Prenatal exposure to moderate levels of ethanol can have long-lasting effects on hippocampal synaptic plasticity in adult offspring

Prenatal ethanol exposure has been associated with long-lasting intellectual impairments in children. Previous studies using animal models of fetal ethanol exposure suggest that these deficits are, at least in part, linked to neurochemical abnormalities in the hippocampal formation. We explored whether prenatal exposure to moderate quantities of ethanol produced functional deficits at the entorhinal cortical perforant path-dentate granule cell connection by examining some electrophysiological properties, including the induction of long-term potentiation (LTP). Rat dams consumed one of three diets throughout gestation: 1) a BioServ liquid diet containing 5% (v/v) ethanol (26% ethanol-derived calories), which produces a maternal peak blood ethanol concentration of 83 mg/dl; 2) pair-fed an isocalorically equivalent amount of 0% ethanol liquid diet; or 3) Purina rat chow ad libitum. Adult offspring (120–150 days of age) from each experimental diet group were anesthetized with urethane and field excitatory postsynaptic potentials (EPSPs) and population spikes were measured in the dentate gyrus in response to ipsilateral perforant path stimulation. We examined input-output functions using a wide range of single pulse stimulation intensities and induction of LTP using high-frequency stimulation. In the 50-500 μA range of single pulse intensities, there were no significant differences among the diet groups in dentate gyrus evoked potentials. In response to high-frequency stimulation, prenatal ethanol-exposed rats showed a smaller increase in field EPSPs and population spikes compared with rats from either of the two control groups. Thus, prenatal exposure to moderate ethanol levels can produce a long-lasting deficit in synaptic enhancement in a neural pathway believed to be critical in certain forms of learning and memory. This deficit in hippocampal synaptic plasticity may, in part, account for cognitive impairments seen in children whose mothers consumed ethanol during pregnancy. Hippocampus 7:232–238, 1997. © 1997 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

Adult hippocampal glucocorticoid receptor expression and dentate synaptic plasticity correlate with maternal care received by individuals early in life

Maternal care in mammals is the prevailing environmental influence during perinatal development. The adult rat offspring of mothers exhibiting increased levels of pup licking/grooming (LG; High LG mothers), compared to those reared by Low LG dams, show increased hippocampal glucocorticoid receptor expression, complex dendritic tree structure, and an enhanced capacity for synaptic potentiation. However, these data were derived from studies using the total amount of maternal care directed toward the entire litter, thus ignoring possible within-litter variation. We show that the amount of LG received by individual pups within a litter varies considerably. Therefore, we questioned if the amount of LG received by individual pups correlates with and thus putatively predicts later hippocampal structure and function. To this end, LG-scores were determined during the first postnatal week for all pups in 32 litters and correlated with neuroendocrine and hippocampal parameters in young-adulthood. Pup LG-score positively correlated with the glucocorticoid receptor mRNA expression in the adult hippocampus. Moreover, the ability to induce synaptic potentiation in the dentate gyrus in vitro was enhanced in animals with high LG-scores. Structural plasticity correlated less reliably with LG-scores early in life and differed between sexes. Male offspring with high LG-scores displayed fewer newborn neurons, higher brain derived neurotrophic factor expression and tended to have more complex granule cell dendritic trees. We conclude that even moderate variations in early life environment have a major impact on adult hippocampal function. This principle could provide a mechanistic basis for individual differences in susceptibility to psychopathology.     

Differential roles of basolateral and central amygdala on the effects of uncontrollable stress on hippocampal synaptic plasticity

