Androsterone sulfate increases dentate gyrus population spike amplitude following tetanic stimulation.
We studied the effects of the androgenic hormone, androsterone sulfate, a 17-ketosteroid, on long term potentiation in the dentate gyrus (DG) of urethane anesthesized rats. Intravenous injection of 10 mg of the hormone dissolved in Nutralipid produced a significant increase of the population spike (PS), but not of the excitatory post-synaptic potentials (EPSP). The results are discussed in terms of the potential enhancement that androsterone sulfate may have on memory as was described for one of its parent compounds, dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) and its potential use as an antidepressant.
Neurophysiology Laboratory, McGill University Medical School, 3445 Drummond Street, #701, H3G 1X9, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
K
K
Urbanoski
J
J
Harris
K
K
Gijsbers
B
B
Dubrovsky
D000738:Androsterone / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000818:Animals; D018891:Dentate Gyrus / Q000187:drug effects*; D004558:Electric Stimulation; D019706:Excitatory Postsynaptic Potentials / Q000187:drug effects*; D008297:Male; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley
D000738:Androsterone