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Estradiol promotes spine growth and synapse formation without affecting pre‐established networks
Author(s) -
Mendez Pablo,
GarciaSegura Luis Miguel,
Muller Dominique
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
hippocampus
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.767
H-Index - 155
eISSN - 1098-1063
pISSN - 1050-9631
DOI - 10.1002/hipo.20875
Subject(s) - dendritic spine , hippocampal formation , synapse , spine (molecular biology) , neuroscience , synapse formation , chemistry , estrogen , hormone , microbiology and biotechnology , biology , endocrinology , biochemistry
Estrogens regulate dendritic spine density, but the mechanism and significance of this effect for brain networks remain unknown. We used repetitive imaging over several days to investigate how 17β‐estradiol affected the turnover and long‐term behavior of dendritic spines in CA1 cells of hippocampal slice cultures. We find that 17β‐estradiol and serum in the culture medium tightly regulated spine density by promoting an increase in the rate of new spine formation and their transformation into synapses, without affecting spine elimination or stability. New spines formed during a transient 17β‐estradiol application were preferentially eliminated upon removal of the hormone, in contrast with pre‐existing spines that remained unaffected. Our results reveal that 17β‐estradiol transiently regulates the complexity of hippocampal circuits without causing major alterations of pre‐existing networks. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.