title: Reduced field response to perforant path stimulation after adrenalectomy: effect of nimodipine treatment.
abstract: Adrenalectomy enhances apoptosis in the rat dentate gyrus and concurrently decreases the field response of dentate cells to perforant path stimulation. Recent data showed that calcium current amplitude is increased 1 day prior to the appearance of apoptotic cells, pointing to calcium as a risk factor for the onset of apoptosis. We here tested if in vivo administration of nimodipine-thus presumably reducing dentate calcium influx through L type calcium channels-prevents the appearance of apoptotic cells and the change in field responses after adrenalectomy. It was found that nimodipine does not largely alter the number of animals with apoptosis nor the average number of apoptotic cells in the tip of the suprapyramidal blade of the dentate gyrus. After nimodipine treatment, field responses in the dentate gyrus of adrenalectomized rats were comparable to responses in adrenally intact rats. However, this was due to a reduction of the field response in slices from adrenally intact rats, rather than a prevention of synaptic impairment in adrenalectomized rats. The data clearly indicates that in vivo nimodipine treatment is insufficient to prevent apoptosis and synaptic impairment after adrenalectomy.
authors.affiliation: Swammerdam Institute for Life Sciences, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Stienstra
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Van Diepen
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ten Dam
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Joëls
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D002121:Calcium Channel Blockers / Q000494:pharmacology; D020746:Calcium Channels, L-Type / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*; D020013:Calcium Signaling / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D003345:Corticosterone / Q000097:blood / Q000172:deficiency*; D018891:Dentate Gyrus / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*; D004558:Electric Stimulation; D019706:Excitatory Postsynaptic Potentials / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D008297:Male; D009474:Neurons / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*; D009553:Nimodipine / Q000494:pharmacology; D019580:Perforant Pathway / Q000502:physiology*; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D009435:Synaptic Transmission / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D002121:Calcium Channel Blockers; D020746:Calcium Channels, L-Type; D009553:Nimodipine; D003345:Corticosterone