Timing is essential for rapid effects of corticosterone on synaptic potentiation in the mouse hippocampus.
Stress facilitates memory formation, but only when the stressor is closely linked to the learning context. These effects are, at least in part, mediated by corticosteroid hormones. Here we demonstrate that corticosterone rapidly facilitates synaptic potentiation in the mouse hippocampal CA1 area when high levels of the hormone and high-frequency stimulation coincide in time, but not when corticosterone is given either before or after repetitive stimulation. This effect could not be blocked by antagonists of the mineralocorticoid receptor and glucocorticoid receptor (spironolactone and RU 38486, respectively). These data provide a biological substrate for the important behavioral observation that stress and corticosteroid hormones can facilitate learning and memory processes.
Swammerdam Institute for Life Sciences, Center for Neuroscience, University of Amsterdam, Kruislaan 320, 1098 SM Amsterdam, The Netherlands. owiegert@science.uva.nl
Olof
O
Wiegert
Marian
M
Joëls
Harm
H
Krugers
D000704:Analysis of Variance; D000818:Animals; D003345:Corticosterone / Q000378:metabolism*; D004558:Electric Stimulation; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism*; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D017774:Long-Term Potentiation / Q000502:physiology*; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D009474:Neurons / Q000378:metabolism; D013312:Stress, Physiological / Q000378:metabolism*; D009435:Synaptic Transmission / Q000502:physiology; D013997:Time Factors
D003345:Corticosterone