THE EFFECTS OF ETHANOL AND CROCIN ON THE INDUCTION OF LONG-TERM POTENTIATION IN THE CA1 REGION OF RAT HIPPOCAMPAL SLICES

The effects of ethanol and crocin on the induction of long-term potent iation (LTP) were investigated in the CAI region of rat hippocampal sl ices in vitro. Ethanol (50 - 75 mM) suppressed the LTP induced by stro ng tetanic stimulation (51 pulses at 100 Hz). Crocin (20 mu M) did not affect the baseline synaptic responses, but significantly prevented t he LTP-suppressing action of ethanol. This effect of crocin was concen tration dependent (10-30 mu M). Crocin (20 mu M) alone did not affect the potentiation induced by weak tetanic stimulation (11 pulses at 100 Hz). These in vitro observations suggest that crocin directly prevent s the LTP-suppressing action of ethanol within the hippocampus.