Dietary restriction selectively decreases glucocorticoid receptor expression in the hippocampus and cerebral cortex of rats

Dietary restriction (DR) can extend life span and reduce the incidence of age-related disease in rodents and primates. DR can be considered as a metabolic stress and might therefore be expected to modify neuroendocrine systems that regulate stress responses. We now report that maintenance of adult rats on a DR regimen results in a significant decrease in the levels of glucocorticoid receptor mRNA and protein in the hippocampus and cerebral cortex, without a change in levels of mineralocorticoid receptors. These findings suggest that DR can alter the responsiveness of brain cells to glucocorticoids, an adaptation that may contribute to beneficial effects of DR on neuronal plasticity and survival demonstrated in recent studies. (C) 2000 Academic Press.