title: Acute intrahippocampal infusion of BDNF induces lasting potentiation of synaptic transmission in the rat dentate gyrus.
abstract: The effect of acute intrahippocampal infusion of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) on synaptic transmission in the dentate gyrus was investigated in urethan-anesthetized rats. Medial perforant path-evoked field potentials were recorded in the dentate hilus and BDNF-containing buffer was infused (4 microl, 25 min) immediately above the dentate molecular layer. BDNF led to a slowly developing increase of the field excitatory postsynaptic potential (fEPSP) slope and population spike amplitude. The potentiation either reached a plateau level at approximately 2 h after BDNF infusion or continued to increase for the duration of experiment; the longest time point recorded was 10 h. Mean increases at 4 h after BDNF infusion were 62.2 and 224% for the fEPSP slope and population spike, respectively. No changes in responses were observed in controls receiving buffer medium only or buffer containing cytochrome C. BDNF-induced potentiation developed in the absence of epileptiform activity in the hippocampal electroencephalogram or changes in recurrent inhibition on granule cells as assessed by paired-pulse inhibition of the population spike. We conclude that exogenous BDNF induces a lasting potentiation of synaptic efficacy in the dentate gyrus of anesthetized adult rats.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology, University of Bergen, N-5009 Bergen, Norway.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Messaoudi
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Bârdsen
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Srebro
authors.forename: C R
authors.initials: CR
authors.lastname: Bramham
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D019208:Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology*; D003574:Cytochrome c Group / Q000494:pharmacology; D018891:Dentate Gyrus / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D019706:Excitatory Postsynaptic Potentials / Q000187:drug effects*; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D007263:Infusions, Parenteral; D008297:Male; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D012016:Reference Values; D009435:Synaptic Transmission / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D019208:Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor; D003574:Cytochrome c Group