Rapid and estrogen receptor beta mediated actions in the hippocampus mediate some functional effects of estrogen

The steroid hormone, estradiol (E2), has numerous targets in the central nervous system, including the hippocampus, which plays a key role in cognition and affective behavior. This review focuses on our evidence from studies in rodents that E2 has diverse mechanisms in the hippocampus for its functional effects. E2 has rapid, membrane-mediated effects in the hippocampus to enhance cognitive performance. Administration of E2 to the hippocampus of rats for 10 min following training enhances performance in a hippocampus-mediated task. Increased cell firing in the hippocampus occurs within this short-time frame. Furthermore, administration of free E2 or an E2 conjugate, E2:bovine serum albumin (BSA), to the hippocampus produces similar performance-enhancing effects in this task, suggesting that E2 has membrane actions in the hippocampus for these effects. Further evidence that E2 has rapid, membrane-mediated effects is that co-administration of E2 and inhibitors of mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK), rather than intracellular E2 receptors (ERs) or protein synthesis, attenuate the enhancing effects of E2 in this task. Despite these data that demonstrate E2 can have rapid and/or membrane-mediated effects in the hippocampus, there is clear evidence to suggest that intracellular ERs, particularly the β (rather than α) isoform of ERs, may be important targets for E2's functional effects for hippocampal processes. Administration of ligands that are specific for ERβ, but not ERα, have enhancing effects on hippocampal processes similar to that of E2 (which has similar affinity for ERα and ERβ). These effects are attenuated when ERβ expression is knocked down in transgenic models or with central administration of antisense oligonucleotides. Thus, there may be a convergence of E2's actions through rapid, membrane-mediated effects and intracellular ERs in the hippocampus for these functional effects.