The amygdala is considered central in mediating stress-related changes of hippocampal functions. However, it remains unclear whether different amygdala subnuclei have different roles in coordinating stress effects. Here, we report that stress exposure caused an immediate increase of extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK)1/2 phosphorylation in the hippocampal area CA1 and the basolateral amygdala (BLA) and after a delay in the central amygdala (CEA). Exposure to the novel environment following stress increased ERK1/2 phosphorylation in the CEA, but reversed the stress-induced increase of ERK1/2 phosphorylation in the hippocampal area CA1 and the BLA. Either ERK1/2 inhibitor U0126 or N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor antagonist DL-(-)-2-amino-5-phosphonopentanoic acid (APV) administration into the BLA, but not the CEA, blocked the stress effects on hippocampal long-term potentiation (LTP) and long-term depression. Novelty-exploration-induced reversal of stress effects was prevented when animals were injected U0126 or APV into the CEA, but not the BLA, before subjected to the novel environment. The ability of novelty exploration to reverse the stress effects was mimicked by intra-CEA infusion of NMDA. These findings suggest that BLA ERK1/2 signaling pathway is critical to mediate the stress effects on hippocampal synaptic plasticity; the activation of CEA ERK1/2, in contrast, appears to mediate the reversal of stress effects.     

Long- and short-term plasticity at mossy fiber synapses on mossy cells in the rat dentate gyrus

Mossy cells give rise to the commissural and associational pathway of the dentate gyrus, and receive their major excitatory inputs from the mossy fibers of granule cells. Through these feed-back excitatory connections, mossy cells have been suggested to play important roles in both normal signal processing in learning and memory, as well as in seizure propagation. However, the nature of the activity-dependent modifications of the mossy fiber inputs to mossy hilar cells is not well understood. We studied the long- and short-term plasticity properties of the mossy fiber-mossy cell synapse, using the minimal stimulation technique in slices in whole cell recorded mossy cells retrogradely prelabeled with the fluorescent dye DiO from the contralateral dentate gyrus. Following tetanic stimulation, mossy fiber synapses showed significant NMDA receptor-independent long-term potentiation (LTP), associated with increased excitatory postsynaptic currents (EPSC) amplitude and decreased failure rates. Coefficient of variance and failure rate analyses suggested a presynaptic locus of LTP induction. Mossy fiber synapses on mossy cells also showed activity-dependent short-term modification properties, including both frequency-dependent facilitation (stimuli at higher frequencies evoked larger EPSCs with lower failure rates) and burst facilitation (each EPSC in a burst had a larger amplitude and higher probability of occurrence than the preceding EPSCs within the burst). The data show that mossy fiber-mossy cell synapses exhibit both long- and short-term plasticity phenomena that are generally similar to the mossy fiber synapses on CA3 pyramidal cells.     

Enriched environment exposure regulates excitability, synaptic transmission, and LTP in the dentate gyrus of freely moving rats

Performance in hippocampus-dependent and other tasks can be improved by exposure to an enriched environment (EE), but the physiological changes in neural function that may mediate these effects are poorly understood. To date, there have been conflicting reports regarding potential mechanisms, such as an increase in basal synaptic transmission, an increase in cell excitability, or altered synaptic plasticity. Here, we reexamined in freely moving animals the conditions under which varying degrees of EE exposure might lead to increases in synaptic or neural function in the dentate gyrus of the hippocampus. Adult male Sprague-Dawley rats were chronically implanted with stimulating and recording electrodes in the perforant path and dentate gyrus, respectively, and housed singly in standard cages. After stable recordings were established for field excitatory postsynaptic potentials (fEPSPs) and population spikes (PSs), the effects of various degrees of periodic novel environment exposure for 19 days were assessed. Exposure to an EE increased fEPSPs, but only when animals were kept in nominally low-stress housing conditions. An increase in granule-cell excitability, as evidenced by PS increases, was induced by all environmental treatments with the greatest effect being induced by overnight EE exposure. EE exposure did not change the level of long-term potentiation (LTP) induced by a moderate high-frequency tetanus, but continued EE exposure post-tetanus produced a significantly faster decay of LTP relative to control animals. These results suggest that, in adult animals, EE exposure may augment hippocampal information processing, but may also speed turnover of information in the hippocampus during the maintenance period.     

