Combined electroconvulsive shock and cycloheximide inhibition of brain protein synthesis in Vivo

Levels of mouse brain synthesis in vivo following combined cycloheximide and electroconvulsive shock treatments were compared to levels following each treatment given separately. The duration of brain protein synthesis inhibition was examined for all treatment conditions. At appropriate times after treatment mice were injected intracerebrally with labeled amino acids. The amount of radioactivity recovered from brain proteins after 5 min of labeling was used to estimate levels of synthesis. Although combined cycloheximide and electroconvulsive shock treatments have been shown to produce more complete behavioral amnesia than either treatment alone, such combined treatments do not produce more protein synthesis inhibition than cycloheximide alone. Hypotheses of memory storage based primarily on brain protein synthesis mechanisms may have to be reexamined.