title: Acute blockade of hippocampal glucocorticoid receptors facilitates spatial learning in rats.
abstract: Corticosteroids can facilitate or impair learning and memory processes. We found that the glucocorticoid receptor antagonist RU38486 injected locally into the dorsal hippocampus dose-dependently improved the performance of male Wistar rats in the water maze 24 h after treatment. This observation suggests a discrete specificity of hippocampal glucocorticoid receptors in facilitation of memory.
authors.affiliation: Leiden/Amsterdam Center for Drug Research (LACDR), Division of Medical Pharmacology, University of Leiden, P.O. Box 9503, 2300 RA Leiden, Netherlands. m.oitzl@lacdr.leidenuniv.nl
authors.forename: M S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Oitzl
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Fluttert
authors.forename: E R
authors.initials: ER
authors.lastname: de Kloet
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000502:physiology; D006727:Hormone Antagonists / Q000494:pharmacology; D008297:Male; D018782:Maze Learning / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D008568:Memory / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D015735:Mifepristone / Q000494:pharmacology; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D011965:Receptors, Glucocorticoid / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors*; D013037:Spatial Behavior / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D006727:Hormone Antagonists; D011965:Receptors, Glucocorticoid; D015735:Mifepristone