The facilitative effects of bilobalide, a unique constituent of Ginkgo biloba, on synaptic transmission and plasticity in hippocampal subfields

Bilobalide, a unique constituent of Ginkgo biloba, has been reported to potentiate population spikes in hippocampal CA1 pyramidal cells and to protect the brain against cell death. In this study, the effects of bilobalide on synaptic transmission and its plasticity in rat hippocampal subfields were...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The journal of physiological sciences 2011-09, Vol.61 (5), p.421-427
Main Authors: Suzuki, Etsuko, Sato, Makiko, Takezawa, Ryota, Usuki, Toyonobu, Okada, Takashi
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animals
Cyclopentanes - pharmacology
Electric Stimulation
Furans - pharmacology
Ginkgolides - pharmacology
Hippocampus - drug effects
Hippocampus - physiology
Long-Term Synaptic Depression - drug effects
Long-Term Synaptic Depression - physiology
Male
Neuronal Plasticity - drug effects
Neuronal Plasticity - physiology
Original Paper
Perforant Pathway - drug effects
Perforant Pathway - physiology
Rats
Rats, Wistar
Synaptic Transmission - drug effects
Synaptic Transmission - physiology
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Summary:Bilobalide, a unique constituent of Ginkgo biloba, has been reported to potentiate population spikes in hippocampal CA1 pyramidal cells and to protect the brain against cell death. In this study, the effects of bilobalide on synaptic transmission and its plasticity in rat hippocampal subfields were electrophysiologically investigated. Bilobalide (50 μM) significantly potentiated the input-output relationship at Schaffer collateral (SC)-CA1 synapses but not at medial perforant path (MPP)-dentate gyrus (DG), lateral perforant path (LPP)-DG, or mossy fiber (MF)-CA3 synapses. Facilitative effects of bilobalide on synaptic plasticity were only observed at MPP-DG synapses, in which the induction of long-term depression was blocked in the presence of bilobalide. However, no effect on synaptic plasticity was observed at SC-CA1 synapses. These results suggest that bilobalide has differential effects on synaptic efficacy in each hippocampal subfield.
ISSN:1880-6546
1880-6562
DOI:10.1007/s12576-011-0159-6