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Reduced field response to perforant path stimulation after adrenalectomy: Effect of nimodipine treatment
Author(s) -
Stienstra C.,
Van Diepen M.,
Ten Dam M.,
Joëls M.
Publication year - 2002
Publication title -
synapse
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.809
H-Index - 106
eISSN - 1098-2396
pISSN - 0887-4476
DOI - 10.1002/syn.10032
Subject(s) - dentate gyrus , perforant path , nimodipine , perforant pathway , adrenalectomy , endocrinology , stimulation , in vivo , calcium , medicine , hippocampus , neuroscience , chemistry , biology , microbiology and biotechnology
Adrenalectomy enhances apoptosis in the rat dentate gyrus and concurrently decreases the field response of dentate cells to perforant path stimulation. Recent data showed that calcium current amplitude is increased 1 day prior to the appearance of apoptotic cells, pointing to calcium as a risk factor for the onset of apoptosis. We here tested if in vivo administration of nimodipine—thus presumably reducing dentate calcium influx through L type calcium channels—prevents the appearance of apoptotic cells and the change in field responses after adrenalectomy. It was found that nimodipine does not largely alter the number of animals with apoptosis nor the average number of apoptotic cells in the tip of the suprapyramidal blade of the dentate gyrus. After nimodipine treatment, field responses in the dentate gyrus of adrenalectomized rats were comparable to responses in adrenally intact rats. However, this was due to a reduction of the field response in slices from adrenally intact rats, rather than a prevention of synaptic impairment in adrenalectomized rats. The data clearly indicates that in vivo nimodipine treatment is insufficient to prevent apoptosis and synaptic impairment after adrenalectomy. Synapse 44:1–7, 2002. © 2002 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.