Prenatal stress modifies hippocampal synaptic plasticity and spatial learning in young rat offspring

Clinical studies demonstrate that prenatal stress causes cognitive deficits and increases vulnerability to affective disorders in children and adolescents. The underlying mechanisms are not yet fully understood. Here, we reported that prenatal stress (10 unpredictable, 1 s, 0.8 mA foot shocks per day during gestational days 13-19) impaired long-term potentiation (LTP) but facilitated long-term depression (LTD) in hippocampal CA1 region in slices of the prenatal stressed offspring (5 weeks old). Cross-fostering neonate offspring by the prenatal stressed or control mothers did not change the effects of prenatal stress on the hippocampal LTP and LTD. Furthermore, prenatal stress enhanced the effects of acute stress on the hippocampal LTP and LTD and impaired spatial learning and memory in the Morris water maze in the young rat offspring. Therefore, prenatal stress alters synaptic plasticity and enhances the effects of acute stress on synaptic plasticity in the hippocampus, which may be the mechanism for the impaired spatial learning and memory in young rat offspring.     

Impaired acquisition in the water maze and hippocampal long-term potentiation after chronic prenatal ethanol exposure in the guinea-pig

In the hippocampus, the CA1 region is selectively vulnerable to the effects of chronic prenatal ethanol exposure. In the guinea-pig, the number of CA1 pyramidal cells is decreased after chronic prenatal ethanol exposure. We tested the hypotheses that chronic prenatal ethanol exposure (through maternal ethanol ingestion) results in impairments in spatial learning and short- and long-term plasticity in the CA1 region of the postnatal guinea-pig hippocampus. Timed, pregnant guinea-pigs were treated with ethanol (4 g/kg maternal body weight/day), isocaloric sucrose/pair-feeding, or water throughout gestation. Offspring were studied between postnatal days 40 and 80. In the Morris water maze, animals exposed to ethanol prenatally showed slower acquisition of an escape response to a hidden platform over 5 days of training. The amplitude of the field excitatory postsynaptic potential in the CA1 region in response to contralateral CA3 stimulation was decreased in offspring exposed to ethanol prenatally. Two forms of short-term plasticity (paired-pulse and frequency facilitation) were unaffected by chronic prenatal ethanol exposure. Long-term potentiation (LTP) in response to high-frequency CA3 stimulation was induced reliably and maintained over 60 min in isocaloric-sucrose and water control animals. However, LTP failed to be induced in the CA1 area of the hippocampus in prenatal ethanol-exposed offspring. These data show that chronic prenatal ethanol exposure, through maternal ethanol administration, impairs spatial performance and LTP in CA1 neurons. Hippocampal dysfunction could contribute importantly to the cognitive and behavioural deficits resulting from chronic prenatal ethanol exposure.     

Effects of unconditioned and conditioned aversive stimuli in an intense fear conditioning paradigm on synaptic plasticity in the hippocampal CA1 area in vivo

Repeated vivid recalls or flashbacks of traumatic memories and memory deficits are the cardinal features of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The underlying mechanisms are not fully understood yet. Here, we examined the effects of very strong fear conditioning (20 pairings of a light with a 1.5-mA, 0.5-s foot shock) and subsequent reexposure to the conditioning context (chamber A), a similar context (chamber B), and/or to the fear conditioned stimulus (CS) (a light) on synaptic plasticity in the hippocampal CA1 area in anesthetized Sprague-Dawley rats. The conditioning procedure resulted in very strong conditioned fear, as reflected by high levels of persistent freezing, to both the contexts and to the CS, 24 h after fear conditioning. The induction of long-term potentiation (LTP) was blocked immediately after fear conditioning. It was still markedly impaired 24 h after fear conditioning; reexposure to the conditioning chamber A (CA) or to a similar chamber B (CB) did not affect the impairment. However, presentation of the CS in the CA exacerbated the impairment of LTP, whereas the CS presentation in a CB ameliorated the impairment so that LTP induction did not differ from that of control groups. The induction of long-term depression (LTD) was facilitated immediately, but not 24 h, after fear conditioning. Only reexposure to the CS in the CA, but not reexposure to either chamber A or B alone, or the CS in chamber B, 24 h after conditioning, reinstated the facilitation of LTD induction. These data demonstrate that unconditioned and conditioned aversive stimuli in an intense fear conditioning paradigm can have profound effects on hippocampal synaptic plasticity, which may aid to understand the mechanisms underlying impairments of hippocampus-dependent memory by stress or in PTSD.     

