Alpha2-adrenoceptor modulation of long-term potentiation elicited in vivo in rat occipital cortex.

Pretreatment with the alpha(2)-adrenoceptor agonist clonidine (31.25, 62.5, or 125 microg/kg, i.p.) dose-dependently reduced long-term potentiation (LTP) elicited in vivo in the occipital cortex of anesthetized rats, whereas pretreatment with the alpha(2)-adrenoceptor antagonist yohimbine (0.133, 0.4, or 1.2 mg/kg, i.p.) increased neocortical LTP in a dose-dependent fashion. These effects could be related to the reported disruptive and facilitatory actions induced on memory formation by pretreatment with alpha(2)-adrenoceptor agonists and antagonists, respectively.