Prenatal choline supplementation alters hippocampal N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor-mediated neurotransmission in adult rats.

Manipulation of dietary choline levels in pregnant rats has been shown to result in enduring alterations in memory and hippocampal function of the offspring, but the mechanisms underlying these effects remain unclear. Hippocampal slices were prepared from adult rats that were offspring of dams fed control, choline supplemented, or choline deficient diets on days 12-17 of gestation. N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor-mediated population excitatory postsynaptic potentials (pEPSPs) were pharmacologically isolated and evoked using electrical stimulus pulses applied to s. radiatum of area CA1. Evoked NMDA receptor-mediated pEPSPs were enhanced in slices from prenatally choline supplemented relative to controls in both male and female rats. The greatest differences occurred at the low end of the input-output curve, among responses that were less than 60% of maximal. These results are discussed in the context of previous behavioral and electrophysiological studies.