Deep brain stimulation has been investigated as a treatment for memory disturbance but its mechanisms remain elusive. We show that anterior thalamic nucleus (ATN) stimulation administered to corticosterone-treated rats one month prior to testing improved performance on a delayed non-matching to sample task and increased hippocampal neurogenesis. In contrast, no behavioral changes were observed in animals that were tested a few days after surgery. Results of this study suggests that the behavioral effects of ATN stimulation in corticosterone-treated animals was likely dependent on long-term plastic changes, including the development of newly borne dentate gyrus cells of sufficient functional maturity.
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