Glucocorticoids modulate neural activity via a rapid non-genomic effect on Kv2.2 channels in the central nervous system

Glucocorticoids are primary stress hormones that exert neuronal effects via both genomic and non-genomic signaling pathways. However, their rapid non-genomic effects and underlying mechanisms on neural activities remain elusive. In the present study, we investigated the rapid non-genomic effect of glucocorticoids on Kv2.2 channels in cultured HEK293 cells and acute brain slices including cortical pyramidal neurons and calyx-type synapses in the brain stem. We found that cortisol, the endogenous glucocorticoids, rapidly increased Kv2.2 currents by increasing the single-channel open probability in Kv2.2-expressing HEK293 cells through activation of the membrane-associated glucocorticoid receptor. Bovine serum albumin-conjugated dexamethasone, a membrane-impermeable agonist of the glucocorticoid receptor, could mimic the effect of cortisol on Kv2.2 channels. The cortisol-increased Kv2.2 currents were induced by activation of the extracellular signal-regulated protein kinase (ERK) 1/2 kinase, which could be inhibited by U0126, an antagonist of the ERK signaling pathway. In layer 2 cortical pyramidal neurons and the calyx of Held synapses, cortisol suppressed the action potential firing frequency during depolarization and reduced the successful rate upon high-frequency stimulation by activating Kv2.2 channels. We further examined the postsynaptic responses and found that cortisol did not affect the mEPSC and evoked EPSC, but increased the activity-dependent synaptic depression induced by a high-frequency stimulus train. In conclusion, glucocorticoids can rapidly activate Kv2.2 channels through membrane-associated glucocorticoid receptors via the ERK1/2 signaling pathway, suppress presynaptic action potential firing, and inhibit synaptic transmission and plasticity. This may be a universal mechanism of the glucocorticoid-induced non-genomic effects in the central nervous system.