title: Adrenalectomy and corticosterone replacement differentially alter CA3 dendritic morphology and new cell survival in the adult rat hippocampus.
abstract: Plastic changes in the adult mammal hippocampus can be altered by many factors and perhaps the most well-documented is stress. Stress and elevated corticosterone levels have been shown to decrease hippocampal neurogenesis and decrease the complexity of CA3 pyramidal neurons. However, the extent of these changes in relation to low and moderately elevated levels of corticosterone has yet to be fully investigated. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to determine how low to moderately elevated circulating corticosterone levels affect dendritic morphology of CA3 pyramidal cells and hippocampal neurogenesis in adult male rats. To do this, three groups of adult male Wistar rats were used: (1) Sham-operated, (2) Adrenalectomized (ADX), and (3) ADX+corticosterone replacement. Primary results show that adrenalectomy, but not moderately elevated levels of corticosterone replacement, resulted in significant atrophy of CA3 pyramidal neurons. Interestingly, moderate corticosterone replacement resulted in significantly more surviving new cells in the dentate gyrus when compared to sham controls. This work shows that circulating levels of corticosterone differentially affect plasticity in the CA3 region and the dentate gyrus.
authors: School for Mental Health and Neuroscience, Department of Neuroscience, Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands.
authors: M
authors: M
authors: Martínez-Claros
authors: H W M
authors: HW
authors: Steinbusch
authors: A
authors: A
authors: van Selm
authors: D L A
authors: DL
authors: van den Hove
authors: J
authors: J
authors: Prickaerts
authors: J L
authors: JL
authors: Pawluski
mesh_terms: D000315:Adrenalectomy; D000818:Animals; D000963:Antimetabolites; D001973:Bromodeoxyuridine; D056654:CA3 Region, Hippocampal / Q000166:cytology* / Q000187:drug effects / Q000648:ultrastructure; D002470:Cell Survival / Q000187:drug effects; D003345:Corticosterone / Q000494:pharmacology*; D003712:Dendrites / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D018891:Dentate Gyrus / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects; D004343:Drug Implants; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000166:cytology; D020249:Hormone Replacement Therapy; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008297:Male; D017966:Pyramidal Cells / Q000187:drug effects; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar
chemical_list: D000963:Antimetabolites; D004343:Drug Implants; D001973:Bromodeoxyuridine; D003345:Corticosterone