ELECTROCONVULSIVE SHOCK ALTERS GABA-A RECEPTOR SUBUNIT MESSENGER-RNAS - USE OF QUANTITATIVE PCR METHODOLOGY

Electroconvulsive shock (ECS) may affect several neurotransmitter systems in brain, including the GABAergic inhibitory system. We used a quantitative PCR-based assay to evaluate mRNAs for five GABAa receptor subunits at 2 to 24 h after ECS. mRNAs for the alpha1 and beta2 subunits were significantly increased in cerebellum at 4 and 8 h after ECS, and returned to control levels at 24 h. No changes were observed in alpha2, beta3, gamma1, or gamma2 subunits, and no changes in any subunit evaluated were observed in cortex or hippocampus. These data corroborate prior results obtained for the alpha1 subunit using Northern hybridization, and illustrate the utility of the PCR assay in quantitating low-abundance mRNAs.