspase-3",
    "p53",
    "BDNF",
    "NMDA receptor",
    "hippocampus",
    "medial prefrontal cortex"
  ],
  "suggested_hubs": [
    {
      "slug": "elr-elf-emf",
      "weight": 0.86,
      "reason": "Animal study with extremely low-frequency EMF exposure (10 Hz, 10 mT) and neurobehavioral/molecular outcomes."
    }
  ]
}

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AI-extracted fields are generated from the abstract and metadata and may be incomplete or incorrect. This material is for informational purposes and is not medical advice.

Identifiers and source

DOI: 10.1002/brb3.2986
PubMed: 37032465

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