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  4. Stress suppresses and learning induces plasticity in CA3 of rat hippocampus: a three-dimensional ultrastructural study of thorny excrescences and their postsynaptic densities
 
research article

Stress suppresses and learning induces plasticity in CA3 of rat hippocampus: a three-dimensional ultrastructural study of thorny excrescences and their postsynaptic densities

Stewart, Michael G.
•
Davies, Heather A.
•
Sandi, Carmen  
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2005
Neuroscience

Chronic stress and spatial training have been proposed to affect hippocampal structure and function in opposite ways. Previous morphological studies that addressed structural changes after chronic restraint stress and spatial training were based on two-dimensional morphometry which does not allow a complete morphometric characterisation of synaptic features. Here, for the first time in such studies, we examined these issues by using three-dimensional (3-D) reconstructions of electron microscope images taken from thorny excrescences of hippocampal CA3 pyramidal cells. Ultrastructural alterations in postsynaptic densities (PSDs) of thorny excrescences receiving input from mossy fibre boutons were also determined, as were changes in numbers of multivesicular bodies (endosome-like structures) within thorny excrescences and dendrites. Quantitative 3-D data demonstrated retraction of thorny excrescences after chronic restraint stress which was reversed after water maze training, whilst water maze training alone increased thorny excrescence volume and number of thorns per thorny excrescence. PSD surface area was unaffected by restraint stress but water maze training increased both number and area of PSDs per thorny excrescence. In restrained rats that were water maze trained PSD volume and surface area increased significantly. The proportion of perforated PSDs almost doubled after water maze training and restraint stress. Numbers of endosome-like structures in thorny excrescences decreased after restraint stress and increased after water maze training. These findings demonstrate that circuits involving contacts between mossy fibre terminals and CA3 pyramidal cells at stratum lucidum level are affected conversely by water maze training and chronic stress, confirming the remarkable plasticity of CA3 dendrites. They provide a clear illustration of the structural modifications that occur after life experiences noted for their different impact on hippocampal function.

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Type
research article
DOI
10.1016/j.neuroscience.2004.10.031
Web of Science ID

WOS:000226951200004

Author(s)
Stewart, Michael G.
Davies, Heather A.
Sandi, Carmen  
Kraev, Igor V.
Rogachevsky, Vadim V.
Peddie, Christopher J.
Rodriguez, José J.
Cordero, M. Isabel
Donohue, Howard S.
Gabbott, Paul L.A.
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Date Issued

2005

Published in
Neuroscience
Volume

131

Issue

1

Start page

43

End page

54

Subjects

Animals

•

Dendrites/ultrastructure

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Disease Models

•

Animal

•

Hippocampus/ anatomy & histology/ physiopathology

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Maze Learning/ physiology

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Pyramidal Cells/ physiology/ultrastructure

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Rats

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Reference Values

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Restraint

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Physical

•

Stress

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Psychological

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Synapses/ physiology/ ultrastructure

•

Animal

Note

Author address: Department of Biological Sciences, The Open University, Walton Hall, Milton Keynes MK7 6AA, UK.

Editorial or Peer reviewed

REVIEWED

Written at

OTHER

EPFL units
LGC  
Available on Infoscience
January 18, 2007
Use this identifier to reference this record
https://infoscience.epfl.ch/handle/20.500.14299/239576
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