Plasticity in the central nervous system: do synapses divide?

Perforated synapses are present during synaptogenesis in rat neocortex

It has been known for some time that perforated synapses increase in number and size with increasing age. Initially, these trends were used to support the concept that nonperforated synapses enlarge until an optimal size is reached, at which point they perforate and may subsequently split. More recent stereological and three-dimensional reconstruction investigations, however, suggest that this may not be the case and that perforated and nonperforated synapses constitute separate synaptic populations. In order to test the separate population hypothesis, synapses have been studied ultrastructurally in the parietal cortex of rats aged 19 and 20 days gestation, and 1 and 4 days postnatal. By examining synapses serially, and also by studying three-dimensional reconstructions, it has been demonstrated that perforated synapses are present at each of these ages. Some are relatively simple in organization, resembling previously described perforated synapses at 14 days of age, although others appear to consist of two or more separate PSD components. These findings demonstrate that perforated synapses are present from early on in synaptogenesis and that developing perforated synapses may have distinct characteristics that cast light on their developmental course.

Enlargement of synaptic size as a compensative reaction in aging and dementia

A quantitative investigation has been carried out on synaptic contact zones of dentate gyrus supragranular layer and cerebellar glomeruli in autoptic samples from adult, old and demented patients. During physiological aging and senile dementia, the synaptic average area was significantly increased as compared to adult values in both the CNS areas investigated. Conversely, the number of contacts and their total surface contact area per unit volume of tissue were decreased. Current literature reports that, in animal models, enlarged synapses undergo perforations and splitting to modify synaptic connectivity. As against these assumptions, the increased synaptic size observed in our study appears to represent a compensative reaction of old and demented CNS to counteract the reduction in number and in total contact area of the synaptic junctions.

A role for glial cells in activity-dependent central nervous plasticity? Review and hypothesis

Activity-dependent plasticity relies on changes in neuronal transmission that are controlled by coincidence or noncoincidence of presynaptic and postsynaptic activity. These changes may rely on modulation of neural transmission or on structural changes in neuronal circuitry. The present overview summarizes experimental data that support the involvement of glial cells in central nervous activity-dependent plasticity. A role for glial cells in plastic changes of synaptic transmission may be based on modulation of transmitter uptake or on regulation of the extracellular ion composition. Both mechanisms can be initiated via neuronal-glial information transfer by potassium ions, transmitters, or other diffusible factor originating from active neurons. In addition, the importance of changes in neuronal circuitry in many model systems of activity-dependent plasticity is summarized. Structural changes in neuronal connectivity can be influenced or mediated by glial cells via release of growth or growth permissive factors on neuronal activation, and by active displacement and subsequent elimination of axonal boutons. A unifying hypothesis that integrates these possibilities into a model of activity-dependent plasticity is proposed. In this model glial cells interact with neurons to establish plastic changes; while glial cells have a global effect on plasticity, neuronal mechanisms underlie the induction and local specificity of the plastic change. The proposed hypothesis not only explains conventional findings on activity-dependent plastic changes, but offers an intriguing possibility to explain several paradoxical findings from studies on CNS plasticity that are not yet fully understood. Although the accumulated data seem to support the proposed role for glial cells in plasticity, it has to be emphasized that several steps in the proposed cascades of events require further detailed investigation, and several "missing links" have to be addressed by experimental work. Because of the increasing evidence for glial heterogeneity (for review see Wilkin et al., 1990) it seems to be of great importance to relate findings on glial populations to the developmental stage and topographical origin of the studied cells. The present overview is intended to serve as a guideline for future studies and to expand the view of "neuro" physiologists interested in activity-dependent plasticity. Key questions that have to be addressed relate to the mechanisms of release of growth and growth-permissive factors from glial cells and neuronal-glial information transfer. It is said that every complex problem has a simple, logical, wrong solution. Future studies will reveal the contribution of the proposed simple and logical solution to the understanding of central nervous plasticity.

Morphological changes in the geniculocortical pathway associated with monocular deprivation

