Presynaptic enhancement shown by whole-cell recordings of long-term potentiation in hippocampal slices

Tiam1 is Critical for Glutamatergic Synapse Structure and Function in the Hippocampus

Mounting evidence suggests numerous glutamatergic synapse subtypes exist in the brain, and that these subtypes are likely defined by unique molecular regulatory mechanisms. Recent work has identified substantial divergence of molecular composition between commonly studied Schaffer collateral synapses and perforant path-dentate gyrus (DG) synapses of the hippocampus. However, little is known about the molecular mechanisms that may confer unique properties to perforant path-DG synapses. Here we investigate whether the RhoGEF (Rho guanine-nucleotide exchange factor) protein Tiam1 plays a unique role in the regulation of glutamatergic synapses in dentate granule neurons using a combination of molecular, electrophysiological, and imaging approaches in rat entorhino-hippocampal slices of both sexes. We find that inhibition of Tiam1 function in dentate granule neurons reduces synaptic AMPA receptor function and causes dendritic spines to adopt an elongated filopodia-like morphology. We also find that Tiam1's support of perforant path-DG synapse function is dependent on its GEF domain and identify a potential role for the auto-inhibitory PH domain of Tiam1 in regulating Tiam1 function at these synapses. In marked contrast, reduced Tiam1 expression in CA1 pyramidal neurons produced no effect on glutamatergic synapse development. Together, these data identify a critical role for Tiam1 in the hippocampus and reveal a unique Tiam1-mediated molecular program of glutamatergic synapse regulation in dentate granule neurons.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Several lines of evidence independently point to the molecular diversity of glutamatergic synapses in the brain. Rho guanine-nucleotide exchange factor (RhoGEF) proteins as powerful modulators of glutamatergic synapse function have also become increasingly appreciated in recent years. Here we investigate the synaptic regulatory role of the RhoGEF protein Tiam1, whose expression appears to be remarkably enriched in granule neurons of the dentate gyrus. We find that Tiam1 plays a critical role in the development of glutamatergic perforant path-dentate gyrus synapses, but not in commonly studied in Schaffer collateral-CA1 synapses. Together, these data reveal a unique RhoGEF-mediated molecular program of glutamatergic synapse regulation in dentate granule neurons.

Optical estimation of absolute membrane potential using fluorescence lifetime imaging

All cells maintain ionic gradients across their plasma membranes, producing transmembrane potentials (V_mem). Mounting evidence suggests a relationship between resting V_mem and the physiology of non-excitable cells with implications in diverse areas, including cancer, cellular differentiation, and body patterning. A lack of non-invasive methods to record absolute V_mem limits our understanding of this fundamental signal. To address this need, we developed a fluorescence lifetime-based approach (VF-FLIM) to visualize and optically quantify V_mem with single-cell resolution in mammalian cell culture. Using VF-FLIM, we report V_mem distributions over thousands of cells, a 100-fold improvement relative to electrophysiological approaches. In human carcinoma cells, we visualize the voltage response to growth factor stimulation, stably recording a 10-15 mV hyperpolarization over minutes. Using pharmacological inhibitors, we identify the source of the hyperpolarization as the Ca²⁺-activated K⁺ channel K_Ca3.1. The ability to optically quantify absolute V_mem with cellular resolution will allow a re-examination of its signaling roles.

Prefrontal-amygdala plasticity enabled by observational fear

Observing fear in others (OF) is a form of social stress. In mice, it enhances inhibitory avoidance learning and causes the formation of silent synapses in the prefrontal-amygdala pathway. Here, we report that OF made that pathway prone to facilitation both ex vivo and in vivo. Ex vivo, OF enabled induction of long-term potentiation (LTP), expressed mostly postsynaptically and occluded by inhibitory avoidance training. In vivo, OF enabled facilitation of the dmPFC-BLA pathway by inhibitory avoidance training. The facilitation persisted during the first 4 h after the training when the prefrontal cortex and amygdala are involved in memory consolidation. Thus, the OF-generated silent synapses likely enable plasticity that may enhance the consolidation of inhibitory avoidance memories.

Parsing Out the Variability of Transmission at Central Synapses Using Optical Quantal Analysis

Properties of synaptic release dictates the core of information transfer in neural circuits. Despite decades of technical and theoretical advances, distinguishing bona fide information content from the multiple sources of synaptic variability remains a challenging problem. Here, we employed a combination of computational approaches with cellular electrophysiology, two-photon uncaging of MNI-Glutamate and imaging at single synapses. We describe and calibrate the use of the fluorescent glutamate sensor iGluSnFR and found that its kinetic profile is close to that of AMPA receptors, therefore providing several distinct advantages over slower methods relying on NMDA receptor activation (i.e., chemical or genetically encoded calcium indicators). Using an array of statistical methods, we further developed, and validated on surrogate data, an expectation-maximization algorithm that, by biophysically constraining release variability, extracts the quantal parameters n (maximum number of released vesicles) and p (unitary probability of release) from single-synapse iGluSnFR-mediated transients. Together, we present a generalizable mathematical formalism which, when applied to optical recordings, paves the way to an increasingly precise investigation of information transfer at central synapses.

Acute lung injury in neonatal rats causes postsynaptic depression in nucleus tractus solitarii second-order neurons

Acute Lung Injury (ALI) alters pulmonary reflex responses, in part due to changes in modulation within the lung and airway neuronal control networks. We hypothesized that synaptic efficacy of nucleus tractus solitarii (nTS) neurons, receiving input from lung, airway, and other viscerosensory afferent fibers, would decrease following ALI. Sprague Dawley neonatal rats (postnatal days 9-11) were given intratracheal installations of saline or bleomycin (a well-characterized model that reproduces the pattern of ALI) and then, one week later, in vitro slices were prepared for whole-cell and perforated whole-cell patch-clamp experiments (postnatal days 16-21). In preparations from ALI rats, 2nd-order nTS neurons had significantly decreased amplitudes of both spontaneous and miniature excitatory postsynaptic currents (sEPSCs and mEPSCs), compared to saline controls. Rise and decay times of sEPSCs were slower in whole-cell recordings from ALI animals. Similarly, the amplitude of tractus solitarii evoked EPSCs (TS-eEPSCs) were significantly lower in 2^nd-order nTS neurons from ALI rats. Overall these results suggest the presence of postsynaptic depression at TS-nTS synapses receiving lung, airway, and other viscerosensory afferent tractus solitarii input after bleomycin-induced ALI.

Approaches and Limitations in the Investigation of Synaptic Transmission and Plasticity

The numbers and strengths of synapses in the brain change throughout development, and even into adulthood, as synaptic inputs are added, eliminated, and refined in response to ongoing neural activity. A number of experimental techniques can assess these changes, including single-cell electrophysiological recording which offers measurements of synaptic inputs with high temporal resolution. Coupled with electrical stimulation, photoactivatable opsins, and caged compounds, to facilitate fine spatiotemporal control over release of neurotransmitters, electrophysiological recordings allow for precise dissection of presynaptic and postsynaptic mechanisms of action. Here, we discuss the strengths and pitfalls of various techniques commonly used to analyze synapses, including miniature excitatory/inhibitory (E/I) postsynaptic currents, evoked release, and optogenetic stimulation. Together, these techniques can provide multiple lines of convergent evidence to generate meaningful insight into the emergence of circuit connectivity and maturation. A full understanding of potential caveats and alternative explanations for findings is essential to avoid data misinterpretation.

Dendritic spines: Revisiting the physiological role

Dendritic spines are small, thin, specialized protrusions from neuronal dendrites, primarily localized in the excitatory synapses. Sophisticated imaging techniques revealed that dendritic spines are complex structures consisting of a dense network of cytoskeletal, transmembrane and scaffolding molecules, and numerous surface receptors. Molecular signaling pathways, mainly Rho and Ras family small GTPases pathways that converge on actin cytoskeleton, regulate the spine morphology and dynamics bi-directionally during synaptic activity. During synaptic plasticity the number and shapes of dendritic spines undergo radical reorganizations. Long-term potentiation (LTP) induction promote spine head enlargement and the formation and stabilization of new spines. Long-term depression (LTD) results in their shrinkage and retraction. Reports indicate increased spine density in the pyramidal neurons of autism and Fragile X syndrome patients and reduced density in the temporal gyrus loci of schizophrenic patients. Post-mortem reports of Alzheimer's brains showed reduced spine number in the hippocampus and cortex. This review highlights the spine morphogenesis process, the activity-dependent structural plasticity and mechanisms by which synaptic activity sculpts the dendritic spines, the structural and functional changes in spines during learning and memory using LTP and LTD processes. It also discusses on spine status in neurodegenerative diseases and the impact of nootropics and neuroprotective agents on the functional restoration of dendritic spines.

Differential role of pre- and postsynaptic neurons in the activity-dependent control of synaptic strengths across dendrites

Neurons receive a large number of active synaptic inputs from their many presynaptic partners across their dendritic tree. However, little is known about how the strengths of individual synapses are controlled in balance with other synapses to effectively encode information while maintaining network homeostasis. This is in part due to the difficulty in assessing the activity of individual synapses with identified afferent and efferent connections for a synapse population in the brain. Here, to gain insights into the basic cellular rules that drive the activity-dependent spatial distribution of pre- and postsynaptic strengths across incoming axons and dendrites, we combine patch-clamp recordings with live-cell imaging of hippocampal pyramidal neurons in dissociated cultures and organotypic slices. Under basal conditions, both pre- and postsynaptic strengths cluster on single dendritic branches according to the identity of the presynaptic neurons, thus highlighting the ability of single dendritic branches to exhibit input specificity. Stimulating a single presynaptic neuron induces input-specific and dendritic branchwise spatial clustering of presynaptic strengths, which accompanies a widespread multiplicative scaling of postsynaptic strengths in dissociated cultures and heterosynaptic plasticity at distant synapses in organotypic slices. Our study provides evidence for a potential homeostatic mechanism by which the rapid changes in global or distant postsynaptic strengths compensate for input-specific presynaptic plasticity.

Optical Quantal Analysis

Understanding the mechanisms by which long-term synaptic plasticity is expressed remains an important objective in neuroscience. From a physiological perspective, the strength of a synapse can be considered a consequence of several parameters including the probability that a presynaptic action potential (AP) evokes the release of neurotransmitter, the mean number of quanta of transmitter released when release is evoked, and the mean amplitude of a postsynaptic response to a single quantum. Various methods have been employed to estimate these quantal parameters from electrophysiological recordings; such "quantal analysis" has been used to support competing accounts of mechanisms of expression of long-term plasticity. Because electrophysiological recordings, even with minimal presynaptic stimulation, can reflect responses arising at multiple synaptic sites, these methods are open to alternative interpretations. By combining intracellular electrical recording with optical detection of transmission at individual synapses, however, it is possible to eliminate such ambiguity. Here, we describe methods for such combined optical and electrical monitoring of synaptic transmission in brain slice preparations and illustrate how quantal analyses thereby obtained permit more definitive conclusions about the physiological changes that underlie long-term synaptic plasticity.

The Synaptomic Theory of Behavior and Brain Disease

The purpose of this article is to outline a new molecular and synaptic theory of behavior called the "synaptomic theory," named because it is centered on the synaptome-the complement of synapses in the brain. Synaptomic theory posits that synapses are structures of high molecular complexity and vast diversity that are observable in maps of the brain and that these synaptome maps are fundamental to behavior. Synaptome maps are a means of writing or storing information that can be retrieved by the patterns of activity that stimulate synapses. Synaptome maps have the capacity to store large amounts of information, including multiple representations within the same map. The dynamic properties of synapses allow synaptome maps to store dynamic sequences of representations that could serve to program behavioral sequences. Synaptome maps are genetically programmed and experience-dependent, thereby storing innate and learned behaviors, respectively. Although learning occurs by modification of the synapse proteome, it does not require long-term potentiation (LTP) of synaptic weight or growth of new synapses, and the theory predicts that LTP modulates information recall. The spatial architecture of synaptome maps arise from an underlying molecular hierarchy linking the genome to the supramolecular assembly of proteins into complexes and supercomplexes. This molecular hierarchy can explain how genome evolution results in the behavioral repertoire of the organism. Mutations disrupting this molecular hierarchy change the architecture of synaptome maps, potentially accounting for the behavioral phenotypes associated with neurological and psychiatric disorders.

Optical Quantal Analysis Using Ca2+ Indicators: A Robust Method for Assessing Transmitter Release Probability at Excitatory Synapses by Imaging Single Glutamate Release Events

Despite evidence that presynaptic efficacy and plasticity influence circuit function and behavior in vivo, studies of presynaptic function remain challenging owing to the difficulty of assessing transmitter release in intact tissue. Electrophysiological analyses of transmitter release are indirect and cannot readily resolve basic presynaptic parameters, most notably transmitter release probability (p r), at single synapses. These issues can be circumvented by optical quantal analysis, which uses the all-or-none optical detection of transmitter release in order to calculate p r. Over the past two decades, we and others have successfully demonstrated that Ca2+ indicators can be strategically implemented to perform optical quantal analysis at single glutamatergic synapses in ex vivo and in vitro preparations. We have found that high affinity Ca2+ indicators can reliably detect spine Ca2+ influx generated by single quanta of glutamate, thereby enabling precise calculation of pr at single synapses. Importantly, we have shown this method to be robust to changes in postsynaptic efficacy, and to be sensitive to activity-dependent presynaptic changes at central synapses following the induction of long-term potentiation (LTP) and long-term depression (LTD). In this report, we describe how to use Ca2+-sensitive dyes to perform optical quantal analysis at single synapses in hippocampal slice preparations. The general technique we describe here can be applied to other glutamatergic synapses and can be used with other reporters of glutamate release, including recently improved genetically encoded Ca2+ and glutamate sensors. With ongoing developments in imaging techniques and genetically encoded probes, optical quantal analysis is a promising strategy for assessing presynaptic function and plasticity in vivo.

The Eloquent Silent Synapse

The ability of central synapses to undergo long-term potentiation (LTP) still captures the imagination of scientists and has become one of the most fascinating and deeply studied questions in modern neuroscience. By the mid-1990s, however, the field was deeply ensnarled in trying to answer a passionately dichotomous question: is LTP expressed by a pre- or a postsynaptic mechanism? Experimental results that could only be seen by many as being incontrovertibly contradictory presented a perplexing conundrum. However, two papers published in 1995 fundamentally redefined critical assumptions and provided a cunningly simple and elegant solution to an otherwise inextricable impasse.

