Prenatal choline supplementation alters hippocampal N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor-mediated neurotransmission in adult rats

Manipulation of dietary choline levels in pregnant rats has been shown to r esult in enduring alterations in memory and hippocampal function of the off spring, but the mechanisms underlying these effects remain unclear. Hippoca mpal slices were prepared from adult rats that were offspring of darns fed control, choline supplemented, or choli ne deficient diets on days 12-17 of gestation. N-methyl-D-aspartate (NM DA) receptor-mediated population excit atory postsynaptic potentials (pEPSPs) were pharmacologically isolated and evoked using electrical stimulus pulses applied to s. radiatum of area CA1. Evoked NMDA receptor-mediated pEPSPs were enhanced in slices from prenatal ly choline supplemented relative to controls in both male and female rats. The greatest differences occurred at the low end of the input-output curve, among responses that were less than 60% of maximal. These results are disc ussed in the context of previous behavioral and electrophysiological studie s. (C) 2000 Published by Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd.