IN-VITRO HIPPOCAMPAL DENTATE FREQUENCY POTENTIATION INDUCTION AS MODEL TO DETECT ELECTROPHYSIOLOGICAL CORRELATES OF SOME COGNITIVE IMPAIRMENTS IN STRIATALLY-LESIONED RATS

1. Hippocampal frequency potentiation, a form of short-term potentiati on of hippocampal electrical synaptic potentials that is related to mn emonic and learning processes, is typically damped in aged rats and in certain rat strains with impaired place learning performance. 2. In v itro induction of hippocampal dentate frequency potentiation has been found decreased in striatally-lesioned rats with impaired place learni ng performance in water maze test. 3. The results demonstrate that als o in brain-lesioned rats the poor performances in place learning of th e animals are associated with a selective dentate frequency potentiati on impairment. Thus in vitro induction of dentate frequency potentiati on might be regarded as a model to detect the electrophysiological cou nterpart of the cognitive impairment in rats with altered place learni ng.