Abstract of the 68th Meeting (Spring Meeting) 6–9 March 1990, Heidelberg

Long-Term Potentiation in Slices from Human Hippocampus

Long-term potentiation (LTP) has been observed in slices from human hippocampi removed for intractable epilepsy using extra- and intracellular recording in vitro. Furthermore the effects of several neuroactive substances with possible relevance for synaptic plasticity was investigated. Human hippocampal neurones in vitro display properties very similar to the respective rodent cells.

Using genetically-defined rodent strains for the identification of hippocampal traits relevant for two-way avoidance behavior: a non-invasive approach

Genetically-defined rodent strains permit the identification of hippocampal traits which are of functional relevance for the performance of two-way avoidance behavior. This is exemplified here by analyzing the relationship between infrapyramidal mossy fibers (a tiny projection terminating upon the basal dendrites of hippocampal pyramidal neurons) and two-way avoidance learning in about 800 animals. The necessary steps include 1) identification of structural traits sensitive to selective breeding for extremes in two-way avoidance, 2) testing the robustness of the associations found by studying individual and genetical correlations between hippocampal traits and behavior, 3) establishing caus…

Strain-specific development of the mossy fiber system in organotypic cultures of the mouse hippocampus

Abstract The postnatal development of the hippocampus of the inbred mice strains BALB/c, C57BL/6, and DBA/2 was studied in organotypic explant cultures using the roller-tube technique. In vivo, mice exhibit strain-specific mossy fiber distribution patterns. As a main result we found, that after cultivation of 3–4 weeks, similar strain-specific patterns became apparent in vitro, as visualized by a modified Timm staining. From this experiment we can conclude that a postnatal extrinsic influence cannot be the cause of the strain-specific hippocampal features.