To summarize (Fig. 10), the structural consequences of monocular deprivation include the following changes: the relay cells in the binocular segments of the deprived geniculate layers shrink and contain less of the possible neurotransmitter NAAG. These changes appear to be secondary to a loss of terminal synaptic arbor. Certainly, deprived geniculocortical cells project to smaller ocular dominance patches in layer IV of visual cortex, where they make fewer and abnormal synapses. As a result, they activate ocular activation columns that, in addition to being small, are faint and usually fail to extend into extragranular layers. This failure to extend to other layers probably results from a failure of the poorly activated deprived-eye cells in layer IV to compete successfully with neighboring experienced-eye cells in layer IV, resulting in a loss of connections from layer IV to other layers (Fig. 11). Thus, the primary effect of monocular deprivation is probably the disruption of the geniculocortical synapse, with the other changes, such as cell size, and possibly the change in neurotransmitter content, being secondary. The disrupted synapse would result in poorly driven cortical cells and faint ocular activation columns, which in turn would bias a secondary competition for access to cells in extragranular layers. There are certain general principles that unite the findings presented in this chapter with the others in this session. First, there are similarities in the types of morphological changes observed, for example, changes in the number and size of synaptic terminals, as well as mitochondrial changes. This implies that there are similar changes during development and adult plasticity and also similar changes in vertebrates and invertebrates. Second, it is not so much the amount of activity that determines these changes, but the pattern of activity. In my results, the relative imbalance in activity is important, but not the absolute amount (for example, the columns activated by the 8-hr eye of an AME 8/1 are different from those activated by the 8-hr eye of an AME 8/8). Similarly, the binocular segment, where there was an imbalance and competition could occur, was affected, whereas the monocular segment, where there was no imbalance and competition could not occur, was not. Finally, the recent results of Reiter and Stryker suggest that monocular deprivation produces changes only when the activity of the presynaptic cell and the postsynaptic cell are correlated.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Mechanisms of synaptic plasticity. Changes in postsynaptic densities and glutamate receptors in chicken forebrain during maturation

We have shown that the synapse maturation phase of synaptogenesis is a model for synaptic plasticity that can be particularly well-studied in chicken forebrain because for most forebrain synapses, the maturation changes occur slowly and are temporally well-separated from the synapse formation phase. We have used the synapse maturation phase of neuronal development in chicken forebrain to investigate the possible link between changes in the morphology and biochemical composition of the postsynaptic density (PSD) and the functional properties of glutamate receptors overlying the PSD. Morphometric studies of PSDs in forebrains and superior cervical ganglia of chickens and rats have shown that the morphological features of synapse maturation are characteristic of a synaptic type, but that the rate at which these changes occur can vary between types of synapses within one animal and between synapses of the same type in different species. We have investigated, during maturation in the chicken forebrain, the properties of the N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) subtype of the glutamate receptors, which are concentrated in the junctional membranes overlying thick PSDs in the adult. There was no change in the number of NMDA receptors during maturation, but there was an increase in the rate of NMDA-stimulated uptake of 45Ca2+ into brain prisms. This functional change was not seen with the other ionotropic subtypes of the glutamate receptor and was NMDA receptor-mediated. The functional change also correlated with the increase in thickness of the PSD during maturation that has previously been shown to be due to an increase in the amount of PSD associated Ca(2+)-calmodulin stimulated protein kinase II (CaM-PK II). Our results provide strong circumstantial evidence for the regulation of NMDA receptors by the PSD and implicate changing local concentrations of CaM-PK II in this process. The results also indicate some of the ways in which properties of existing synapses can be modified by changes at the molecular level.

Perforated synapses and plasticity. A developmental overview

Against a background of existing models relating perforated synapses to synaptic plasticity, the numerical density and frequency of perforated synapses in rat neocortex have been assessed from 1 d to 22 mo of age using the disector procedure, and changes in their morphology were assessed using 3-D computer reconstructions. The data point toward perforated and nonperforated synapses being separate synaptic populations from early in development, and with perforated synapses playing a part in the maintenance of neuronal postsynaptic density surface area from mid-adulthood onwards. This suggests that they play a crucial role in synaptic plasticity, although its nature may be different from that postulated by most recent workers.

Neural plasticity of the hippocampal (CA1) pyramidal cell--quantitative changes in spine density following handling and injection for drug testing

A quantitative assessment of the spine density of apical, basal and oblique dendrites on pyramidal neurons of area CA1 of the hippocampus was made in three experimental groups. The results of a group injected with a tricyclic antidepressant were compared statistically with a saline-injected group and an unhandled control group. A statistical analysis of variance indicated significant (P less than 0.01) differences between drug and control groups and between saline and control groups in two of the loci assessed (basal and oblique dendrites). These findings suggest that the sensory stimulation provided by daily injection and handling is responsible for the increases in spine density in drug- and saline-injected animals. A single control group is insufficient in experiments of this type. Experimental protocol is extremely important and the dramatic morphological changes produced by simple routine processes should not be under-estimated.

