Sex Hormones, Synaptic Plasticity, Aging and Stress
Richard F. Thompson, Ph.D. Director

Michael Foy, Ph.D. Co-director

This project addresses possible inherent sexual dimorphism as well as effects of estrogen treatment on synaptic transmission and LTP in hippocampal area CA1 in both young as well as aged animals.

Specific Studies

  1. Slice preparation studies of sex differences and effects of chronic (priming) and acute administration of estrogen (E2) on synaptic transmission and plasticity (LTP, LTD) in CA1 in young adult male and female rat.
  2. Slice preparation analysis of mechanisms of action of estrogen on synptic transmission and plasticity (LTP, LTD) in CA1 in young male and female rat.
  3. Slice preparation analysis of effects and mechanisms of action of estrogen on synaptic transmission and plasticity (LPT, LTD) in CA1 in aged animals.
  4. Slice preparation analysis of effects and mechanisms of action of estrogen and behvioral stress in young and aged animals.
  5. Slice preparation analysis of possible role of GFAP in hippocampal synaptic plasticity.

Richard F. Thompson, Ph.D. (PI)
thompson@neuro.usc.edu

Michael Foy, Ph.D.
mfoy@lmu.edu

 

 

Publications

 

  1. Bi R, Broutman G, Foy M, Thompson RF, Baudry M.  The tyrosine kinase and mitogen-activated protein kinase pathways mediate multiple effects of estrogen in hippocampus PNAS 97: 3602-07, 2000.   (PDF file)

 

  1. Vouimba RM, Foy MR, Foy JG & Thompson RF.  17β-estradiol suppresses facilitation of long-term depression in aged rats.  Brain Res Bull  53: 783-7, 2000.

 

  1. Foy MR, Henderson VW, Berger TW, Thompson RF.  Estrogen and neural plasticity.  Curr Dir Psychol Sci  9:148-52, 2000.

 

  1. Foy MR.   17β- estradiol: Effect on CA! Hippocampal synaptic plasticity.   Neurobiol Learning & Memory   76:239-52,2001.

 

  1. Foy MR.   Estrogen and synaptic plasticity in the hippocampus. In (J Steinmetz, M Gluck, & P Solomon, Eds:  Model Systems and the Neurobiology of Associative Learning: A Festrschift in Honor of Richard F Thompson, pp. 317-330  Lawrence Earlbaum, Assoc., Inc.

 

  1. Foy MR.   Long-term depression (hippocampus).  International Encyclopedia of the Social and Behavioral Sciences,   in press.

 

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