Hyperexcitability and Hyperplasticity Disrupt Cerebellar Signal Transfer in the IB2 KO Mouse Model of Autism

Autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) are pervasive neurodevelopmental conditions that often involve mutations affecting synaptic mechanisms. Recently, the involvement of cerebellum in ASDs has been suggested, but the underlying functional alterations remained obscure. We investigated single-neuron and microcircuit properties in IB2 (Islet Brain-2) KO mice of either sex. The IB2 gene (chr22q13.3 terminal region) deletion occurs in virtually all cases of Phelan-McDermid syndrome, causing autistic symptoms and a severe delay in motor skill acquisition. IB2 KO granule cells showed a larger NMDA receptor-mediated current and enhanced intrinsic excitability, raising the excitatory/inhibitory balance. Furthermore, the spatial organization of granular layer responses to mossy fibers shifted from a "Mexican hat" to a "stovepipe hat" profile, with stronger excitation in the core and weaker inhibition in the surround. Finally, the size and extension of long-term synaptic plasticity were remarkably increased. These results show for the first time that hyperexcitability and hyperplasticity disrupt signal transfer in the granular layer of IB2 KO mice, supporting cerebellar involvement in the pathogenesis of ASD.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT This article shows for the first time a complex set of alterations in the cerebellum granular layer of a mouse model [IB2 (Islet Brain-2) KO] of autism spectrum disorders. The IB2 KO in mice mimics the deletion of the corresponding gene in the Phelan-McDermid syndrome in humans. The changes reported here are centered on NMDA receptor hyperactivity, hyperplasticity, and hyperexcitability. These, in turn, increase the excitatory/inhibitory balance and alter the shape of center/surround structures that emerge in the granular layer in response to mossy fiber activity. These results support recent theories suggesting the involvement of cerebellum in autism spectrum disorders.

Cannabinoid type-1 receptor blockade restores neurological phenotypes in two models for Down syndrome

Intellectual disability is the most limiting hallmark of Down syndrome, for which there is no gold-standard clinical treatment yet. The endocannabinoid system is a widespread neuromodulatory system involved in multiple functions including learning and memory processes. Alterations of this system contribute to the pathogenesis of several neurological and neurodevelopmental disorders. However, the involvement of the endocannabinoid system in the pathogenesis of Down syndrome has not been explored before. We used the best-characterized preclinical model of Down syndrome, the segmentally trisomic Ts65Dn model. In male Ts65Dn mice, cannabinoid type-1 receptor (CB1R) expression was enhanced and its function increased in hippocampal excitatory terminals. Knockdown of CB1R in the hippocampus of male Ts65Dn mice restored hippocampal-dependent memory. Concomitant with this result, pharmacological inhibition of CB1R restored memory deficits, hippocampal synaptic plasticity and adult neurogenesis in the subgranular zone of the dentate gyrus. Notably, the blockade of CB1R also normalized hippocampal-dependent memory in female Ts65Dn mice. To further investigate the mechanisms involved, we used a second transgenic mouse model overexpressing a single gene candidate for Down syndrome cognitive phenotypes, the dual specificity tyrosine-phosphorylation-regulated kinase 1A (DYRK1A). CB1R pharmacological blockade similarly improved cognitive performance, synaptic plasticity and neurogenesis in transgenic male Dyrk1A mice. Our results identify CB1R as a novel druggable target potentially relevant for the improvement of cognitive deficits associated with Down syndrome.

A potential mechanism for first-person internal sensation of memory provides evidence for the relationship between learning and LTP induction

Studies conducted to verify learning-induced changes anticipated from Hebb's postulate led to the finding of long-term potentiation (LTP). Even though several correlations have been found between behavioural markers of memory retrieval and LTP, it is not known how memories are retrieved using learning-induced changes. In this context, the following non-correlated findings between learning and LTP induction provide constraints for discovering the mechanism: 1) Requirement of high stimulus intensity for LTP induction in contrast to what is expected for a learning mechanism, 2) Delay of at least 20 to 30 s from stimulation to LTP induction, in contrast to mere milliseconds for associative learning, and 3) A sudden drop in peak-potentiated effect (short-term potentiation) that matches with short-lasting changes expected during working memory and occurs only at the time of delayed LTP induction. When memories are viewed as first-person internal sensations, a newly uncovered mechanism provides explanation for the relationship between memory and LTP. This work interconnects large number of findings from the fields of neuroscience and psychology and provides a further verifiable mechanism of learning.

An Intellectual Disability-Related Missense Mutation in Rac1 Prevents LTP Induction

The small GTPase Rac1 promotes actin polymerization and plays a critical and increasingly appreciated role in the development and plasticity of glutamatergic synapses. Growing evidence suggests that disruption of the Rac1 signaling pathway at glutamatergic synapses contributes to Autism Spectrum Disorder/intellectual disability (ASD/ID)-related behaviors seen in animal models of ASD/ID. Rac1 has also been proposed as a strong candidate of convergence for many factors implicated in the development of ASD/ID. However, the effects of ASD/ID-related mutations in Rac1 itself have not been explored in neurons. Here, we investigate a recently reported de novo missense mutation in Rac1 found in an individual with severe ID. Our modeling predicts that this mutation will strongly inhibit Rac1 activation by occluding Rac1's GTP binding pocket. Indeed, we find that this de novo mutation prevents Rac1 function and results in a selective reduction in synaptic AMPA receptor function. Furthermore, this mutation prevents the induction of long-term potentiation (LTP), the cellular mechanism underlying learning and memory formation. Together, our findings strongly suggest that this mutation contributes to the development of ID in this individual. This research demonstrates the importance of Rac1 in synaptic function and plasticity and contributes to a growing body of evidence pointing to dysregulation of actin polymerization at glutamatergic synapses as a contributing factor to ASD/ID.

Metaplasticity at CA1 Synapses by Homeostatic Control of Presynaptic Release Dynamics

Hebbian and homeostatic forms of plasticity operate on different timescales to regulate synaptic strength. The degree of mechanistic overlap between these processes and their mutual influence are still incompletely understood. Here, we report that homeostatic synaptic strengthening induced by prolonged network inactivity compromised the ability of CA1 synapses to exhibit LTP. This effect could not be accounted for by an obvious deficit in the postsynaptic capacity for LTP expression, since neither the fraction of silent synapses nor the ability to induce LTP by two-photon glutamate uncaging were reduced by the homeostatic process. Rather, optical quantal analysis reveals that homeostatically strengthened synapses display a reduced capacity to maintain glutamate release fidelity during repetitive stimulation, ultimately impeding the induction, and thus expression, of LTP. By regulating the short-term dynamics of glutamate release, the homeostatic process thus influences key aspects of dynamic network function and exhibits features of metaplasticity.

Lung-injury depresses glutamatergic synaptic transmission in the nucleus tractus solitarii via discrete age-dependent mechanisms in neonatal rats

