Journal of Ginseng Research

The Korean Society of Ginseng (고려인삼학회)
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Ginsenoside Rg1 modulates medial prefrontal cortical firing and suppresses the hippocampo-medial prefrontal cortical long-term potentiation

  • Ghaeminia, Mehdy (Department of Pharmacology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University Health System) ;
  • Rajkumar, Ramamoorthy (Department of Pharmacology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University Health System) ;
  • Koh, Hwee-Ling (Department of Pharmacy, Faculty of Science, National University of Singapore) ;
  • Dawe, Gavin S. (Department of Pharmacology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University Health System) ;
  • Tan, Chay Hoon (Department of Pharmacology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University Health System)
  • Received : 2016.12.22
  • Accepted : 2017.03.23
  • Published : 2018.07.15
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Abstract

Background: Panax ginseng is one of the most commonly used medicinal herbs worldwide for a variety of therapeutic properties including neurocognitive effects. Ginsenoside Rg1 is one of the most abundant active chemical constituents of this herb with known neuroprotective, anxiolytic, and cognition improving effects. Methods: We investigated the effects of Rg1 on the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), a key brain region involved in cognition, information processing, working memory, and decision making. In this study, the effects of systemic administration of Rg1 (1 mg/kg, 3 mg/kg, or 10 mg/kg) on (1) spontaneous firing of the medial prefrontal cortical neurons and (2) long-term potentiation (LTP) in the hippocampal-medial prefrontal cortical (HP-mPFC) pathway were investigated in male Sprague-Dawley rats. Results: The spontaneous neuronal activity of approximately 50% the recorded pyramidal cells in the mPFC was suppressed by Rg1. In addition, Rg1 attenuated LTP in the HP-mPFC pathway. These effects were not dose-dependent. Conclusion: This report suggests that acute treatment of Rg1 impairs LTP in the HP-mPFC pathway, perhaps by suppressing the firing of a subset of mPFC neurons that may contribute to the neurocognitive effects of Rg1.

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