Copyright © 2000 by Institute of Pharmacology
Polish Academy of Sciences
Pol. J. Pharmacol., 2000, 52, 107-109
ISSN 1230-6002

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PRELIMINARY COMMUNICATION
REPEATED CORTICOSTERONE ADMINISTRATION INCREASES EXCITATORY EFFECT OF 5-HT4 RECEPTOR AGONIST IN THE RAT HIPPOCAMPUS
Agnieszka Zahorodna, Krzysztof Tokarski, Maria Bijak#
Department of Physiology, Institute of Pharmacology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Smętna 12, PL 31-343 Kraków, Poland

Repeated corticosterone administration increases excitatory effect of 5-HT4 receptor agonist in the rat hippocampus. A. ZAHORODNA, K. TOKARSKI, M. BIJAK. J. Pharmacol., 2000, 52, 107-109.

The objective of the present study was to investigate whether repeated exposure of rats to high level of corticosterone affects responses of CA1 hippocampal cells to the 5-HT4 receptor agonist zacopride. To assess responsiveness of CA1 neurons to zacopride we used extracellular recording of population spikes evoked in CA1 cells by the stimulation of the Schaffer/collateral-commissural pathway in hippocampal slices. Rats were treated with corticosterone for 7 days (10 mg/kg sc, twice daily), slices were prepared two days after the last treatment. Zacopride induced an increase in the amplitude of population spike and repeated corticosterone treatment enhanced this excitatory effect. It is concluded that repeated treatment with corticosterone increases the responsiveness of hippocampal CA1 neurons to the 5-HT4 receptor activation.

Key words: corticosterone, serotonin, 5-HT4 receptor, hippocampus

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