A1 Journal article (refereed)
CA3–CA1 long‐term potentiation occurs regardless of respiration and cardiac cycle phases in urethane‐anesthetized rats (2023)

Nokia, M. S., Waselius, T., & Penttonen, M. (2023). CA3–CA1 long‐term potentiation occurs regardless of respiration and cardiac cycle phases in urethane‐anesthetized rats. Hippocampus, 33(11), 1228-1232. https://doi.org/10.1002/hipo.23551

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Publication details

All authors or editors: Nokia, Miriam S.; Waselius, Tomi; Penttonen, Markku

Journal or series: Hippocampus

ISSN: 1050-9631

eISSN: 1098-1063

Publication year: 2023

Publication date: 23/05/2023

Volume: 33

Issue number: 11

Pages range: 1228-1232

Publisher: Wiley

Publication country: United States

Publication language: English

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/hipo.23551

Publication open access: Openly available

Publication channel open access: Partially open access channel

Publication is parallel published (JYX): https://jyx.jyu.fi/handle/123456789/87468

Abstract

Breathing and heartbeat synchronize to each other and to brain function and affect cognition in humans. However, it is not clear how cardiorespiratory rhythms modulate such basic processes as synaptic plasticity thought to underlie learning. Thus, we studied if respiration and cardiac cycle phases at burst stimulation onset affect hippocampal long-term potentiation (LTP) in the CA3–CA1 synapse in urethane-anesthetized adult male Sprague–Dawley rats. In a between-subjects design, we timed burst stimulation of the ventral hippocampal commissure (vHC) to systole or diastole either during expiration or inspiration and recorded responses throughout the hippocampus with a linear probe. As classical conditioning in humans seems to be most efficient at expiration-diastole, we also expected LTP to be most efficient if burst stimulation was targeted to expiration-diastole. However, LTP was induced equally in all four groups and respiration and cardiac cycle phase did not modulate CA1 responses to vHC stimulation overall. This could be perhaps because we bypassed all natural routes of external influences on the CA1 by directly stimulating the vHC. In the future, the effect of cardiorespiratory rhythms on synaptic plasticity could also be studied in awake state and in other parts of the hippocampal tri-synaptic loop.

Keywords: hippocampus; brain; heart; pulse; respiration; learning; memory (cognition); neuroplasticity

Free keywords: breathing; heartbeat; hippocampus; learning; memory; plasticity

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Ministry reporting: Yes

VIRTA submission year: 2023

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