Effects of light/dark- and dark-rearing on synaptic morphology in the superior colliculus and visual cortex of the postnatal and adult rat

Several synaptic parameters, previously shown to undergo alterations with changes in the internal and external environment, were examined in the visual system of light/dark- and dark-reared postnatal and adult rats. Animals were raised in either 14 hr light/10 hr dark (Lt/Dk) or in total darkness (Dk). The specific synaptic parameters in the superficial layers of the superior colliculus (SC), visual cortex (laminae II/III and IV) (VC), and, as control, the auditory cortex (laminae II/III and IV) (AC), examined during the postnatal period (i.e., postnatal days 7, 14, 21, and 28) and in the adult (i.e., day 56) included: 1) mean number of synapses, 2) mean synaptic length, 3) percentages of perforated postsynaptic densities, 4) percentages of asymmetric and symmetric synapses, 5) percentages of dendritic, spinous, and somatic synapses, and 6) percentages of synapses with positive, negative, or no curvature. Developmental patterns in rats reared in normal lighting conditions were noted. Specifically, in the SC and VC of Lt/Dk animals, the number of synapses increased up to postnatal day (PND) 21 and then decreased; no significant changes in the mean number of synapses between PND = 28 and 56 were detected in any of the areas examined. Changes in synaptic length in the SC and VC were not observed during postnatal development of in the adult in any of the aforementioned brain areas. Low percentages of postsynaptic densities (PSDs) were found at all time points and in all brain areas during the postnatal period. Increases in perforated PSDs were seen at PND=56 compared to PND=28 in the VC. In the VC and AC, there was a decrease in symmetric synapses with age. Asymmetric synapses were prevalent in all brain areas at PND=28 and 56. Dendritic synapses predominated in the SC, while spinous synapses were the preponderant type in the VC and AC during postnatal development and in the adult. A decrease in the percentage of spinous synapses in the SC was observed at PND = 56 vs. PND=28. A decrease in the percentage of negatively curved synapses with age and a trend toward a concomitant increase in the percentage of positively curved synapses were seen in all brain areas during development and in the adult. Quantitative analyses of the SC and VC tissues examined from all postnatal animals demonstrated no significant differences between Lt/Dk and Dk animals in all the synaptic parameters measured.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Paraganglionic cell response to chronic imipramine and handling stress: an ultrastructural study

The ultrastructure and connectivity of monoamine-storing paraganglionic cells in the rat superior cervical ganglion were investigated following chronic treatment with imipramine (Tofranil, Ciba-Geigy) and compared with uninjected unhandled controls and saline injected animals. The study reveals a significant decrease in the number of dense core vesicles in the drug-treated group (P less than 0.001) which is regarded as a specific effect due to receptor blocking actions of imipramine. A significant reduction in the maximum diameter of the external rim and internal cores of the vesicles (P less than 0.05) in the drug-treated group is mimicked to a certain extent by saline injections, indicating a mixed effect of stress handling and specific alteration. Although the paraganglionic cell morphology is unaltered in the group comparisons, the interrelationship of the paraganglionic cells to surrounding neural processes is significantly altered in both the control versus saline and the control versus drug group comparisons (P less than 0.05). The drug- and saline-induced alterations of neural connectivity may reflect stress-induced general changes demonstrating the plasticity of the paraganglionic cell population.

Effect of septal kindling on glutamate binding and calcium/calmodulin-dependent phosphorylation in a postsynaptic density fraction isolated from rat cerebral cortex

Postsynaptic density (PSD) fractions were isolated from the cerebral cortices of control and kindled rats and assayed for glutamate and gamma-aminobutyric acid-binding capacities and for the Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase. Glutamate binding was found to be increased by approximately 50% in the PSDs isolated from kindled rats as compared to controls; this increase was almost completely from an increase in Bmax; Kd decreased only slightly. Studies with inhibitors indicate that the receptors involved were of the N-methyl-D-aspartate and quisqualate types. PSDs isolated from control and kindled rats did not differ in gamma-aminobutyric acid or flunitrazepam binding. The in vitro autophosphorylation of the Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase was depressed by 45-76% in PSDs isolated from kindled rats as compared to controls, with little change in amount of the kinase. Therefore, we infer that (i) the kindled state is associated with an increase in glutamate activation of postsynaptic sites, allowing Ca2+ to enter dendritic spines, (ii) a change has occurred in activity of the protein kinase, which is the major cerebral cortex PSD protein, and (iii) perhaps major alterations in the PSD are a concomitant to the long-lasting nature of the kindled state.

Synaptic remodelling of perforated synapses during development and maturation in a visual projection area in birds

Perforated synapses are characterized by the appearance of one or more discontinuities in the postsynaptic density (PSD). These synapses are thought to represent intermediate stages in synaptic remodelling and turnover. To determine the dynamic level of these processes, the development of perforated synapses at different ages was examined in the neuropil of the ectostriatum, a visual projection area in birds. The overall number of perforated synapses per unit volume increases during development. Single and multiple perforated synapses, however, show a different developmental trend. Between 20 and 100 days, when the number of multiple perforated synapses decreases by 46%, single perforated synapses increase by 83% in number per unit volume. No significant changes in single or multiple perforated synapses can be observed at younger ages (i.e., 5 or 10 days). Various parameters increase between 10 and 20 days, followed by a reduction at 100 days: The relative frequency of perforations per synaptic contact, the length of the postsynaptic density including the size of the perforation, the length of the synaptic contact zone in perforated synapses excluding the size of the perforation, and the size of the perforation follow the same trend.

