Acute stress enhances glutamatergic transmission in prefrontal cortex and facilitates working memory.

ABSTRACT: The prefrontal cortex (PFC), a key brain region controlling cognition and emotion, is strongly influenced by stress. While chronic stress often produces detrimental effects on these measures, acute stress has been shown to enhance learning and memory, predominantly through the action of corticosteroid stress hormones. We used a combination of electrophysiological, biochemical, and behavioral approaches in an effort to identify the cellular targets of acute stress. We found that behavioral stressors in vivo cause a long-lasting potentiation of NMDAR- and AMPAR-mediated synaptic currents via glucocorticoid receptors (GRs) selectively in PFC pyramidal neurons. This effect is accompanied by increased surface expression of NMDAR and AMPAR subunits in acutely stressed animals. Furthermore, behav

SUBMITTER: Yuen EY 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2729022 | biostudies-literature | 2009 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature