Electroconvulsive therapy does not alter the synaptic protein neurogranin in the cerebrospinal fluid of patients with major depression.

Neurogranin (Ng) is a dendritic protein associated with synaptic plasticity, proposed to be a novel biomarker to measure synaptic dysfunction and degeneration in Alzheimer's disease. Since electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) has been suggested to facilitate neurogenesis and neural plasticity, we tested whether ECT could modify CSF Ng concentrations measured before and after a course of ECT in 12 patients with major depression. CSF Ng concentrations did not change, but baseline levels were positively correlated with the therapeutic response.