biostudies-literatureKim SYKorea Health Industry Development InstituteNational Research Foundation of Korea69https://www.ebi.ac.uk/biostudies/studies/S-EPMC12358064biostudies-literatureUnknown18(1)Substance P (SP) is a neuropeptide that functions in both the central and peripheral nervous systems. Although the peripheral actions of SP in regulating inflammatory responses have been extensively investigated, the effects of elevated peripheral SP on hippocampal functions such as spatial learning and memory remains unclear, even though SP can cross the blood-brain barrier. In this study, we found that male mice subcutaneously injected with SP for 14 days exhibited significant deficits in hippocampus-dependent memory, as assessed by the object place recognition and novel object recognition tests. In addition, long-term potentiation (LTP) at the hippocampal CA3-CA1 synapse was reduced in SP-treated mice. Transcriptomic analyses identified 77 differentially expressed genes (DEGs), and enriMolecular brainPeripheral substance P induces deficits in hippocampal synaptic plasticity and memory.PMC12358064HP20C0220RS-2023-NR076980Lee YSPark GKim SYAn JYLee DHJi JChoi SALee WWYoon KNKim SJKim MGChung JHfalsePeripheral substance P induces deficits in hippocampal synaptic plasticity and memory.Substance P (SP) is a neuropeptide that functions in both the central and peripheral nervous systems. Although the peripheral actions of SP in regulating inflammatory responses have been extensively investigated, the effects of elevated peripheral SP on hippocampal functions such as spatial learning and memory remains unclear, even though SP can cross the blood-brain barrier. In this study, we found that male mice subcutaneously injected with SP for 14 days exhibited significant deficits in hippocampus-dependent memory, as assessed by the object place recognition and novel object recognition tests. In addition, long-term potentiation (LTP) at the hippocampal CA3-CA1 synapse was reduced in SP-treated mice. Transcriptomic analyses identified 77 differentially expressed genes (DEGs), and enri2025-01-01T00:00:00Z2025 Aug2026-04-30T12:09:33.467Z2026-04-07T16:02:53.144ZS-EPMC123580644081897310.1186/s13041-025-01242-6