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 no

SUBMITTER: Sarabdjitsingh RA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4191766 | biostudies-literature | 2014 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature