Effects of androstenedione on long term potentiation in the rat dentate gyrus. Relevance for affective and degenerative diseases.

We studied the effects of the androgenic hormone androstenedione, a 17-ketosteroid, on long term potentiation (LTP) in the dentate gyrus (DG) of intact, urethane anesthetized rats. Intravenous injection of 10mg of the hormone dissolved in Nutralipid produced a significant increase of the population spike (PS), but not of the excitatory post-synaptic potentials (EPSPs). The results are discussed in terms of the potential enhancement that androstenedione may have on some aspects of memory processes as reported for other androgenic steroids. Also noted are the plausible beneficial effects of the hormone on depression as well as in recovery following both central and peripheral neural injury.