Localization of the enhanced input to cockroach giant interneurons after partial deafferentation

The ventral giant interneurons (GIs) in the cockroach have two distinct dendritic fields: a small one ipsilateral to the soma, and a larger, contralateral field from which the axon arises. The major input to these GIs is from the cercus on the axon side; when this cercus is ablated in the last instar before the adult stage, input from the other cercus becomes more effective within 30 days (Vardi and Camhi, 1982b). I wished to determine if the input from the intact, soma-ipsilateral cercus contacted the GIs purely ipsilaterally and if EPSPs at this site were larger in deafferented animals. Consistent with earlier anatomical findings, intracellular recordings from the GI somata showed that the majority of cercal inputs synapse on their own side of the ganglion in normal animals. This was evidenced by differences in the size and shape of the synaptic potentials evoked from the two cerci and by the presence of large EPSPs after a ganglion had been split along the midline. Unitary EPSPs produced by stimulation of single, identified cercal afferents, ipsilateral to the soma, were compared between normal and deafferented animals. Column "h" afferents were chosen because they make a large contribution to the receptive fields of GIs 1 and 2 after ablation of the contralateral cercus. In addition, the arbors of these afferents, when stained with cobalt, did not cross the ganglionic midline in normal animals. Unitary EPSPs recorded in GI 2 were significantly larger in the deafferented animals. There was, however, no significant change in the size of EPSPs in GI 1. Nevertheless, the results from GI 2 suggest that partial deafferentation in the central nervous system can increase the efficacy of synapses distant from the locus of denervation.

Bouton ultrastructure and synaptic growth in a frog autonomic ganglion

Postmetamorphic growth in the frog, Xenopus laevis, is accompanied by an increase both in the size of autonomic neurons in the heart and in the number of synaptic boutons that contact their surface. To determine whether the properties of individual boutons change as their number increases, serial-section electron microscopy was used to examine bouton ultrastructure at the end of metamorphosis and in the adult. The area of bouton contact, number of active zones per bouton, active zone size, percent of bouton area occupied by active zone, and vesicle density were examined. No differences were found between the two bouton populations for any of the parameters examined. These results support the hypothesis that boutons are structural units of synaptic growth, whereby the total area of synaptic contact increases through the addition of boutons without a change in their morphological properties.

Anatomical plasticity of synapses in the lamina of the optic lobe of the fly

Insects are frequently assumed to have hard-wired nervous systems that fail to demonstrate functional plasticity. We have produced changes in synaptic frequency, and analysed their developmental time course, dynamics and reversibility, in the lamina underlying the compound eye of the fly, by exposing young adults to different visual stimuli. The class of synapse examined feeds back from L2, one of the monopolar cells found in each lamina cartridge, to photoreceptor terminals; each site is a synaptic dyad marked by the presence of a few, round vesicles surrounding a T-shaped presynaptic ribbon and, in the photoreceptor, by a subsynaptic vacuole. In control adult flies reared in normal room lighting, the frequency of synaptic profiles scored in micrographs of single sections initially increased until one day post-eclosion (E + 1), but declined thereafter. Frequencies measured in left and right eyes of the same control animals were closely matched. Experimental flies were put for one to two days into an integrating sphere illuminated continuously with square-wave, 25 Hz green light. They had one eye occluded, so providing control comparisons between flicker-reared (FR) and occluded (dark-reared, DR) eyes within the same animal. The DR eyes invariably (n greater than 22) had higher frequencies of synaptic profiles than those seeing light, regardless of age or the period of light exposure, although the detailed relative effects of FR and DR depend upon the age of the animal. The evidence suggests that exposure to light actively depresses synaptic frequency and increases its variability. The greatest difference (30%) achieved was at two to four days after eclosion and there was no difference beyond six days, so demarcating a prospective sensitive period. Rearing in DC light was equally effective as FR, so visual contrasts per se are apparently inessential. Frequency values can change rapidly. During the first 24 h post-eclosion, DR resulted in new synapses adding to L2's complement of 25-35 at a maximum rate of 4 per 6 h, whereas light exposure caused a frequency decrease after as little as 6 h. Alternating 24 h periods of light and dark during the first two days produced reversible synaptic frequency changes. Individual synaptic contacts enlarge with age but not significantly with different visual experiences. The decrease in frequency of synaptic profiles with age thus actually underestimates the true decrease in synaptic number, whereas the altered synaptic frequencies seen after differential exposure represent true differences in synaptic number.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Purification and characterization of P400 protein, a glycoprotein characteristic of Purkinje cell, from mouse cerebellum

