title: Ultradian corticosterone pulses balance glutamatergic transmission and synaptic plasticity.
abstract: The rodent adrenal hormone corticosterone (CORT) reaches the brain in hourly ultradian pulses, with a steep rise in amplitude before awakening. The impact of a single CORT pulse on glutamatergic transmission is well documented, but it remains poorly understood how consecutive pulses impact on glutamate receptor trafficking and synaptic plasticity. By using high-resolution imaging and electrophysiological approaches, we report that a single pulse of CORT to hippocampal networks causes synaptic enrichment of glutamate receptors and increased responses to spontaneously released glutamatergic vesicles, collectively abrogating the ability to subsequently induce synaptic long-term potentiation. Strikingly, a second pulse of CORT one hour after the first--mimicking ultradian pulses--completely normalizes all aspects of glutamate transmission investigated, restoring the plastic range of the synapse. The effect of the second pulse is precisely timed and depends on a nongenomic glucocorticoid receptor-dependent pathway. This normalizing effect through a sequence of CORT pulses--as seen around awakening--may ensure that hippocampal glutamatergic synapses remain fully responsive and able to encode new stress-related information when daily activities start.
authors.affiliation: Department of Translational Neuroscience, Brain Center Rudolf Magnus, University Medical Center Utrecht, 3584 CG, Utrecht, The Netherlands; r.a.sarabdjitsingh@umcutrecht.nl laurent.groc@u-bordeaux2.fr m.joels@umcutrecht.nl.
authors.forename: Ratna Angela
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Sarabdjitsingh
authors.affiliation: Interdisciplinary Institute for Neuroscience, Unité Mixte de Recherche 5297, Université de Bordeaux, F-33000 Bordeaux, France; and Interdisciplinary Institute for Neuroscience, Unité Mixte de Recherche 5297, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, F-33000 Bordeaux, France.
authors.forename: Julie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Jezequel
authors.affiliation: Department of Translational Neuroscience, Brain Center Rudolf Magnus, University Medical Center Utrecht, 3584 CG, Utrecht, The Netherlands; Interdisciplinary Institute for Neuroscience, Unité Mixte de Recherche 5297, Université de Bordeaux, F-33000 Bordeaux, France; and Interdisciplinary Institute for Neuroscience, Unité Mixte de Recherche 5297, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, F-33000 Bordeaux, France.
authors.forename: Natasha
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Pasricha
authors.affiliation: Interdisciplinary Institute for Neuroscience, Unité Mixte de Recherche 5297, Université de Bordeaux, F-33000 Bordeaux, France; and Interdisciplinary Institute for Neuroscience, Unité Mixte de Recherche 5297, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, F-33000 Bordeaux, France.
authors.forename: Lenka
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Mikasova
authors.affiliation: Department of Translational Neuroscience, Brain Center Rudolf Magnus, University Medical Center Utrecht, 3584 CG, Utrecht, The Netherlands; Interdisciplinary Institute for Neuroscience, Unité Mixte de Recherche 5297, Université de Bordeaux, F-33000 Bordeaux, France; and Interdisciplinary Institute for Neuroscience, Unité Mixte de Recherche 5297, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, F-33000 Bordeaux, France.
authors.forename: Amber
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kerkhofs
authors.affiliation: Department of Translational Neuroscience, Brain Center Rudolf Magnus, University Medical Center Utrecht, 3584 CG, Utrecht, The Netherlands;
authors.forename: Henk
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Karst
authors.affiliation: Interdisciplinary Institute for Neuroscience, Unité Mixte de Recherche 5297, Université de Bordeaux, F-33000 Bordeaux, France; and Interdisciplinary Institute for Neuroscience, Unité Mixte de Recherche 5297, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, F-33000 Bordeaux, France r.a.sarabdjitsingh@umcutrecht.nl laurent.groc@u-bordeaux2.fr m.joels@umcutrecht.nl.
authors.forename: Laurent
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Groc
authors.affiliation: Department of Translational Neuroscience, Brain Center Rudolf Magnus, University Medical Center Utrecht, 3584 CG, Utrecht, The Netherlands; r.a.sarabdjitsingh@umcutrecht.nl laurent.groc@u-bordeaux2.fr m.joels@umcutrecht.nl.
authors.forename: Marian
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Joëls
mesh_terms: D000204:Activity Cycles / Q000502:physiology; D000818:Animals; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D003345:Corticosterone / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000502:physiology*; D018698:Glutamic Acid / Q000502:physiology*; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D017774:Long-Term Potentiation / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D009473:Neuronal Plasticity / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology*; D051381:Rats; D018091:Receptors, AMPA / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D011965:Receptors, Glucocorticoid / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D009435:Synaptic Transmission / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D018091:Receptors, AMPA; D011965:Receptors, Glucocorticoid; D018698:Glutamic Acid; D003345:Corticosterone
keywords: AMPA receptor trafficking; hippocampus