Publications (3)4.93 Total impact
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Article: Regulation of hippocampal synaptic plasticity by estrogen and progesterone.
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ABSTRACT: Accumulating evidence indicates that the ovarian steroid hormones estrogen and progesterone regulate a wide variety of nonreproductive functions in the central nervous system by interacting with several molecular and cellular processes. A growing literature reporting results obtained in rodent models suggests that 17beta-estradiol, the most potent of the biologically relevant estrogens, facilitates some forms of learning and memory, and in particular, those involving hippocampus-dependent tasks. Hippocampal long-term potentiation and long-term depression of synaptic transmission are types of synaptic plasticity that have been extensively studied, as they are considered as cellular models of memory formation in the brain. In this chapter, we review the literature that analyzes and compares the effects of estrogen and progesterone on synaptic transmission and synaptic plasticity in rodents. Understanding the nonreproductive functions of estrogen and progesterone in the hippocampus has far-reaching implications not only for our basic understanding of neuroendocrinology and neurobiology, but also for developing better treatment of age-related diseases such as Alzheimer's disease.Vitamins & Hormones 01/2010; 82:219-39. · 2.19 Impact Factor -
Article: Altered AMPA receptor expression with treadmill exercise in the 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine-lesioned mouse model of basal ganglia injury.
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ABSTRACT: Dopamine depletion leads to impaired motor performance and increased glutamatergic-mediated hyperexcitability of medium spiny neurons in the basal ganglia. Intensive treadmill exercise improves motor performance in both saline treatment and the 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP) mouse model of Parkinson's disease. In the present study, we investigated the effect of high-intensity treadmill exercise on changes in alpha-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid receptor (AMPAR) subunit expression, because these receptor channels confer the majority of fast excitatory neurotransmission in the brain, and their subunit composition provides a key mechanism for regulating synaptic strength and synaptic neuroplasticity and is important in modulating glutamatergic neurotransmission. Within the dorsolateral striatum of MPTP mice, treadmill exercise increased GluR2 subunit expression, with no significant effect on GluR1. Furthermore, neurophysiological studies demonstrated a reduction in the size of excitatory postsynaptic currents (EPSCs) in striatal medium spiny neurons (as determined by the input-output relationship), reduced amplitude of spontaneous EPSCs, and a loss of polyamine-sensitive inward rectification, all supportive of an increase in heteromeric AMPAR channels containing the GluR2 subunit. Phosphorylation of GluR2 at serine 880 in both saline-treated and MPTP mice suggests that exercise may also influence AMPAR trafficking and thus synaptic strength within the striatum. Finally, treadmill exercise also altered flip isoforms of GluR2 and GluR1 mRNA transcripts. These findings suggest a role for AMPARs in mediating the beneficial effects of exercise and support the idea that adaptive changes in GluR2 subunit expression may be important in modulating experience-dependent neuroplasticity of the injured basal ganglia.Journal of Neuroscience Research 09/2009; 88(3):650-68. · 2.74 Impact Factor -
Article: Chapter 12 - Regulation of Hippocampal Synaptic Plasticity by Estrogen and Progesterone
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ABSTRACT: Accumulating evidence indicates that the ovarian steroid hormones estrogen and progesterone regulate a wide variety of nonreproductive functions in the central nervous system by interacting with several molecular and cellular processes. A growing literature reporting results obtained in rodent models suggests that 17β-estradiol, the most potent of the biologically relevant estrogens, facilitates some forms of learning and memory, and in particular, those involving hippocampus-dependent tasks. Hippocampal long-term potentiation and long-term depression of synaptic transmission are types of synaptic plasticity that have been extensively studied, as they are considered as cellular models of memory formation in the brain. In this chapter, we review the literature that analyzes and compares the effects of estrogen and progesterone on synaptic transmission and synaptic plasticity in rodents. Understanding the nonreproductive functions of estrogen and progesterone in the hippocampus has far-reaching implications not only for our basic understanding of neuroendocrinology and neurobiology, but also for developing better treatment of age-related diseases such as Alzheimer's diseaseVitamins & Hormones.