Transition periods (TPs) are brief stages in CNS development where neural circuits can exhibit heightened vulnerability to pathologic conditions such as injury or infection. This susceptibility is due in part to specialized mechanisms of synaptic plasticity, which may become activated by inflammatory mediators released under pathologic conditions. Thus, we hypothesized that the immune response to lung injury (LI) mediated synaptic changes through plasticity-like mechanisms that depended on whether LI occurred just before or after a TP. We studied the impact of LI on brainstem 2nd-order viscerosensory neurons located in the nucleus tractus solitarii (nTS) during a TP for respiratory control spanning (postnatal day (P) 11-15). We injured the lungs of Sprague-Dawley rats by intratracheal instillation of Bleomycin (or saline) just before (P9-11) or after (P17-19) the TP. A week later, we prepared horizontal slices of the medulla and recorded spontaneous and evoked excitatory postsynaptic currents (sEPSCs/eEPSCs) in vitro from neurons in the nTS that received monosynaptic glutamatergic input from the tractus solitarii (TS). In rats injured before the TP (pre-TP), neurons exhibited blunted sEPSCs and TS-eEPSCs compared to controls. The decreased TS-eEPSCs were mediated by differences in postsynaptic α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic-acid receptors (AMPAR). Specifically, compared to controls, LI rats had more Ca2+-impermeable AMPARs (CI-AMPARs) as indicated by: 1) the absence of current-rectification, 2) decreased sensitivity to polyamine, 1-Naphthyl-acetyl-spermine-trihydrochloride (NASPM) and 3) augmented immunoreactive staining for the CI-AMPAR GluA2. Thus, pre-TP-LI acts postsynaptically to blunt glutamatergic transmission. The neuroimmune response to pre-TP-LI included microglia hyper-ramification throughout the nTS. Daily intraperitoneal administration of minocycline, an inhibitor of microglial/macrophage function prevented hyper-ramification and abolished the pre-TP-LI evoked synaptic changes. In contrast, rat-pups injured after the TP (post-TP) exhibited microglia hypo-ramification in the nTS and had increased sEPSC amplitudes/frequencies, and decreased TS-eEPSC amplitudes compared to controls. These synaptic changes were not associated with changes in CI-AMPARs, and instead involved greater TS-evoked use-dependent depression (reduced paired pulse ratio), which is a hallmark of presynaptic plasticity. Thus we conclude that LI regulates the efficacy of TS → nTS synapses through discrete plasticity-like mechanisms that are immune-mediated and depend on whether the injury occurs before or after the TP for respiratory control.

Native System and Cultured Cell Electrophysiology for Investigating Anesthetic Mechanisms

Anesthetic agents interact with a variety of ion channels and membrane-bound receptors, often at agent-specific binding sites of a single protein. These molecular-level interactions are ultimately responsible for producing the clinically anesthetized state. Between these two scales of effect, anesthetic agents can be studied in terms of how they impact the physiology of neuronal circuits, individual neurons, and cells expressing individual receptor types. The acutely dissected hippocampal slice is one of the most extensively studied and characterized preparations of intact neural tissue and serves as a highly useful experimental model system to test hypotheses of anesthetic mechanisms. Specific agent-receptor interactions and their effect on excitable membranes can further be defined with molecular precision in cell-based expression systems. We highlight several approaches in these respective systems that we have used and that also have been used by many investigators worldwide. We emphasize economy and quality control, to allow an experimenter to carry out these types of studies in a rigorous and efficient manner.

Discovering long-term potentiation (LTP) - recollections and reflections on what came after

Chance events led me to a lifelong career in scientific research. They paved the way for being the first to see long-term potentiation of synaptic efficiency (LTP) in Per Andersen's laboratory in Oslo in 1966. Here I describe my way to this discovery and the experiments with Tim Bliss in 1968-1969 that led to Bliss and Lømo, 1973. Surprisingly, we later failed to reproduce these results. I discuss possible reasons for this failure, which made us both leave LTP research, in my case for good, in Tim's case for several years. After 30 years of work in a different field, I renewed my interest in the hippocampus and LTP in the early 2000s and published, for the first time, results that I had obtained 40 years earlier. Here I present my take on how interest in and research on LTP evolved after the early years. This includes a discussion of the functions of hippocampus as seen in those early days, the case of patient H.M., Donald Hebb's place in the story, the search for 'memory molecules' such as PKMζ, and the primary site for LTP expression (pre- and/or post-synaptic?). Throughout, I reflect on my life in science, how science is done and what drives it. The reflections are quite personal and I admit to mixed feelings about broadcasting them.

Dendritic Spines Prevent Synaptic Voltage Clamp

Synapses are the fundamental units of information processing in the mammalian brain. Much of our understanding of their functional properties comes from voltage-clamp analysis, the predominant approach for investigating synaptic physiology. Here, we reveal that voltage clamp is completely ineffective for most excitatory synapses due to spine electrical compartmentalization. Under local dendritic voltage clamp, single-spine activation produced large spine head depolarizations that severely distorted measurements and recruited voltage-dependent channels. To overcome these voltage-clamp errors, we developed an approach to provide new, accurate measurements of synaptic conductance. Single-synapse AMPA conductance was much larger than previously appreciated, producing saturation effects on synaptic currents. We conclude that electrical compartmentalization profoundly shapes both synaptic function and how that function can be assessed with electrophysiological methods.

Synapse-Specific Regulation Revealed at Single Synapses Is Concealed When Recording Multiple Synapses

Synaptic transmission and its activity-dependent modulation, known as synaptic plasticity, are fundamental processes in nervous system function. Neurons may receive thousands of synaptic contacts, but synaptic regulation may occur only at individual or discrete subsets of synapses, which may have important consequences on the spatial extension of the modulation of synaptic information. Moreover, while several electrophysiological methods are used to assess synaptic transmission at different levels of observation, i.e., through local field potential and individual whole-cell recordings, their experimental limitations to detect synapse-specific modulation is poorly defined. We have investigated how well-known synapse-specific short-term plasticity, where some synapses are regulated and others left unregulated, mediated by astrocytes and endocannabinoid (eCB) signaling can be assessed at different observational levels. Using hippocampal slices, we have combined local field potential and whole-cell recordings of CA3-CA1 synaptic activity evoked by Schaffer collateral stimulation of either multiple or single synapses through bulk or minimal stimulation, respectively, to test the ability to detect short-term synaptic changes induced by eCB signaling. We also developed a mathematical model assuming a bimodal distribution of regulated and unregulated synapses based on realistic experimental data to simulate physiological results and to predict the experimental requirements of the different recording methods to detect discrete changes in subsets of synapses. We show that eCB-induced depolarization-induced suppression of excitation (DSE) and astrocyte-mediated synaptic potentiation can be observed when monitoring single or few synapses, but are statistically concealed when recording the activity of a large number of synapses. These results indicate that the electrophysiological methodology is critical to properly assess synaptic changes occurring in subsets of synapses, and they suggest that relevant synapse-specific regulatory phenomena may be experimentally undetected but may have important implications in the spatial extension of synaptic plasticity phenomena.

Blunted mGluR Activation Disinhibits Striatopallidal Transmission in Parkinsonian Mice

The prevailing circuit model predicts that hyperactivity of the striatopallidal pathway and subsequently increased inhibition of external globus pallidus (GPe) neurons lead to the hypokinetic symptoms of Parkinson's disease (PD). It is believed that hyperactivity of the striatopallidal pathway is due to inactivity of dopamine receptors on the somatodendritic membrane of striatopallidal neurons, but the exact cellular underpinnings remain unclear. In this study, we show that mouse GPe astrocytes critically control ambient glutamate level, which in turn gates striatopallidal transmission via the activation of presynaptic metabotropic glutamate receptors. This presynaptic inhibition of striatopallidal transmission is diminished after the chronic loss of dopamine. Elevation of intracellular glutamate content in astrocytes restores the proper regulation of the striatopallidal input in PD models. These findings argue that astrocytes are key regulators of the striatopallidal synapse. Targeting this cell class may serve as an alternative therapeutic strategy for PD.

The α2A -adrenoceptor suppresses excitatory synaptic transmission to both excitatory and inhibitory neurons in layer 4 barrel cortex

KEY POINTS

The effects of noradrenaline on excitatory synaptic transmission to regular spiking (excitatory) cells as well as regular spiking non-pyramidal and fast spiking (both inhibitory) cells in cortical layer 4 were studied in thalamocortical slice preparations, focusing on vertical input from thalamus and layer 2/3 in the mouse barrel cortex. Excitatory synaptic responses were suppressed by noradrenaline. However, currents induced by iontophoretically applied glutamate were not suppressed. Further, paired pulse ratio and coefficient of variation analysis indicated the site of action was presynaptic. Pharmacological studies indicated that the suppression was mediated by the α_2- adrenoceptor. Consistent with this, involvement of α_2A -adrenoceptor activation in the synaptic suppression in excitatory and inhibitory cells was confirmed by the use of α_2A -adrenoceptor knockout mice.

