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. 2017 Dec 20;43(6):1297–1307. doi: 10.1038/npp.2017.281

Figure 1.

Figure 1

Regulation of ventral hippocampal synaptic input–output transformation and plasticity by maternal care. (a) Synaptic input–output transformation at Schaffer collateral synapses of the ventral hippocampus. Top: representative traces of field excitatory postsynaptic potentials (fEPSPs) elicited by presynaptic fiber volleys of increasing intensity. Scale bars represent 0.5 mV (vertical) and 10 ms (horizontal). Bottom left: scatter plot of mean±SEM slope of evoked output fEPSPs elicited in response to increasing strength of fiber volley input. Bottom right: scatter plot of mean±SEM amplitude of evoked output fEPSPs elicited in response to increasing strength of fiber volley input. Output fEPSPs elicited from ventral hippocampal slices of offspring of low LG mothers were significantly greater than those elicited from offspring of high LG mothers in response to equivalent presynaptic fiber volley input. (n=7 slices from four rats/group) *P< 0.05, **P<0.01. (b) Long-term potentiation (LTP) at Schaffer collateral synapses of the ventral hippocampus. Top: representative traces of field excitatory postsynaptic potentials (fEPSPs) before and 1 h after tetanic stimulation. Dashed line indicates baseline fEPSP amplitude. Scale bars represent 0.25 mV (vertical) and 20 ms (horizontal). Bottom left: scatter plot of mean±SEM slope of evoked fEPSPs before and 1 h after LTP induction. Arrows indicate tetanic stimulation (3 × 100 Hz, 100 pulses). Bottom right: mean+SEM of fEPSP slope normalized to baseline 1 h after tetanus. The slope of fEPSPs recorded from ventral hippocampal slices of offspring of low LG mothers displayed significantly greater potentiation 1 h after tetanus delivery when compared with fEPSPs recorded from offspring of high LG mothers. Statistical analysis was performed on the average of values underlying χ reflecting LTP at 1 h following tetanic stimulation. (offspring of high LG dams: n=6 slices from four rats; offspring of low LG dams: n=5 slices from four rats) *P<0.05.