Suppressive effects of halothane on reactive synaptogenesis in the dentate gyrus of rats

Reactive synaptogenesis was studied in the dentate gyrus of rats exposed to 100 parts per million of halothane for 15 days starting on the day after unilateral entorhinal lesioning. Halothane exposure markedly affected the replacement of synapses. Only 17% of the lost synapses were restored by day 15 postlesion in rats exposed to halothane, while 73% of the lost synapses were recovered in rats not exposed to halothane. However, this suppression in initial reactive synaptogenesis did not result in permanent deficits in synaptic population. After halothane exposure was stopped, reactive synaptogenesis resumed, and by day 30 after the lesion, the synaptic population of the experimental group caught up to the control level. This suppressive action of halothane suggests its utility as a research tool for delaying synaptogenesis during selected developmental epochs to study the relationship between synaptic and behavioral recovery.