title: Differential effects of oxytocin on mouse hippocampal oscillations in vitro.
abstract: The hypothalamic neuropeptide oxytocin (OT) controls childbirth and lactation, is involved in social behaviors, plays a role in various psychiatric disorders, and has effects on learning and memory. Although behavioral effects of OT have been extensively studied, much less is known about its effects on neuronal and network activity patterns. Here, we investigate the effect of OT on two major patterns of hippocampal network activity in mouse hippocampal slices. We studied different in vitro models of gamma-frequency oscillations and sharp wave-ripple complexes (SPW-R), two patterns implicated in spatial memory formation and memory consolidation respectively. Strikingly, we found a profound difference of OT on these distinct, mutually exclusive activity patterns. While gamma oscillations where not affected by the activation of hippocampal OT receptors, SPW-R were potently and rapidly suppressed. Interestingly, the temporal precision of oscillation-coupled spikes was enhanced at the same time. Thus, OT exerts strongly different modulatory effects on different network patterns, most likely by inhibition of different sets of inhibitory interneurons. The observed dichotomy between gamma and SPW-R oscillations may have profound effects on the behavioral and cognitive effects of OT which are relevant to cognitive processes and to psychiatric diseases.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Physiology and Pathophysiology, University of Heidelberg, Im Neuenheimer Feld 326, 69120, Heidelberg, Germany.
authors.forename: Pia
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Maier
authors.affiliation: Institute of Physiology and Pathophysiology, University of Heidelberg, Im Neuenheimer Feld 326, 69120, Heidelberg, Germany.
authors.forename: Martin E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Kaiser
authors.affiliation: Schaller Research Group on Neuropeptides, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) and Network Cluster of Excellence, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany.
authors.forename: Valery
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Grinevich
authors.affiliation: Institute of Physiology and Pathophysiology, University of Heidelberg, Im Neuenheimer Feld 326, 69120, Heidelberg, Germany.
authors.forename: Andreas
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Draguhn
authors.affiliation: Institute of Physiology and Pathophysiology, University of Heidelberg, Im Neuenheimer Feld 326, 69120, Heidelberg, Germany.
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Both
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D005071:Evoked Potentials; D065818:Gamma Rhythm; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D010121:Oxytocin / Q000494:pharmacology*; D018045:Receptors, Oxytocin / Q000378:metabolism; D065852:Spatial Memory
chemical_list: D018045:Receptors, Oxytocin; D010121:Oxytocin
keywords: gamma; oscillations; oxytocin; sharp wave-ripple; synchronization