P400 protein is a concanavalin A (Con A)-binding, 250-kilodalton glycoprotein characteristic of cerebellum. Extraction conditions for P400 protein were investigated, and complete solubilization of P400 protein from a submicrosomal fraction (P31 fraction) of mouse cerebellum was attained by the combination of 4% Zwittergent 3-14 and 4 M guanidinium chloride. The solubilized P400 protein was purified using Sepharose CL-4B and Con A-Sepharose chromatography. A monoclonal antibody (18A10) was prepared against P400 protein. Endo-beta-N-acetylglucosaminidase F digestion of P400 protein revealed that P400 protein has a small number of asparagine-linked oligosaccharide chains and that the epitope that is recognized by 18A10 monoclonal antibody is not on the asparagine-linked oligosaccharide portion. Tissue distribution of P400 protein was investigated by immunoblot analysis using 18A10 monoclonal antibody. P400 protein was abundant in the cerebellum, but a very small amount of P400 protein or related antigen was also detected in other parts of the nervous system and in nonneural tissues. Immunohistochemical studies indicated that P400 protein was distributed abundantly in the soma, the dendritic arborization, and the axon of the Purkinje cell. No immunoreaction was observed in the other types of cells.

Asymmetric incorporation of [14C]cyanate and of fluorescein isothiocyanate in mamillary body of conditioned rats

A marked decrease in overall learning capacity has been observed in rats injected with cyanate. Therefore it was of interest to test whether learning influenced carbamylation of brain proteins. Incorporation of [14C]cyanate into proteins of the mamillary body was selectively modified following operant conditioning of the rat, so that trained rats showed an asymmetric image with higher levels of incorporation in the right side than in the left side, as compared to control rats. These results were confirmed using fluorescein isothiocyanate. The asymmetry persisted once the learning had been well established.

Estrogen-induced alterations in synaptic morphology in the midbrain central gray

Axons of ventromedial hypothalamic (VMH) neurons have been previously shown to terminate in the midbrain central gray (MCG) (Chung et al. 1984, 1986). Since VMH synapses in this region may be involved in the mediation of estrogen-induced lordosis behavior, we examined the effect of estrogen on the morphology of synapses in the MCG. Ovariectomized adult female rats were given daily subcutaneous injections of estradiol benzoate (10 micrograms) or the vehicle control and after 20 days of injection, only the estrogen-treated rats showed the lordosis response. A quantitative analysis of MCG tissue from these animals demonstrates morphological changes in various synaptic parameters with estrogen treatment including: 1) an increase in the mean number of dense-cored vesicles and an increase in the number of terminals containing dense-cored vesicles, 2) an increase in the length of postsynaptic densities (PSDs), 3) an increase in the number of PSDs showing perforations, 4) an increase in the number of synapses, and 5) an increase in the number of synapses with positive synaptic curvature. No alterations in the number of subjunctional bodies were observed. The dense-cored vesicles may contain an estrogen-induced trophic factor which may function in maintaining the integrity of postsynaptic processes and cells in the MCG with which VMN endings contact (Chung et al. submitted) and/or which induces morphological changes in postsynaptic structures which facilitate the effects of estrogen on lordosis behavior.

Synaptic changes in the terminals of rod photoreceptors of albino mice after partial visual cell loss induced by brief exposure to constant light

Albino mice were exposed to constant light for 7 days and were then transferred to periodic light. After initial photic damage and partial cell loss, the remaining visual cells recovered and survived as a stable population. Regions of the outer nuclear layer containing 4-6 rows of nuclei were more affected than those containing 6-10 rows. Changes in the synaptic structures in the receptor terminals of these two regions were recorded after varying survival periods. Some of the rod terminals had multiple synaptic ribbons and larger numbers of horizontal cell processes and bipolar cell dendrites. The number of terminals with multiple ribbons increased during recovery in periodic light. Morphometry demonstrated that the perimeters of horizontal and bipolar cell processes within the rod terminals were significantly larger than those in age-matched control mice, especially 4 weeks after recovery; they remained significantly larger than controls after 2 and 3 months. We suggest that partial loss of rod cells within a group of cells that are synaptically related to a common bipolar or horizontal cell results in synaptic growth inside the terminals of the surviving cells.

Determination of the numerical density of perforated synapses in rat neocortex

The numerical density and frequency of perforated synapses in the molecular layer of rat parietal cortex have been determined using 4 procedures in an attempt to overcome problems associated with the size and complex three-dimensional shape of perforated synapses. The following procedures were compared: A, single-section analysis; B, adjacent-section analysis; C, semi-serial-section analysis; and D, complete serial-section analysis. All procedures made use of an unbiased counting rule. Estimates of the numerical density of perforated synapses ranged from 0.06 to 0.27 X 10(9) mm-3, and that of all synapses (non-perforated and perforated) from 1.88 to 2.50 X 10(9) mm-3. The frequency of perforated synapses varied from 4.5 to 18.0%. Procedures B (adjacent-section analysis) and D (complete serial-section analysis), neither of which utilize assumptions regarding the shape of synapses, produced comparable results (numerical density of perforated synapses 0.19-0.27 X 10(9) mm-3, and of all synapses 2.24-2.45 X 10(9) mm-3; frequency of perforated synapses 8.6-10.9%). The frequency of perforated synapses appeared to be underestimated by procedure A (single section analysis; 4.5%) and overestimated by C (semi-serial section analysis; 18%). It is concluded that adjacent-section analysis is the most efficient and effective procedure for determining the numerical density and frequency of complex particles, such as perforated synapses. There is, however, no significant difference in the performance of this procedure compared with that of single-section analysis, for determining the numerical density of synapses in general. Nevertheless, inherent problems of bias within the single-section procedure make the adjacent section method the procedure of choice.

A serial-section study of perforated synapses in rat neocortex

The morphology of perforated synapses in the molecular layer of rat parietal cortex has been studied in 28-day-old animals. Of the perforated synapses analyzed, 92% were axospinous and of these all had asymmetrical contacts. A spinule was present in 20% of them, and 63% had a negative curvature (concave with respect to the presynaptic terminal) overall. Up to 95% of perforated synapses had one or more negatively-curved segments. The perforated synapses studied were characterized by postsynaptic densities (PSD) with a mean length of 581 nm, compared with 233 nm for non-perforated synapses. A study of over 100 serially sectioned synapses demonstrated that, in perforated synapses, the PSD and perforations often had a highly irregular shape and arrangement, the site of the perforation frequently projected into the presynaptic terminal, and coated evaginations of membrane, or coated vesicles, were sometimes found at the site of a perforation or towards the periphery of perforated PSDs. Preliminary reconstructions of perforated synapses suggest that, for descriptive purposes, three types can be recognized. Criteria are formulated for determining, on the basis of a study of single sections, which non-perforated profiles belong to perforated synapses.

Changes in the postsynaptic density with long-term potentiation in the dentate gyrus

The present study documents alterations in the size of the postsynaptic density (PSD) of synapses formed by entorhinal afferents with granule cell dendritic spines with long-term potentiation (LTP). These changes appear early and persist for at least 60 minutes after LTP-inducing conditioning stimulation. Each animal received test and conditioning stimulation typical of LTP paradigms. Electron microscopic preparation of the dentate gyri from each animal followed conventional procedures. PSD trace lengths of identified asymmetric synaptic profiles were measured. The total PSD length for four categories of synaptic profiles was determined for each third of the molecular layer. PSD surface area per unit volume of tissue (SV) was then computed from these data. Statistical analysis of the SV data used multivariate analysis of variance. PSD surface area per synapse was also estimated. Total PSD surface area per unit volume does not change significantly throughout the entire molecular layer with LTP-inducing conditioning stimulation. However, in the activated portion of the molecular layer, total PSD surface area per unit volume tends to increase with conditioning stimulation. In the middle third of the molecular layer, total PSD surface area per unit volume associated with the concave spine profiles increases significantly while there is a statistically significant decrease in total PSD SV associated with the nonconcave spine profiles. The PSD surface area per synapse also increases markedly. Since it seems that there is an interconversion of spine synapses from nonconcave to concave with LTP (Desmond and Levy: J. Comp. Neurol. In press, '86a), these data suggest that potentiated synapses have larger responses because, in part, they have larger neurotransmitter receptive regions.

Characterization of Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase associated with rat cerebral synaptic junction: substrate specificity and effect of autophosphorylation

The Ca2+/calmodulin (CaM)-dependent protein kinase associated with rat cerebral synaptic junction (SJ) was characterized, using the SJ fraction as the enzyme preparation, to clarify the functional significance of the enzyme in situ. The protein kinase was greatly activated in the presence of micromolar concentrations of both Ca2+ and calmodulin (EC50 for Ca2+, 1.0 microM; that for CaM, 100 nM). The Km for ATP was 150 microM. SJ proteins were phosphorylated without a lag time, and the phosphorylation reached its maximum within 2-10 min at 25 degrees C. The endogenous substrates consisted of four major (160K, 120K, 60K, and 51K Mr) and 10 minor proteins. Compared with the endogenous substrate phosphorylation, the phosphorylation of exogenously added proteins (myosin light chains from chicken muscle, casein, arginine-rich histone, microtubule-associated protein-2, tau-protein, and tubulin) was weak, although they are expected to be good substrates for the soluble form of the Ca2+/CaM-dependent protein kinase. Autophosphorylation of the enzyme in SJ inhibited its activity and did not alter the subcellular distribution of the enzyme.