Increased extracellular release of hippocampal NE is associated with tetanization of the medial perforant pathway in the freely moving adult male rat.

The induction of long-term potentiation (LTP) within the dentate gyrus of the hippocampal formation is modulated by many afferent influences from a number of subcortical structures known to be intimately involved in hippocampal-dependent learning and memory. It has been demonstrated in slice and anesthetized preparations that norepinephrine (NE) is one of these major neuromodulators involved in the induction of LTP. However, the majority of these studies have not been conducted in the freely moving animal. Recently, we developed surgical procedures and instrumentation techniques to simultaneously record electrophysiological and neurochemical data from the hippocampal formation. The present study uses these techniques to examine the underlying neurochemical changes in the hippocampus associated with the induction of hippocampal dentate LTP in the freely moving adult rat. These findings establish baseline levels of NE that can be used to evaluate the impact of various tetanization paradigms as well as the effect of a variety of insults on hippocampal plasticity.     

Different chronic cocaine administration protocols induce changes on dentate gyrus plasticity and hippocampal dependent behavior

Hippocampus is a limbic structure that participates in learning and memory formation. Specifically the dentate gyrus has been described as a hippocampal subregion with high rates of plasticity and it is targeted by different psychoactive drugs modulating synaptic plasticity. Repeated cocaine administration induces sensitization to the locomotor effects and it is believed that sensitization involves the same mechanisms of drug seeking and relapse. Although, the mechanisms underlying sensitization is not fully understood. In this work we investigated the impact of repeated intraperitoneal administration of cocaine (15 or 20 mg/kg/day along 5 or 15 days respectively; and 15 mg/kg/day along 5 day followed by a challenge dose after three days of withdrawal) on the dentate gyrus synaptic plasticity, differentiating between sensitized and nonsensitized rats. Furthermore, we correlated changes on the hippocampal synaptic plasticity to memory retention. Our results revealed that the prevalence of cocaine sensitization (around 50%) was identical in all protocols used. The results found in the threshold to generate LTP were similar for all protocols used, being the threshold values cocaine‐treated groups (sensitized and nonsensitized) significantly reduced compared to controls, observing the highest reduction in the sensitized group. Moreover, we observed a facilitated retention of recent memory formation only in sensitized animals the nonsensitized subjects remained at the control levels. In conclusion, sensitization to cocaine generates a high efficiency of hippocampal synaptic plasticity that may underlie the aberrant engagement of learning processes occurred during drug addiction. Synapse 64:742–753, 2010. © 2010 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.     

Methamphetamine‐induced enhancement of hippocampal long‐term potentiation is modulated by NMDA and GABA receptors in the shell–accumbens

Addictive drugs modulate synaptic transmission in the meso‐corticolimbic system by hijacking normal adaptive forms of experience‐dependent synaptic plasticity. Psychostimulants such as METH have been shown to affect hippocampal synaptic plasticity, albeit with a less understood synaptic mechanism. METH is one of the most addictive drugs that elicit long‐term alterations in the synaptic plasticity in brain areas involved in reinforcement learning and reward processing. Dopamine transporter (DAT) is one of the main targets of METH. As a substrate for DAT, METH decreases dopamine uptake and increases dopamine efflux via the transporter in the target brain regions such as nucleus accumbens (NAc) and hippocampus. Due to cross talk between NAc and hippocampus, stimulation of NAc has been shown to alter hippocampal plasticity. In this study, we tested the hypothesis that manipulation of glutamatergic and GABA‐ergic systems in the shell‐NAc modulates METH‐induced enhancement of long term potentiation (LTP) in the hippocampus. Rats treated with METH (four injections of 5 mg/kg) exhibited enhanced LTP as compared to saline‐treated animals. Intra‐NAc infusion of muscimol (GABA receptor agonist) decreased METH‐induced enhancement of dentate gyrus (DG)‐LTP, while infusion of AP5 (NMDA receptor antagonist) prevented METH‐induced enhancement of LTP. These data support the interpretation that reducing NAc activity can ameliorate METH‐induced hippocampal LTP through a hippocampus‐NAc‐VTA circuit loop. Synapse 70:325–335, 2016 . © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Transient activation of microglia following acute alcohol exposure in developing mouse neocortex is primarily driven by BAX‐dependent neurodegeneration

