Sex-dependent changes of hippocampal synaptic plasticity and cognitive performance in C57BL/6J mice exposed to neonatal repeated maternal separation.

The repeated maternal separation (RMS) is a useful experimental model useful in rodents to study the long-term influence of early-life stress on brain neurophysiology. We here investigated the influence of RMS exposure on hippocampal inhibitory and excitatory synaptic transmission, long-term synaptic plasticity and the related potential alterations in learning and memory performance in adult male and female C57Bl/6J mice. Mice were separated daily from their dam for 360 min, from postnatal day 2 (PND2) to PND17, and experiments were performed at PND 60.

Treatment with gut bifidobacteria improves hippocampal plasticity and cognitive behavior in adult healthy rats.

At the present time, gut microbiota inspires great interest in the field of neuroscience as a function of its role in normal physiology and involvement in brain function. This aspect suggests a specific gut-brain pathway, mainly modulated by gut microbiota activity. Among the multiple actions controlled by microbiota at the brain level, neuronal plasticity and cognitive function represent two of the most interesting aspects of this cross-talk communication.