Replication-deficient adenoviral recombinants were assessed for in viv
o transduction of rat hippocampal CA1 cells. Results show that efficie
nt widespread transduction of CA1 in vivo was rapidly achievable and w
as sustained for more than 5 weeks. Assessment of electrophysiological
properties in acute hippocampal slices showed that synaptic functioni
ng and mechanisms involved in long-term potentiation (LTP) were preser
ved for minimally 5 weeks postinfection. Hence, adenovirus-mediated ge
ne transfer in vivo promises to be a valuable tool for dissecting mole
cular mechanisms of synaptic plasticity, such as LTP and long-term dep
ression (LTD).