Fetal alcohol exposure is the most common known cause of preventable mental retardation, yet we know little about how microglia respond to, or are affected by, alcohol in the developing brain in vivo. Using an acute (single day) model of moderate (3 g/kg) to severe (5 g/kg) alcohol exposure in postnatal day (P) 7 or P8 mice, we found that alcohol‐induced neuroapoptosis in the neocortex is closely correlated in space and time with the appearance of activated microglia near dead cells. The timing and molecular pattern of microglial activation varied with the level of cell death. Although microglia rapidly mobilized to contact and engulf late‐stage apoptotic neurons, apoptotic bodies temporarily accumulated in neocortex, suggesting that in severe cases of alcohol toxicity the neurodegeneration rate exceeds the clearance capacity of endogenous microglia. Nevertheless, most dead cells were cleared and microglia began to deactivate within 1–2 days of the initial insult. Coincident with microglial activation and deactivation, there was a transient increase in expression of pro‐inflammatory factors, TNFα and IL‐1β, after severe (5 g/kg) but not moderate (3 g/kg) EtOH levels. Alcohol‐induced microglial activation and pro‐inflammatory factor expression were largely abolished in BAX null mice lacking neuroapoptosis, indicating that microglial activation is primarily triggered by apoptosis rather than the alcohol. Therefore, acute alcohol exposure in the developing neocortex causes transient microglial activation and mobilization, promoting clearance of dead cells and tissue recovery. Moreover, cortical microglia show a remarkable capacity to rapidly deactivate following even severe neurodegenerative insults in the developing brain. GLIA 2015;63:1694–1713     

Repeated exposure to amphetamine disrupts dopaminergic modulation of excitatory synaptic plasticity and neurotransmission in nucleus accumbens

The mesolimbic dopamine system is essential for reward-seeking behavior, and drugs of abuse perturb the normal functioning of this pathway. The nucleus accumbens (NAc) is a major terminal field of the mesolimbic dopamine neurons and modifications in neuronal structure and function in NAc accompany repeated exposure to psychomotor stimulants and other addictive drugs. Glutamatergic afferents to the NAc are thought to be crucial to the development of several aspects of addictive behavior, including behavioral sensitization and relapse to cocaine self-administration. Here we examine glutamatergic neurotransmission and synaptic plasticity in NAc neurons in vitro before and after repeated amphetamine treatment in vivo. We find that dopamine attenuates the response of NAc neurons to repetitive activation of glutamatergic afferents and thereby blocks long-term potentiation (LTP) induced by high-frequency afferent stimulation. Dopamine's effects are mimicked by dopamine receptor agonists and by amphetamine. In a second set of experiments, animals were treated with amphetamine daily for 6 days and brain slices were prepared after 8-10 days of withdrawal. In these slices, LTP in the NAc appears normal. However, acute exposure of such slices to amphetamine no longer modulates synaptic transmission or LTP induction. Thus, repeated exposure to amphetamine produces long-lasting changes in the modulation of glutamatergic synaptic transmission by amphetamine in the NAc. Our results support the notion that after psychostimulant exposure, excitatory synapses on NAc neurons alter their response to further psychostimulant for long periods of time.     

