Effects of selenium treatment on 6-n-propyl-2-thiouracil-induced impairment of long-term potentiation.

The goal of this study was to evaluate whether sodium selenite could afford protection against the effects of hypothyroidism on long-term potentiation (LTP), which is thought to be the cellular basis for learning and memory. Hypothyroidism was induced in young-adult rats by the administration of 6-n-propyl-2-thiouracil (PTU) in tap water for 21 days. Half of these hypothyroid and euthroid rats were given 10ppM selenium with their drinking water. Field potentials were recorded from the dentate gyrus in response to stimulation of the medial perforant pathway in vivo. PTU treatment resulted in a significant reduction in both free T3 and free T4 levels, whereas selenium administration to PTU-treated rats restored only the levels of free T3 to their control values. Thyroid hormone levels were not affected by selenium in euthyroid rats. PTU-treated rats exhibited an attenuation of population spike (PS) - LTP, but a comparable potentiation of excitatory postsynaptic potential (EPSP) was found among these rats. The administration of selenium to PTU-treated rats was partially able to attenuate impairment of LTP, but not of potentiation during the LTP induction protocol in hypothyroid rats. Interestingly, the hypothyroid rats that were supplemented with selenium had a lower EPSP potentiation during induction protocol than the control rats. The present study suggests a possible importance of T3 in Se-induced rescue of impaired PS-LTP in hypothyroidism.