The stress hormone corticosterone conditions AMPAR surface trafficking and synaptic potentiation

Corticosterone facilitates hippocampal glutamate transmission, but the cellular pathways by which AMPA receptor (AMPAR) signaling is adjusted remain elusive. Single quantum-dot imaging in live rat hippocampal neurons revealed that corticosterone triggers, via distinct corticosteroid receptors, time-dependent increases in GluR2-AMPAR surface mobility and synaptic surface GluR2 content. Furthermore, corticosterone potentiates the increase of synaptic surface GluR2 contents by a chemical long-term potentiation stimulus, revealing the influence that corticosterone has on AMPAR trafficking.