The selective noradrenergic reuptake inhibitor reboxetine restores spatial learning deficits,biochemical changes,and hippocampal synaptic plasticity in an animal model of depression

Depression is a major psychiatric illness that is associated with cognitive dysfunctions. The underlying mechanism of depression‐associated memory impairment is unclear. Previously, we showed altered hippocampal synaptic plasticity in an animal model of depression. Although several antidepressants are beneficial in the treatment of depression, very little is known about the effects of these drugs on depression‐associated learning and memory deficits. Prolonged antidepressant treatment might contribute to neuroplastic changes required for clinical outcomes. Accordingly, we evaluated the effect of chronic reboxetine (a selective noradrenergic reuptake inhibitor) treatment on depression‐induced reduced hippocampal synaptic plasticity, neurotransmitter levels, and spatial learning and memory impairments. Depression was induced in male Wistar rats by the administration of clomipramine from postnatal days 8 to 21, and these rats were treated with reboxetine in adulthood. The neonatal clomipramine administration resulted in impaired hippocampal long‐term potentiation (LTP), decreased hippocampal cholinergic activity and monoamine levels, and poor performance in a partially baited eight‐arm radial maze task. Chronic reboxetine treatment restored the hippocampal LTP, acetylcholinesterase activity, and levels of biogenic amines and ameliorated spatial learning and memory deficits in the depressed state. Thus, restoration of hippocampal synaptic plasticity might be a cellular mechanism underlying the beneficial effect of reboxetine in depression‐associated cognitive deficits. This study furthers the existing understanding of the effects of antidepressants on learning, memory, and synaptic plasticity and could ultimately assist in the development of better therapeutic strategies to treat depression and associated cognitive impairments. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Deficits in cognitive function and hippocampal plasticity in GM2/GD2 synthase knockout mice

In this study, we used GM2/GD2 synthase knockout (GM2/GD2^?/?) mice to examine the influence of deficiency in ganglioside “a‐pathway” and “b‐pathway” on cognitive performances and hippocampal synaptic plasticity. Eight‐week‐old GM2/GD2^?/? male mice showed a longer escape‐latency in Morris water maze test and a shorter latency in step‐down inhibitory avoidance task than wild‐type (WT) mice. Schaffer collateral‐CA1 synapses in the hippocampal slices from GM2/GD2^?/? mice showed an increase in the slope of EPSPs with reduced paired‐pulse facilitation, indicating an enhancement of their presynaptic glutamate release. In GM2/GD2^?/? mice, NMDA receptor (NMDAr)‐dependent LTP could not be induced by high‐frequency (100–200 Hz) tetanus or θ‐burst conditioning stimulation (CS), whereas NMDAr‐independent LTP was induced by medium‐frequency CS (20–50 Hz). The application of mono‐sialoganglioside GM1 in the slice from GM2/GD2^?/? mice, to specifically recover the a‐pathway, prevented the increased presynaptic glutamate release and 20 Hz‐LTP induction, whereas it could not rescue the impaired NMDAr‐dependent LTP. These findings suggest that b‐pathway deficiency impairs cognitive function probably through suppression of NMDAr‐dependent LTP, while a‐pathway deficiency may facilitate NMDAr‐independent LTP through enhancing presynaptic glutamate release. As both of the NMDAr‐independent LTP and increased presynaptic glutamate release were sensitive to the blockade of L‐type voltage‐gated Ca²⁺ channels (L‐VGCC), a‐pathway deficiency may affect presynaptic L‐VGCC. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Local infusion of ghrelin enhanced hippocampal synaptic plasticity and spatial memory through activation of phosphoinositide 3-kinase in the dentate gyrus of adult rats

Ghrelin, an orexigenic hormone, is mainly produced by the stomach and released into the circulation. Ghrelin receptors (growth hormone secretagogue receptors) are expressed throughout the brain, including the hippocampus. The activation of ghrelin receptors facilitates high-frequency stimulation (HFS)-induced long-term potentiation (LTP) in vitro, and also improves learning and memory. Herein, we report that a single infusion of ghrelin into the hippocampus led to long-lasting potentiation of excitatory postsynaptic potentials (EPSPs) and population spikes (PSs) in the dentate gyrus of anesthetized rats. This potentiation was accompanied by a reduction in paired-pulse depression of the EPSP slope, an increase in paired-pulse facilitation of the PS amplitude, and an enhancement of EPSP-spike coupling, suggesting the involvement of both presynaptic and postsynaptic mechanisms. Meanwhile, ghrelin infusion time-dependently increased the phosphorylation of Akt-Ser473, a downstream molecule of phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K). Interestingly, PI3K inhibitors, but not NMDA receptor antagonist, inhibited ghrelin-induced potentiation. Although ghrelin had no effect on the induction of HFS-induced LTP, it prolonged the expression of HFS-induced LTP through extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK)1/2. The Morris water maze test showed that ghrelin enhanced spatial memory, and that this was prevented by pretreatment with PI3K inhibitor. Taken together, the findings show that: (i) a single infusion of ghrelin induced a new form of synaptic plasticity by activating the PI3K signaling pathway, without HFS and NMDA receptor activation; (ii) a single infusion of ghrelin also enhanced the maintenance of HFS-induced LTP through ERK activation; and (iii) repetitive infusion of ghrelin enhanced spatial memory by activating the PI3K signaling pathway. Thus, we propose that the ghrelin signaling pathway could have therapeutic value in cognitive deficits.     