ABSTRACT

The mammalian neocortex is widely innervated by noradrenergic (NA) fibres from the locus coeruleus. To determine the effects of NA on vertical synaptic inputs to layer 4 (L4) cells from the ventrobasal thalamus and layer 2/3 (L2/3), thalamocortical slices were prepared and whole-cell recordings were made from L4 cells. Excitatory synaptic responses were evoked by electrical stimulation of the thalamus or L2/3 immediately above. Recorded cells were identified as regular spiking, regular spiking non-pyramidal or fast spiking cells through their firing patterns in response to current injections. NA suppressed (∼50% of control) excitatory vertical inputs to all cell types in a dose-dependent manner. The presynaptic site of action of NA was suggested by three independent studies. First, responses caused by iontophoretically applied glutamate were not suppressed by NA. Second, the paired pulse ratio was increased during NA suppression. Finally, a coefficient of variation (CV) analysis was performed and the resultant diagonal alignment of the ratio of CV^-2 plotted against the ratio of the amplitude of postsynaptic responses suggests a presynaptic mechanism for the suppression. Experiments with phenylephrine (an α₁ -agonist), prazosin (an α₁ -antagonist), yohimbine (an α₂ -antagonist) and propranolol (a β-antagonist) indicated that suppression was mediated by the α₂ -adrenoceptor. To determine whether the α_2A -adrenoceptor subtype was involved, α_2A -adrenoceptor knockout mice were used. NA failed to suppress EPSCs in all cell types, suggesting an involvement of the α_2A -adrenoceptor. Altogether, we concluded that NA suppresses vertical excitatory synaptic connections in L4 excitatory and inhibitory cells through the presynaptic α_2A -adrenoceptor.

CB1-Dependent Long-Term Depression in Ventral Tegmental Area GABA Neurons: A Novel Target for Marijuana

The VTA is necessary for reward behavior with dopamine cells critically involved in reward signaling. Dopamine cells in turn are innervated and regulated by neighboring inhibitory GABA cells. Using whole-cell electrophysiology in juvenile-adolescent GAD67-GFP male mice, we examined excitatory plasticity in fluorescent VTA GABA cells. A novel CB1-dependent LTD was induced in GABA cells that was dependent on metabotropic glutamate receptor 5, and cannabinoid receptor 1 (CB1). LTD was absent in CB1 knock-out mice but preserved in heterozygous littermates. Bath applied Δ⁹-tetrahydrocannabinol depressed GABA cell activity, therefore downstream dopamine cells will be disinhibited; and thus, this could potentially result in increased reward. Chronic injections of Δ⁹-tetrahydrocannabinol occluded LTD compared with vehicle injections; however, a single exposure was insufficient to do so. As synaptic modifications by drugs of abuse are often tied to addiction, these data suggest a possible mechanism for the addictive effects of Δ⁹-tetrahydrocannabinol in juvenile-adolescents, by potentially altering reward behavioral outcomes.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT The present study identifies a novel form of glutamatergic synaptic plasticity in VTA GABA neurons, a currently understudied cell type that is critical for the brain's reward circuit, and how Δ⁹-tetrahydrocannabinol occludes this plasticity. This study specifically addresses a potential unifying mechanism whereby marijuana could exert rewarding and addictive/withdrawal effects. Marijuana use and legalization are a pressing issue for many states in the United States. Although marijuana is the most commonly abused illicit drug, the implications of legalized, widespread, or continued usage are speculative. This study in juvenile-adolescent aged mice identifies a novel form of synaptic plasticity in VTA GABA cells, and the synaptic remodeling that can occur after Δ⁹-tetrahydrocannabinol use.

An autism spectrum disorder-related de novo mutation hotspot discovered in the GEF1 domain of Trio

The Rho guanine nucleotide exchange factor (RhoGEF) Trio promotes actin polymerization by directly activating the small GTPase Rac1. Recent studies suggest that autism spectrum disorder (ASD)-related behavioral phenotypes in animal models of ASD can be produced by dysregulation of Rac1’s control of actin polymerization at glutamatergic synapses. Here, in humans, we discover a large cluster of ASD-related de novo mutations in Trio’s Rac1 activating domain, GEF1. Our study reveals that these mutations produce either hypofunctional or hyperfunctional forms of Trio in rodent neurons in vitro. In accordance with pathological increases or decreases in glutamatergic neurotransmission observed in animal models of ASD, we find that these mutations result in either reduced synaptic AMPA receptor expression or enhanced glutamatergic synaptogenesis. Together, our findings implicate both excessive and reduced Trio activity and the resulting synaptic dysfunction in ASD-related pathogenesis, and point to the Trio-Rac1 pathway at glutamatergic synapses as a possible key point of convergence of many ASD-related genes.

Trio is a RhoGEF protein that promotes actin polymerization and is implicated in the regulation of glutamatergic synapses in autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Here the authors identify a large cluster of de novo mutations in the GEF1 domain of Trio in whole-exome sequencing data from individuals with ASD, and confirm that some of these mutations lead to glutamatergic dysregulation in vitro.

A Shift from a Pivotal to Supporting Role for the Growth-Associated Protein (GAP-43) in the Coordination of Axonal Structural and Functional Plasticity

In a number of animal species, the growth-associated protein (GAP), GAP-43 (aka: F1, neuromodulin, B-50, G50, pp46), has been implicated in the regulation of presynaptic vesicular function and axonal growth and plasticity via its own biochemical properties and interactions with a number of other presynaptic proteins. Changes in the expression of GAP-43 mRNA or distribution of the protein coincide with axonal outgrowth as a consequence of neuronal damage and presynaptic rearrangement that would occur following instances of elevated patterned neural activity including memory formation and development. While functional enhancement in GAP-43 mRNA and/or protein activity has historically been hypothesized as a central mediator of axonal neuroplastic and regenerative responses in the central nervous system, it does not appear to be the crucial substrate sufficient for driving these responses. This review explores the historical discovery of GAP-43 (and associated monikers), its transcriptional, post-transcriptional and post-translational regulation and current understanding of protein interactions and regulation with respect to its role in axonal function. While GAP-43 itself appears to have moved from a pivotal to a supporting factor, there is no doubt that investigations into its functions have provided a clearer understanding of the biochemical underpinnings of axonal plasticity.

The Proinflammatory Cytokine Interleukin 18 Regulates Feeding by Acting on the Bed Nucleus of the Stria Terminalis

The proinflammatory cytokine IL-18 has central anorexigenic effects and was proposed to contribute to loss of appetite observed during sickness. Here we tested in the mouse the hypothesis that IL-18 can decrease food intake by acting on neurons of the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BST), a component of extended amygdala recently shown to influence feeding via its projections to the lateral hypothalamus (LH). We found that both subunits of the heterodimeric IL-18 receptor are highly expressed in the BST and that local injection of recombinant IL-18 (50 ng/ml) significantly reduced c-fos activation and food intake for at least 6 h. Electrophysiological experiments performed in BST brain slices demonstrated that IL-18 strongly reduces the excitatory input on BST neurons through a presynaptic mechanism. The effects of IL-18 are cell-specific and were observed in Type III but not in Type I/II neurons. Interestingly, IL-18-sensitve Type III neurons were recorded in the juxtacapsular BST, a region that contains BST-LH projecting neurons. Reducing the excitatory input on Type III GABAergic neurons, IL-18 can increase the firing of glutamatergic LH neurons through a disinhibitory mechanism. Imbalance between excitatory and inhibitory activity in the LH can induce changes in food intake. Effects of IL-18 were mediated by the IL-18R because they were absent in neurons from animals null for IL-18Rα (Il18ra(-/-)), which lack functional IL-18 receptors. In conclusion, our data show that IL-18 may inhibit feeding by inhibiting the activity of BST Type III GABAergic neurons.

SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT

Loss of appetite during sickness is a common and often debilitating phenomenon. Although proinflammatory cytokines are recognized as mediators of these anorexigenic effects, their mechanism and sites of action remain poorly understood. Here we show that interleukin 18, an anorexigenic cytokine, can act on neurons of the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis to reduce food intake via the IL-18 receptor. The findings identify a site and a mode of action that indicate targets for the treatment of cachexia or other eating disorders.

Target-Dependent Compartmentalization of the Corelease of Glutamate and GABA from the Mossy Fibers

The mossy fibers (MFs) corelease glutamate and GABA onto pyramidal cells of CA3 during development, until the end of the third postnatal week. However, the major target cells of the MF are the interneurons of CA3. Therefore, it has been shown that the interneurons of the hilus and stratum lucidum receive this dual monosynaptic input on MF stimulation. Because the plasticity of glutamatergic transmission from the different terminals of the MF is target specific, we here asked whether the corelease of glutamate and GABA was also subjected to a target-dependent compartmentalization. We analyzed the occurrence and plasticity of MF simultaneous glutamatergic-GABAergic signaling onto interneurons of the different strata of CA3 in rats during the third postnatal week. We show the coexistence of time-locked, glutamate receptor and GABA receptor-mediated mono synaptic responses evoked by MF stimulation in interneurons from stratum lucidum and stratum radiatum, but not in interneurons from stratum lacunosum-moleculare. As expected from the transmission of MF origin, MF GABAergic responses were depressed by the activation of metabotropic glutamate receptors. Strikingly, while MF glutamatergic responses underwent LTD, the simultaneous MF GABAergic responses of stratum lucidum interneurons, but not of stratum radiatum interneurons, displayed a Hebbian form of LTP that was mimicked by PKC activation. PKA activation potentiated MF glutamatergic responses of stratum radiatum interneurons, whereas in stratum lucidum interneurons only GABAergic responses were potentiated. We here disclose that the corelease of glutamate and GABA, as well as their plasticity are compartmentalized in a target-dependent manner, showing counterbalanced compensatory plasticity of two neurotransmitters released by different terminals of the same pathway.

SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT

The mossy fibers transiently corelease glutamate and GABA onto pyramidal cells of CA3. We here describe that they can also corelease these amino acids onto interneurons, in a target-dependent manner. Many interneurons in stratum lucidum and stratum radiatum receive both signals, while those in stratum lacunosum-moleculare exclusively receive a glutamatergic signal. It is noteworthy that glutamatergic LTD, which is known to exist on stratum lucidum interneurons, coexists in the same pathway with a presynaptic form of GABAergic LTP, while interneurons of stratum radiatum, despite receiving this dual signaling, do not display such plasticity. The GABAergic LTP is mimicked with PKA or PKC activation. We disclose compartmentalized corelease of glutamate and GABA and its differential plasticity from a single pathway onto different interneuron sets.

Unique versus Redundant Functions of Neuroligin Genes in Shaping Excitatory and Inhibitory Synapse Properties

Neuroligins are evolutionarily conserved postsynaptic cell adhesion molecules that interact with presynaptic neurexins. Neurons express multiple neuroligin isoforms that are targeted to specific synapses, but their synaptic functions and mechanistic redundancy are not completely understood. Overexpression or RNAi-mediated knockdown of neuroligins, respectively, causes a dramatic increase or decrease in synapse density, whereas genetic deletions of neuroligins impair synapse function with only minor effects on synapse numbers, raising fundamental questions about the overall physiological role of neuroligins. Here, we have systematically analyzed the effects of conditional genetic deletions of all major neuroligin isoforms (i.e., NL1, NL2, and NL3), either individually or in combinations, in cultured mouse hippocampal and cortical neurons. We found that conditional genetic deletions of neuroligins caused no change or only a small change in synapses numbers, but strongly impaired synapse function. This impairment was isoform specific, suggesting that neuroligins are not functionally redundant. Sparse neuroligin deletions produced phenotypes comparable to those of global deletions, indicating that neuroligins function in a cell-autonomous manner. Mechanistically, neuroligin deletions decreased the synaptic levels of neurotransmitter receptors and had no effect on presynaptic release probabilities. Overexpression of neuroligin-1 in control or neuroligin-deficient neurons increased synaptic transmission and synapse density but not spine numbers, suggesting that these effects reflect a gain-of-function mechanism; whereas overexpression of neuroligin-3, which, like neuroligin-1 is also targeted to excitatory synapses, had no comparable effect. Our data demonstrate that neuroligins are required for the physiological organization of neurotransmitter receptors in postsynaptic specializations and suggest that they do not play a major role in synapse formation.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Human neuroligin genes have been associated with autism, but the cellular functions of different neuroligins and their molecular mechanisms remain incompletely understood. Here, we performed comparative analyses in cultured mouse neurons of all major neuroligin isoforms, either individually or in combinations, using conditional knockouts. We found that neuroligin deletions did not affect synapse numbers but differentially impaired excitatory or inhibitory synaptic functions in an isoform-specific manner. These impairments were due, at least in part, to a decrease in synaptic distribution of neurotransmitter receptors upon deletion of neuroligins. Conversely, the overexpression of neuroligin-1 increased synapse numbers but not spine numbers. Our results suggest that various neuroligin isoforms perform unique postsynaptic functions in organizing synapses but are not essential for synapse formation or maintenance.

Short-Term Facilitation at a Detonator Synapse Requires the Distinct Contribution of Multiple Types of Voltage-Gated Calcium Channels

Neuronal calcium elevations are shaped by several key parameters, including the properties, density, and the spatial location of voltage-gated calcium channels (VGCCs). These features allow presynaptic terminals to translate complex firing frequencies and tune the amount of neurotransmitter released. Although synchronous neurotransmitter release relies on both P/Q- and N-type VGCCs at hippocampal mossy fiber-CA3 synapses, the specific contribution of VGCCs to calcium dynamics, neurotransmitter release, and short-term facilitation remains unknown. Here, we used random-access two-photon calcium imaging together with electrophysiology in acute mouse hippocampal slices to dissect the roles of P/Q- and N-type VGCCs. Our results show that N-type VGCCs control glutamate release at a limited number of release sites through highly localized Ca²⁺ elevations and support short-term facilitation by enhancing multivesicular release. In contrast, Ca²⁺ entry via P/Q-type VGCCs promotes the recruitment of additional release sites through spatially homogeneous Ca²⁺ elevations. Altogether, our results highlight the specialized contribution of P/Q- and N-types VGCCs to neurotransmitter release.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT In presynaptic terminals, neurotransmitter release is dynamically regulated by the transient opening of different types of voltage-gated calcium channels. Hippocampal giant mossy fiber terminals display extensive short-term facilitation during repetitive activity, with a large several fold postsynaptic response increase. Though, how giant mossy fiber terminals leverage distinct types of voltage-gated calcium channels to mediate short-term facilitation remains unexplored. Here, we find that P/Q- and N-type VGCCs generate different spatial patterns of calcium elevations in giant mossy fiber terminals and support short-term facilitation through specific participation in two mechanisms. Whereas N-type VGCCs contribute only to the synchronization of multivesicular release, P/Q-type VGCCs act through microdomain signaling to recruit additional release sites.