Posthatching development of synapses in the neuropil of nucleus rotundus of the zebra finch: a quantitative electron microscopic study

The development and maturation of synapses in the nucleus rotundus of the zebra finch were examined at 1, 5, 10, 20, and 100 days posthatching. Quantitative ultrastructural techniques were applied to investigate synaptic density, size of presynaptic terminals, and length of postsynaptic thickenings. During development there is a steady increases in the number of synapses and an enlargement of the presynaptic terminals. The length of the postsynaptic thickenings, however, decreases significantly during posthatching development. All three parameters reach adult values within 20 days of age. A close relationship was found between the enlargement of the presynaptic terminals and the increase in the number of contact zones up to the 20th day. The general feature of this developmental progress is in good agreement with biochemical and, to a certain extent, behavioral studies.

Calcium/calmodulin-dependent inhibition of microtubule assembly by brain synaptic junction

The effect of synaptic junction (SJ) on microtubule assembly was examined. After preincubation with ATP at 37 degrees C, rat SJ decreased the initial velocity and the extent of the porcine brain microtubule assembly (initiated by the addition of GTP) in a Ca2+/calmodulin (CaM)-dependent manner. The degree of the inhibition reached 35% of the control assembly (0-min preincubation) after 20-min preincubation with ATP. There was no inhibition either with heat-treated SJ, at 0 degree C, or in the presence of EGTA or W-7 (CaM antagonist). The inhibition was due neither to protease(s) nor CaM contaminating the preparations. Free Ca2+ concentration level required for the inhibition of microtubule assembly was 10(-6)M. Phosphorylation of microtubule proteins was inhibited by SJ in a Ca2+/CaM-dependent manner, and the inhibition occurred in a physiological increase range of intracellular Ca2+ concentration (10(-6)M). The heat-treated SJ caused no inhibition. The result suggested that the microtubule assembly in the postsynaptic region was regulated by a Ca2+/CaM-dependent protein kinase associated with SJ; i.e., major postsynaptic density protein.

Freeze-fracture analysis of synaptogenesis in glomeruli of mouse olfactory bulb

The relationship between intramembranous particle (IMP) aggregates appearing on the extracellular leaflet (E-face) of the postsynaptic membrane and postsynaptic densities was examined by electron microscopy during mouse olfactory bulb development. During prenatal development the IMP aggregates first increased in size and then decreased in size to the adult level, while the length of the postsynaptic densities tended to increase to a plateau. Concomitant with the size change, the shape of the IMP aggregates appeared to change during development from small, round clusters to large, anastomotic aggregations. Some of the IMP aggregates appeared to have a particle-free area in their centre. As development proceeded, the overall IMP density increased. The density of particles measuring 7-11 nm remained unchanged throughout prenatal life and decreased in the adult. These particles may be involved in stabilization of initial contacts and maintenance of mature synapses, rather than representing receptors or ion channels which would be expected to increase during development. The density of particles smaller than 7 nm increased prenatally, decreased at birth, then increased in the adult. These particles may represent two or more different macromolecules, one important in synaptogenesis, the other important in adult synapses.

The anatomy of geniculocortical connections in monocularly deprived cats

In monocularly deprived (MD) cats, many cells in the lateral geniculate nucleus (LGN) but few cells in the visual cortex respond to input from the deprived eye, suggesting that the connections to visual cortex from the deprived geniculate laminae may have been disrupted. It has been known for some time that the afferents representing the deprived eye terminate over a smaller percentage of layer IV than do those representing the experienced eye, but it is becoming increasingly clear that this alone cannot explain the inability of the deprived pathway to activate cortical cells. 2-Deoxyglucose studies of ocular dominance columns in MD cats have shown that the columns are often (a) restricted to layer IV, suggesting that intracortical connections may be disrupted, and (b) very faint, suggesting that MD alters the efficacy of the deprived pathway in addition to restricting its territory. Electron microscopy has shown that both deprived and experienced afferents end in terminals that contain mitochondria and round synaptic vesicles and that make asymmetric contacts with dendritic profiles. However, the terminals of deprived afferents differ from those of experienced afferents: they are 25% smaller, contain 33% fewer mitochondria, are more likely to make synapses that are presynaptically convex (and thus, perhaps, immature), make fewer perforated synapses, and synapse onto smaller spines. Further, the geniculocortical axons from deprived laminae appear to end in fewer synaptic terminals, than do those from the experienced laminae. The finding that the synaptic terminals of deprived afferents are both abnormal morphologically and fewer in number can help to explain the reduced effectiveness of the deprived eye in driving cortical cells but does not rule out additional effects such as suppression and loss of intracortical connectivity.

