The influence of repeated administration of tianeptine, an atypical antidepressant, which was administered twice daily (10 mg/kg) for 14 days and zinc hydroaspartate, a compound exhibiting antidepressant-like activity, which was administered twice daily (65 mg/kg) for 14 days, and the effects of electroconvulsive shocks (ECS) delivered once daily for 10 days, were investigated ex vivo in rat hippocampal slices. Slices were prepared 2 days after the last session of treatment of animals, and spontaneous epileptiform bursts were recorded extracellularly from the CA3 area. 5-HT(7) receptor-mediated increase in bursting frequency was induced by bath application of of 5-carboxamidotryptamine (5-CT; 0.025-1 microM) in the presence of N-[2-[4-(2-methoxyphenyl)-piperazinyl]ethyl]-N-2-pyridinylcyclohexanecarboxamide (WAY 100635; 2 microM), an antagonist of the 5-HT(1A) receptor. The data indicate an enhancement of the excitatory effect of the activation of 5-HT(7) receptors after ECS repeated ten times, but not by a single ECS. Neither tianeptine nor zinc, administered for 14 days, altered the reactivity of 5-HT(7) receptors.