Somatostatin-positive interneurons in the dentate gyrus of mice provide local- and long-range septal synaptic inhibition

Somatostatin-expressing-interneurons (SOMIs) in the dentate gyrus (DG) control formation of granule cell (GC) assemblies during memory acquisition. Hilar-perforant-path-associated interneurons (HIPP cells) have been considered to be synonymous for DG-SOMIs. Deviating from this assumption, we show two functionally contrasting DG-SOMI-types. The classical feedback-inhibitory HIPPs distribute axon fibers in the molecular layer. They are engaged by converging GC-inputs and provide dendritic inhibition to the DG circuitry. In contrast, SOMIs with axon in the hilus, termed hilar interneurons (HILs), provide perisomatic inhibition onto GABAergic cells in the DG and project to the medial septum. Repetitive activation of glutamatergic inputs onto HIPP cells induces long-lasting-depression (LTD) of synaptic transmission but long-term-potentiation (LTP) of synaptic signals in HIL cells. Thus, LTD in HIPPs may assist flow of spatial information from the entorhinal cortex to the DG, whereas LTP in HILs may facilitate the temporal coordination of GCs with activity patterns governed by the medial septum.

DOI:http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.21105.001

Hebbian Spike-Timing Dependent Plasticity at the Cerebellar Input Stage

Spike-timing-dependent plasticity (STDP) is a form of long-term synaptic plasticity exploiting the time relationship between postsynaptic action potentials (APs) and EPSPs. Surprisingly enough, very little was known about STDP in the cerebellum, although it is thought to play a critical role for learning appropriate timing of actions. We speculated that low-frequency oscillations observed in the granular layer may provide a reference for repetitive EPSP/AP phase coupling. Here we show that EPSP-spike pairing at 6 Hz can optimally induce STDP at the mossy fiber-granule cell synapse in rats. Spike timing-dependent long-term potentiation and depression (st-LTP and st-LTD) were confined to a ±25 ms time-window. Because EPSPs led APs in st-LTP while APs led EPSPs in st-LTD, STDP was Hebbian in nature. STDP occurred at 6-10 Hz but vanished >50 Hz or <1 Hz (where only LTP or LTD occurred). STDP disappeared with randomized EPSP/AP pairing or high intracellular Ca²⁺ buffering, and its sign was inverted by GABA-A receptor activation. Both st-LTP and st-LTD required NMDA receptors, but st-LTP also required reinforcing signals mediated by mGluRs and intracellular calcium stores. Importantly, st-LTP and st-LTD were significantly larger than LTP and LTD obtained by modulating the frequency and duration of mossy fiber bursts, probably because STDP expression involved postsynaptic in addition to presynaptic mechanisms. These results thus show that a Hebbian form of STDP occurs at the cerebellum input stage, providing the substrate for phase-dependent binding of mossy fiber spikes to repetitive theta-frequency cycles of granule cell activity.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Long-term synaptic plasticity is a fundamental property of the brain, causing persistent modifications of neuronal communication thought to provide the cellular basis of learning and memory. The cerebellum is critical for learning the appropriate timing of sensorimotor behaviors, but whether and how appropriate spike patterns could drive long-term synaptic plasticity remained unknown. Here, we show that this can actually occur through a form of spike-timing-dependent plasticity (STDP) at the cerebellar inputs stage. Pairing presynaptic and postsynaptic spikes at 6-10 Hz reliably induced STDP at the mossy fiber-granule cell synapse, with potentiation and depression symmetrically distributed within a ±25 ms time window. Thus, STDP can bind plasticity to the mossy fiber burst phase with high temporal precision.

Optogenetic Control of Synaptic Composition and Function

The molecular composition of the postsynaptic membrane is sculpted by synaptic activity. During synaptic plasticity at excitatory synapses, numerous structural, signaling, and receptor molecules concentrate at the postsynaptic density (PSD) to regulate synaptic strength. We developed an approach that uses light to tune the abundance of specific molecules in the PSD. We used this approach to investigate the relationship between the number of AMPA-type glutamate receptors in the PSD and synaptic strength. Surprisingly, adding more AMPA receptors to excitatory contacts had little effect on synaptic strength. Instead, we observed increased excitatory input through the apparent addition of new functional sites. Our data support a model where adding AMPA receptors is sufficient to activate synapses that had few receptors to begin with, but that additional remodeling events are required to strengthen established synapses. More broadly, this approach introduces the precise spatiotemporal control of optogenetics to the molecular control of synaptic function.

Long-Term Potentiation: From CaMKII to AMPA Receptor Trafficking

For more than 20 years, we have known that Ca(2+)/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase (CaMKII) activation is both necessary and sufficient for the induction of long-term potentiation (LTP). During this time, tremendous effort has been spent in attempting to understand how CaMKII activation gives rise to this phenomenon. Despite such efforts, there is much to be learned about the molecular mechanisms involved in LTP induction downstream of CaMKII activation. In this review, we highlight recent developments that have shaped our current thinking about the molecular mechanisms underlying LTP and discuss important questions that remain in the field.

Review on the role of AMPA receptor nano-organization and dynamic in the properties of synaptic transmission

Receptor trafficking and its regulation have appeared in the last two decades to be a major controller of basal synaptic transmission and its activity-dependent plasticity. More recently, considerable advances in super-resolution microscopy have begun deciphering the subdiffraction organization of synaptic elements and their functional roles. In particular, the dynamic nanoscale organization of neurotransmitter receptors in the postsynaptic membrane has recently been suggested to play a major role in various aspects of synapstic function. We here review the recent advances in our understanding of alpha-amino-3-hydroxy-5-méthyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid subtype glutamate receptors subsynaptic organization and their role in short- and long-term synaptic plasticity.

Aging-related impairments of hippocampal mossy fibers synapses on CA3 pyramidal cells

The network interaction between the dentate gyrus and area CA3 of the hippocampus is responsible for pattern separation, a process that underlies the formation of new memories, and which is naturally diminished in the aged brain. At the cellular level, aging is accompanied by a progression of biochemical modifications that ultimately affects its ability to generate and consolidate long-term potentiation. Although the synapse between dentate gyrus via the mossy fibers (MFs) onto CA3 neurons has been subject of extensive studies, the question of how aging affects the MF-CA3 synapse is still unsolved. Extracellular and whole-cell recordings from acute hippocampal slices of aged Wistar rats (34 ± 2 months old) show that aging is accompanied by a reduction in the interneuron-mediated inhibitory mechanisms of area CA3. Several MF-mediated forms of short-term plasticity, MF long-term potentiation and at least one of the critical signaling cascades necessary for potentiation are also compromised in the aged brain. An analysis of the spontaneous glutamatergic and gamma-aminobutyric acid-mediated currents on CA3 cells reveal a dramatic alteration in amplitude and frequency of the nonevoked events. CA3 cells also exhibited increased intrinsic excitability. Together, these results demonstrate that aging is accompanied by a decrease in the GABAergic inhibition, reduced expression of short- and long-term forms of synaptic plasticity, and increased intrinsic excitability.

