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Corticosteroid actions in the hippocampus.

M Joëls1

  • 1Swammerdam Institute for Life Sciences, Section of Neurobiology, University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands. joels@bio.uva.nl

Journal of Neuroendocrinology
|August 8, 2001
PubMed
Summary

Corticosteroid hormones, acting via mineralocorticoid and glucocorticoid receptors in the hippocampus, adapt neuronal activity to stress. Aberrant levels risk hippocampal cell function and may precipitate clinical symptoms.

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Area of Science:

  • Neuroendocrinology
  • Molecular Psychiatry
  • Cellular Neuroscience

Background:

  • Corticosteroid hormones regulate gene transcription via mineralocorticoid receptors (MR) and glucocorticoid receptors (GR) in the brain.
  • Hippocampal principal cells express both MR and GR, influencing information transfer.
  • Electrophysiological studies investigate corticosteroid effects on hippocampal neuronal activity.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To examine the consequences of MR and GR activation on hippocampal information processing.
  • To understand how corticosteroids modulate neuronal electrical activity under different conditions.
  • To assess the role of corticosteroid signaling in behavioral adaptation and hippocampal function.

Main Methods:

  • Electrophysiological recordings in hippocampal neurones.
  • Analysis of gene transcription regulation by corticosteroid receptors.
  • Investigation of calcium influx and neuronal excitability.

Main Results:

  • Corticosteroids do not significantly alter resting neuronal activity but exert slow, adaptive effects when neurones are stimulated.
  • MR activation generally maintains steady hippocampal electrical activity.
  • GR activation increases calcium influx, aiding the reversal of temporary electrical activity changes.

Conclusions:

  • Corticosteroid actions in the hippocampus contribute to behavioral adaptation to stress through persistent modulation of network function.
  • GR-mediated calcium influx poses a risk during intense neuronal depolarization (e.g., ischemia).
  • Chronic dysregulation of corticosteroid levels can impair hippocampal function, potentially leading to clinical symptoms.

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