Abstract
Activation of β-adrenoceptors in area CA1 of the hippocampus facilitates in vitro long-term potentiation (LTP) in this region. However, it is unclear if in vivo LTP in area CA1 and hippocampus-dependent learning are subjected to β-adrenergic regulation. To address this question, we investigated the effects of the β-adrenergic agonist L-isoproterenol or antagonist DL-propranolol on in vivo LTP of area CA1 and the spatial learning in Morris water maze. In the presence of L-isoproterenol (through local infusion into area CA1), the theta-pulse stimulation with the parameter of 10 Hz, 150 pulses/train, 1 train, a frequency weakly modifying synaptic strength, induced a robust LTP, and this effect was blocked when DL-propranolol was co-administered. By contrast, the theta-pulse stimulation with the parameter of 5 Hz, 150 pulses/train, 3 trains, a frequency strongly modifying synaptic strength, induced a significantly smaller LTP when DL-propranolol was administered into area CA1. Accordingly, DL-propranolol impaired the spatial learning in the water maze when infused into area CA1 20 min pretraining. Compared with control rats, the DL-propranolol-treated rats showed significantly slower learning in the water maze and subsequently exhibited poor memory retention at 24-h test. These results suggest that β-adrenoceptors in area CA1 are involved in regulating in vivo synaptic plasticity of this area and are important for spatial learning.
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Ji, J., Zhang, X. & Li, B. β-adrenergic modulation of in vivo long-term potentiation in area CA1 and its role in spatial learning in rats. Sci. China Ser. C.-Life Sci. 46, 605–614 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1360/02yc0243
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1360/02yc0243