Presynaptic Spike Timing-Dependent Long-Term Depression in the Mouse Hippocampus

Spike timing-dependent plasticity (STDP) is a Hebbian learning rule important for synaptic refinement during development and for learning and memory in the adult. Given the importance of the hippocampus in memory, surprisingly little is known about the mechanisms and functions of hippocampal STDP. In the present work, we investigated the requirements for induction of hippocampal spike timing-dependent long-term potentiation (t-LTP) and spike timing-dependent long-term depression (t-LTD) and the mechanisms of these 2 forms of plasticity at CA3-CA1 synapses in young (P12–P18) mouse hippocampus. We found that both t-LTP and t-LTD can be induced at hippocampal CA3-CA1 synapses by pairing presynaptic activity with single postsynaptic action potentials at low stimulation frequency (0.2 Hz). Both t-LTP and t-LTD require NMDA-type glutamate receptors for their induction, but the location and properties of these receptors are different: While t-LTP requires postsynaptic ionotropic NMDA receptor function, t-LTD does not, and whereas t-LTP is blocked by antagonists at GluN2A and GluN2B subunit-containing NMDA receptors, t-LTD is blocked by GluN2C or GluN2D subunit-preferring NMDA receptor antagonists. Both t-LTP and t-LTD require postsynaptic Ca²⁺ for their induction. Induction of t-LTD also requires metabotropic glutamate receptor activation, phospholipase C activation, postsynaptic IP₃ receptor-mediated Ca²⁺ release from internal stores, postsynaptic endocannabinoid (eCB) synthesis, activation of CB1 receptors and astrocytic signaling, possibly via release of the gliotransmitter d-serine. We furthermore found that presynaptic calcineurin is required for t-LTD induction. t-LTD is expressed presynaptically as indicated by fluctuation analysis, paired-pulse ratio, and rate of use-dependent depression of postsynaptic NMDA receptor currents by MK801. The results show that CA3-CA1 synapses display both NMDA receptor-dependent t-LTP and t-LTD during development and identify a presynaptic form of hippocampal t-LTD similar to that previously described at neocortical synapses during development.

Using Multiple Whole-Cell Recordings to Study Spike-Timing-Dependent Plasticity in Acute Neocortical Slices

This protocol provides a method for quadruple whole-cell recording to study synaptic plasticity of neocortical connections, with a special focus on spike-timing-dependent plasticity (STDP). It also describes how to morphologically identify recorded cells from two-photon laser-scanning microscopy (2PLSM) stacks.

In Vitro Investigation of Synaptic Plasticity

A classical in vitro model for investigation of information storage in the brain is based on the acute hippocampal slice. Here, repeated high-frequency stimulation of excitatory Schaeffer collaterals making synapses onto pyramidal cells in the hippocampal CA1 region leads to strengthening of evoked field-recording responses-long-term potentiation (LTP)-in keeping with Hebb's postulate. This model remains tremendously influential for its reliability, specificity, and relative ease of use. More recent plasticity studies have explored various other brain regions including the neocortex, which often requires more laborious whole-cell recordings of synaptically connected pairs of neurons, to ensure that the identities of recorded cells are known. In addition, with this experimental approach, the spiking activity can be controlled with millisecond precision, which is necessary for the study of spike-timing-dependent plasticity (STDP). Here, we provide protocols for in vitro study of hippocampal CA1 LTP using field recordings, and of STDP in synaptically connected pairs of layer-5 pyramidal cells in acute slices of rodent neocortex.

Astrocytes regulate heterogeneity of presynaptic strengths in hippocampal networks

Dendrites are neuronal structures specialized for receiving and processing information through their many synaptic inputs. How input strengths are modified across dendrites in ways that are crucial for synaptic integration and plasticity remains unclear. We examined in single hippocampal neurons the mechanism of heterosynaptic interactions and the heterogeneity of synaptic strengths of pyramidal cell inputs. Heterosynaptic presynaptic plasticity that counterbalances input strengths requires N-methyl-d-aspartate receptors (NMDARs) and astrocytes. Importantly, this mechanism is shared with the mechanism for maintaining highly heterogeneous basal presynaptic strengths, which requires astrocyte Ca(2+) signaling involving NMDAR activation, astrocyte membrane depolarization, and L-type Ca(2+) channels. Intracellular infusion of NMDARs or Ca(2+)-channel blockers into astrocytes, conditionally ablating the GluN1 NMDAR subunit, or optogenetically hyperpolarizing astrocytes with archaerhodopsin promotes homogenization of convergent presynaptic inputs. Our findings support the presence of an astrocyte-dependent cellular mechanism that enhances the heterogeneity of presynaptic strengths of convergent connections, which may help boost the computational power of dendrites.

Serotonin modulates the excitatory synaptic transmission in the dentate granule cells

Serotonergic fibers from the raphe nuclei project to the hippocampal formation, the activity of which is known to modulate the inhibitory interneurons in the dentate gyrus. On the other hand, serotonergic modulation of the excitatory synapses in the dentate gyrus is not well examined. In the present study, we examined the effects of 5-HT on the excitatory postsynaptic potentials (EPSPs) in the dentate granule cells evoked by the selective stimulation of the lateral perforant path (LPP), the medial perforant path (MPP), or the mossy cell fibers (MCF). 5-HT depressed the amplitude of unitary EPSPs (uEPSPs) evoked by the stimulation of LPP or MPP, whereas uEPSPs evoked by MCF stimulation were little affected. The effect was partly explained by the decrease of the resting membrane resistance following the activation of 5-HT1A receptors, which was confirmed by computer simulations. We also found that the probability of evoking uEPSP by LPP stimulation but not MPP or MCF stimulation was reduced by 5-HT and that the paired-pulse ratio of LPP-evoked EPSP but not that of MPP- or MCF-evoked ones was increased by 5-HT. These effects were blocked by 5-HT2 antagonist, suggesting that the transmitter release in the LPP-granule cell synapse is inhibited by the activation of 5-HT2 receptors. The present results suggest that 5-HT can modulate the EPSPs in the dentate granule cells by at least two distinct mechanisms.

Extracting quantal properties of transmission at central synapses

Chemical synapses enable neurons to communicate rapidly, process and filter signals and to store information. However, studying their functional properties is difficult because synaptic connections typically consist of multiple synaptic contacts that release vesicles stochastically and exhibit time-dependent behavior. Moreover, most central synapses are small and inaccessible to direct measurements. Estimation of synaptic properties from responses recorded at the soma is complicated by the presence of nonuniform release probability and nonuniform quantal properties. The presence of multivesicular release and postsynaptic receptor saturation at some synapses can also complicate the interpretation of quantal parameters. Multiple-probability fluctuation analysis (MPFA; also known as variance-mean analysis) is a method that has been developed for estimating synaptic parameters from the variance and mean amplitude of synaptic responses recorded at different release probabilities. This statistical approach, which incorporates nonuniform synaptic properties, has become widely used for studying synaptic transmission. In this chapter, we describe the statistical models used to extract quantal parameters and discuss their interpretation when applying MPFA.

Synaptic Consolidation Normalizes AMPAR Quantal Size following MAGUK Loss

The mechanisms controlling synapse growth and maintenance are of critical importance for learning and memory. The MAGUK family of synaptic scaffolding proteins is abundantly expressed at glutamatergic central synapses, but their importance in controlling the synaptic content of glutamate receptors is poorly understood. Here, we use a chained RNAi-mediated knockdown approach to simultaneously remove PSD-93, PSD-95, and SAP102, the MAGUKs previously shown to be responsible for synaptic localization of glutamate receptors. We find that MAGUKs are specifically responsible for creating functional synapses after initial spine formation by filling functionally silent spines with glutamate receptors. Removal of the MAGUKs causes a transient reduction in AMPA receptor quantal size followed by synaptic consolidation resulting in a normalization of quantal size at the few remaining functional synapses. Consolidation requires signaling through L-type calcium channels, CaM kinase kinase, and the GluA2 AMPA receptor subunit, akin to a homeostatic process.