The postsynaptic density: a possible role in long-lasting effects in the central nervous system

A theory is proposed that biochemical changes at the synapse that occur as a result of stimulation of specific neuronal circuits can lead to long-term changes only if alterations occur in synaptic structures in these circuits. The main synaptic structure that is thought to undergo this alteration is the postsynaptic density (PSD). There are many reports in the literature of overall structural changes at the synapse, including the PSD, resulting from various neuronal stimuli. These structural changes are here envisaged to include those of concentration and conformation of PSD proteins, changes that could alter the neural physiology of dendritic spines and even that of the presynaptic terminal.

Relationships between synaptic junctions, puncta adhaerentia and the spine apparatus at neocortical axo-spinous synapses. A serial section study

A total of 80 cotical axo-spinous synaptic junctions were reconstructed from serial sections and about 100,000 were analyzed in single sections. Special attention was paid to the occurrence of puncta adhaerentia associated with perforated, annulate or horseshoe-shaped (= complex) synaptic junctions and to the presence and proximity of the spine apparatus. Further evidence is presented that the spine apparatus has no relationship to simple (round or oval) synaptic specializations, but is present in association with at least 91% of complex junctions. The spine apparatus points towards the punctum adhaerens which in at least 71% of cases seems to be an integral part of the complex synapse. Direct continuity was found between the dense material of the spine apparatus and the punctum adhaerens. It is suggested, in accordance with other recent studies, that expansion of the synaptic active zone occurs by the addition and transformation of puncta adhaerentia. The spine apparatus may participate in this dynamic process as a possible donor of specific postsynaptic proteins.

Catecholamine synapses and contents in the paraventricular hypothalamic nucleus and nucleus tractus solitarius of DOCA-salt hypertensive rats

Central catecholamine (CA) neurons in the nucleus tractus solitarius (NTS) and paraventricular hypothalamic nucleus (PVN) were studied in Wistar rats that had been unilaterally nephrectomized. The experimental animals were then treated with deoxycorticosterone acetate (DOCA) and salt water. The control animals were treated with the vehicle and tap water. Blood pressure of animals 4 weeks after DOCA/salt treatment was significantly elevated when compared to control rats. Morphologically, CA terminals showed no noticeable changes in the DOCA/salt hypertensive rats. Furthermore, the density of CA terminals either in the NTS or in the PVN of the DOCA/salt hypertensive rats was not statistically different from that of normotensive controls, suggesting that salt does not cause lesions or destruction of CA terminals. However, an extensive electron-microscopic morphometric analysis indicated that there was an enhancement of CA synaptogenesis (expressed by increased synaptic frequency among all CA boutons labeled with 5-hydroxydopamine) in the PVN, but not in the NTS of DOCA/salt hypertensive rats. In addition, the high-performance liquid chromatography revealed decreased CA contents in the PVN, but not in the NTS, of DOCA/salt hypertensive animals. Since synapses are primary sites for neurotransmitter release, the above results collectively suggest that more CA synapses formed in the PVN may reflect a net CA release from CA terminals resulting in the decreased CA content in the axonal terminals. Such an increased CA release and enhanced CA synaptogenesis may consequently enhance CA function in the PVN of hypertensive rats 4 weeks after DOCA/salt treatment, and relate to the development and/or maintenance of hypertension in the DOCA/salt rats.

Development and degeneration of retina in rds mutant mice: electron microscopy

In the retina of mice homozygous for the retinal degeneration slow (rds) gene, receptor outer segments failed to develop and typical disc structures were never observed. However, cilia surrounded by a plasma membrane were regularly present. At the time when outer segments grew in the normal retina, the optic ventricle in the mutant showed an accumulation of membrane-bound vesicles of varying size and density. The vesicles declined in frequency at later stages of degeneration. After initial growth, the inner segments in the mutant retina remained stunted but maintained their morphological differentiation, including the ciliary structures. Their number declined with loss of visual cells. In the mutant retina development of synapses, between the receptor cells and the processes of the horizontal cells and the bipolar cell dendrites, followed in normal sequence. Formation of spherule terminals of the rods, with one triad synapse, and of pedicle terminals of the cones, with multiple triad synapses, was recorded in the same way as in the normal retina. With loss of visual cells in the mutant retina, some of the profiles of the surviving spherule terminals showed an increased occurrence of two, three, or more synaptic sites. This growth resulted from enlargement and branching of the ribbons and sprouting from the postsynaptic elements. Similar changes were not observed in the pedicle terminals. The pigment epithelial cells in the mutant mice appeared initially normal, but phagolysosomal structures were absent. However, various inclusion bodies appeared within the pigment epithelial cells following degenerative changes in the retina. In some places, the basal infoldings deepened their furrows while thinning the cytoplasmic part of the epithelium. Failure to form the outer segments and the subsequent lysis of the visual cells appear to be the primary effects of the rds gene, whereas the synaptic growth in the sperule terminals and the changes in the pigment epithelium appear to be consequential to those defects.