[The neurotropic effects of hydrocortisone in surviving slices of the rat olfactory cortex].

The effects of hydrocortisone on short-term habituation, post-tetanic potentiation, fluctuations of the amplitude of focal potentials (FPs) and slow after-hyperpolarization were studied in the olfactory cortex slice preparations. Hydrocortisone (10(-5)-10(-4) M) inhibited the habituation but facilitated and prolonged the post-tetanic potentiation of the FPs. The hormone increased the fluctuations of the FPs and exerted no effect on slow after-hyperpolarization evoked by a brief orthodromic stimulation. The neurotrophic effects of the hydrocortisone seem to reflect adaptive reactions of nervous system under stress conditions.