Growth hormone promotes the expression of zif268 gene in the hippocampus

Abstract

Growth hormone (GH) plays an important role in cognitive processes such as memory consolidation, and it has been suggested that could be involved in processes of brain plasticity. These changes may occur by promoting gene expression in the brain. In this study we showed that GH administration (5ng/kg) for 7 days improves spatial learning and promotes expression of zif268 gene in the rat hippocampus. In addition, a Morris Water Maze (MWM) learning test induced a strong expression of zif268 gene in the hippocampus of adult rats. The effect was even greater when a MWM test and GH were applied together. Our results suggest that GH might be favoring plasticity processes in the hippocampus, by promoting gene expression.