EN
Maternal separation (MS) procedure is an experimental paradigm for studying disturbances in brain functions that result from adverse events occurring during development. However, the effects of early life stress on synaptic plasticity in the amygdala of adolescent animals are poorly understood. This study investigated the effects of MS on LTP in the cortical (CoI) and the thalamic input (ThI) to the lateral amygdala (LA) of rats. Wistar dams with their offspring were housed under 12:12 L/D conditions. On each postnatal day (PND) 1–21 rats were subjected to MS (3h/day). For electrophysiological ex vivo experiments rats between PND 35 and PND 55 were used. The animals were anesthetized and brain slices containing LA (450 µm) were cut. Field potentials (FPs) were evoked by the stimulation of CoI or ThI to LA. LTP was induced using theta-burst stimulation protocol. In slices prepared from control, animal facility reared (AFR) rats, the amplitude of FPs after LTP induction in CoI amounted 185.9 ± 17.04. In slices obtained from MS-subjected rats LTP in the cortical input was weaker (117.7 ± 7.7%). Amplitude of FPs after LTP induction in ThI, amounted 128.99 ± 9.47%, while in MS-subjected rats amplitude of FPs recorded after LTP induction amounted 110.41 ± 8.91%. These results demonstrate that MS impairs LTP in the cortical and in the thalamic input to LA.