Oxytocin Protects Hippocampal Memory and Plasticity from Uncontrollable Stress

Abstract

The hippocampus is vulnerable to uncontrollable stress and is enriched with oxytocin receptors, but their interactive influences on hippocampal functioning are unknown. This study aimed to determine the effects of intranasal oxytocin administration on stress-induced alterations in synaptic plasticity and spatial memory in male rats. While vehicle-administered stressed rats showed impairment in long-term potentiation, enhancement in long-term depression, and weakened spatial memory, these changes were not observed in oxytocin-administered stressed rats. To reveal the potential signaling mechanism mediating these effects, levels of phosphorylated extracellular signal-regulated kinases (pERK) in the hippocampus was examined. Western blotting showed that oxytocin treatment blocked stress-induced alterations of pERK. Additionally, the oxytocin receptor antagonist L-368,899 inhibited the oxytocin's protective effects on hippocampal memory to stress. Thus, intranasal administration of oxytocin reduced stress effects on hippocampal synaptic plasticity and memory in rats via acting on oxytocin receptors and regulating ERK activity. This study suggests that exogenous oxytocin may be a therapeutically effective means to counter the detrimental neurocognitive effects of stress.