White matter deficits mediate effects of prenatal alcohol exposure on cognitive development in childhood

Fetal alcohol spectrum disorders comprise the spectrum of cognitive, behavioral, and neurological impairments caused by prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE). Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) was performed on 54 children (age 10.1 ± 1.0 years) from the Cape Town Longitudinal Cohort, for whom detailed drinking histories obtained during pregnancy are available: 26 with full fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) or partial FAS (PFAS), 15 nonsyndromal heavily exposed (HE), and 13 controls. Using voxelwise analyses, children with FAS/PFAS showed significantly lower fractional anisotropy (FA) in four white matter (WM) regions and higher mean diffusivity (MD) in seven; three regions of FA and MD differences (left inferior longitudinal fasciculus (ILF), splenium, and isthmus) overlapped, and the fourth FA cluster was located in the same WM bundle (right ILF) as an MD cluster. HE children showed lower FA and higher MD in a subset of these regions. Significant correlations were observed between three continuous alcohol measures and DTI values at cluster peaks, indicating that WM damage in several regions is dose dependent. Lower FA in the regions of interest was attributable primarily to increased radial diffusivity rather than decreased axonal diffusivity, suggesting poorer axon packing density and/or myelination. Multiple regression models indicated that this cortical WM impairment partially mediated adverse effects of PAE on information processing speed and eyeblink conditioning. Hum Brain Mapp 37:2943–2958, 2016. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc .     

Genetic deletion of melanin‐concentrating hormone neurons impairs hippocampal short‐term synaptic plasticity and hippocampal‐dependent forms of short‐term memory

The cognitive role of melanin‐concentrating hormone (MCH) neurons, a neuronal population located in the mammalian postero‐lateral hypothalamus sending projections to all cortical areas, remains poorly understood. Mainly activated during paradoxical sleep (PS), MCH neurons have been implicated in sleep regulation. The genetic deletion of the only known MCH receptor in rodent leads to an impairment of hippocampal dependent forms of memory and to an alteration of hippocampal long‐term synaptic plasticity. By using MCH/ataxin3 mice, a genetic model characterized by a selective deletion of MCH neurons in the adult, we investigated the role of MCH neurons in hippocampal synaptic plasticity and hippocampal‐dependent forms of memory. MCH/ataxin3 mice exhibited a deficit in the early part of both long‐term potentiation and depression in the CA1 area of the hippocampus. Post‐tetanic potentiation (PTP) was diminished while synaptic depression induced by repetitive stimulation was enhanced suggesting an alteration of pre‐synaptic forms of short‐term plasticity in these mice. Behaviorally, MCH/ataxin3 mice spent more time and showed a higher level of hesitation as compared to their controls in performing a short‐term memory T‐maze task, displayed retardation in acquiring a reference memory task in a Morris water maze, and showed a habituation deficit in an open field task. Deletion of MCH neurons could thus alter spatial short‐term memory by impairing short‐term plasticity in the hippocampus. Altogether, these findings could provide a cellular mechanism by which PS may facilitate memory encoding. Via MCH neuron activation, PS could prepare the day's learning by increasing and modulating short‐term synaptic plasticity in the hippocampus. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.