Peroxisomal proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARγ) is a nuclear hormone receptor whose agonist, rosiglitazone has a neuroprotective effect to hippocampal neurons in pilocarpine-induced seizures. Hippocampal slice preparations treated in Mg2+ free medium can induce ictal and interictal-like epileptiform discharges, which is regarded as an in vitro model of N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) rece...

Small molecules that activate signaling pathways used by neurotrophic factors could be useful for treating CNS disorders. Here we show that the flavonoid fisetin activates ERK and induces cAMP response element-binding protein (CREB) phosphorylation in rat hippocampal slices, facilitates long-term potentiation in rat hippocampal slices, and enhances object recognition in mice. Together, these da...

Long-term potentiation (LTP) in hippocampal area CA1 is generally dependent on N-methyl--aspartate (NMDA) receptor activation. Reactive oxygen species (ROS), including superoxide, are produced in response to NMDA receptor activation in a number of brain regions, including the hipppocampus. In this study, two cell-permeable manganese porphyrin compounds that mimic superoxide dismutase (SOD) were...

Hippocampal specimens resected to cure medically intractable temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) provide a unique possibility to study functional consequences of morphological alterations. One intriguing alteration predominantly observed in cases of hippocampal sclerosis is an uncommon network of granule cells monosynaptically interconnected via aberrant supragranular mossy fibers. We investigated whe...

Accumulation of amyloid-b (Ab) is a hallmark of Alzheimer’s disease, a neurodegenerative disorder in which synapse loss and dysfunction are early features. Acute exposure of hippocampal slices to Ab leads to changes in synaptic plasticity, specifically reduced long-term potentiation (LTP) and enhanced long-term depression (LTD), with no change in basal synaptic transmission. We also report here...

The osmolarity of the extracellular space (ECS) compartment is an important factor determining the excitability of neuronal tissue. In the adult hippocampus an important role of osmolarity and ECS diffusion parameters on the susceptibility to epileptic events is well established, but the influence of hypo- and hyperosmolar conditions on the immature hippocampus remains elusive. To investigate t...