[Glucocorticoid involvement in memory consolidation].

Glucocorticoids, hormones secreted by the adrenal cortex, can get access to the brain, where they induce a variety of cellular, molecular, and functional actions. Recent evidence showed that glucocorticoids are potent modulators of cognitive processes, such as learning, memory, and retrieval. In particular, the stress response induced by learning a new task, together with the consequent release of glucocorticoids, have been critically involved in memory consolidation processes. In general, these hormones induce facilitating effects on the strength at which newly acquired information is stored into a long term memory, mainly by activating intracellular glucocorticoid receptors. Such receptors belong to the family of nuclear hormone receptors and exert their actions by modulating the transcription of a variety of genes and, therefore, by critically regulating the synthesis of a wide number of proteins. Since protein synthesis appears to be a requirement of almost all forms of long term memory, glucocorticoids might induce their cognitive effects by affecting gene expression. This review focus on the involvement of glucocorticoids and their receptors in a variety of animal models for learning and memory.