title: The facilitative effects of bilobalide, a unique constituent of Ginkgo biloba, on synaptic transmission and plasticity in hippocampal subfields.
abstract: Bilobalide, a unique constituent of Ginkgo biloba, has been reported to potentiate population spikes in hippocampal CA1 pyramidal cells and to protect the brain against cell death. In this study, the effects of bilobalide on synaptic transmission and its plasticity in rat hippocampal subfields were electrophysiologically investigated. Bilobalide (50 μM) significantly potentiated the input-output relationship at Schaffer collateral (SC)-CA1 synapses but not at medial perforant path (MPP)-dentate gyrus (DG), lateral perforant path (LPP)-DG, or mossy fiber (MF)-CA3 synapses. Facilitative effects of bilobalide on synaptic plasticity were only observed at MPP-DG synapses, in which the induction of long-term depression was blocked in the presence of bilobalide. However, no effect on synaptic plasticity was observed at SC-CA1 synapses. These results suggest that bilobalide has differential effects on synaptic efficacy in each hippocampal subfield.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Faculty of Human Sciences, Sophia University, 7-1 Kioi-cho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 102-8554, Japan.
authors.forename: Etsuko
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Suzuki
authors.forename: Makiko
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sato
authors.forename: Ryota
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Takezawa
authors.forename: Toyonobu
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Usuki
authors.forename: Takashi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Okada
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D003517:Cyclopentanes / Q000494:pharmacology*; D004558:Electric Stimulation; D005663:Furans / Q000494:pharmacology*; D046934:Ginkgolides / Q000494:pharmacology*; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D036881:Long-Term Synaptic Depression / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D008297:Male; D009473:Neuronal Plasticity / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D019580:Perforant Pathway / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D009435:Synaptic Transmission / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D003517:Cyclopentanes; D005663:Furans; D046934:Ginkgolides; C073710:bilobalide