Effects of thyrotropin-releasing hormone and a related analog, CNK-602A, on long-term potentiation in the mossy fiber-CA3 pathway of guinea pig hippocampal slices

Dopamine and norepinephrine receptors participate in methylphenidate enhancement of in vivo hippocampal synaptic plasticity

Attention-deficit hyperactive disorder (ADHD) is the most commonly studied and diagnosed psychiatric disorder in children. Methylphenidate (MPH, e.g., Ritalin) has been used to treat ADHD for over 50 years. It is the most commonly prescribed treatment for ADHD, and in the past decade it was the drug most commonly prescribed to teenagers. In addition, MPH has become one of the most widely abused drugs on college campuses. In this study, we examined the effects of MPH on hippocampal synaptic plasticity, which serves as a measurable quantification of memory mechanisms. Field potentials were recorded with permanently implanted electrodes in freely-moving mice to quantify MPH modulation of perforant path synaptic transmission onto granule cells of the dentate gyrus. Our hypothesis was that MPH affects hippocampal synaptic plasticity underlying learning because MPH boosts catecholamine signaling by blocking the dopamine and norepinephrine transporters (DAT and NET respectively). In vitro hippocampal slice experiments indicated MPH enhances perforant path plasticity, and this MPH enhancement arose from action via D1-type dopamine receptors and β-type adrenergic receptors. Similarly, MPH boosted in vivo initiation of long-term potentiation (LTP). While there was an effect via both dopamine and adrenergic receptors in vivo, LTP induction was more dependent on the MPH-induced action via D1-type dopamine receptors. Under biologically reasonable experimental conditions, MPH enhances hippocampal synaptic plasticity via catecholamine receptors.

Dopamine selectively potentiates hippocampal mossy fiber to CA3 synaptic transmission

Dopamine has been implicated in various brain functions and the pathology of neurological diseases. In the hippocampus, dopamine has been shown to induce acute depression of synaptic transmission in the CA1 region, but it remains largely unknown how it works in the CA3 region. We here report that dopamine induces acute synaptic potentiation at the synapse formed by mossy fibers (MFs) on mouse hippocampal CA3 pyramidal cells, but not at converging associational/commissural synapses. Dopamine potentiated both alpha-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid (AMPA) and N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) components of MF synaptic responses similarly in respect of the magnitude and time course. The dopamine-induced potentiation was intact in the presence of picrotoxin, required activation of D(1)-like receptors and was apparently occluded by an activator of adenylate cyclase. The potentiation was accompanied by a decrease in magnitude of synaptic facilitation, suggesting the presynaptic site for the expression of the potentiation. The present study is the first demonstration of acute potentiation of hippocampal excitatory synaptic transmission by dopamine, which is most probably mediated by presynaptic D(1)-like receptor-cAMP cascades.

The multifarious hippocampal mossy fiber pathway: a review

The hippocampal mossy fiber pathway between the granule cells of the dentate gyrus and the pyramidal cells of area CA3 has been the target of numerous scientific studies. Initially, attention was focused on the mossy fiber to CA3 pyramidal cell synapse because it was suggested to be a model synapse for studying the basic properties of synaptic transmission in the CNS. However, the accumulated body of research suggests that the mossy fiber synapse is rather unique in that it has many distinct features not usually observed in cortical synapses. In this review, we have attempted to summarize the many unique features of this hippocampal pathway. We also have attempted to reconcile some discrepancies that exist in the literature concerning the pharmacology, physiology and plasticity of this pathway. In addition we also point out some of the experimental challenges that make electrophysiological study of this pathway so difficult.Finally, we suggest that understanding the functional role of the hippocampal mossy fiber pathway may lie in an appreciation of its variety of unique properties that make it a strong yet broadly modulated synaptic input to postsynaptic targets in the hilus of the dentate gyrus and area CA3 of the hippocampal formation.

Effects of prolyl endopeptidase inhibitors and neuropeptides on delayed neuronal death in rats

We investigated the effects of the prolyl endopeptidase inhibitors 1-[1-(Benzyloxycarbonyl)-L-prolyl]prolinal (Z-Pro-Prolinal) and N-benzyloxycarbonyl-thioprolyl-thioprolinal-dimethylaceta l (ZTTA) on delayed neuronal death induced by four-vessel-occlusion transient ischemia in rats. We also examined the effects of [pGlu4, Cyt6, ArgS]vasopressin (vasopressin-(4-9)) and thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH) on the delayed neuronal death. Furthermore, we investigated the role of vasopressin receptors in the effects of vasopressin and prolyl endopeptidase inhibitors. Z-Pro-Prolinal, vasopressin-(4-9) and TRH protected pyramidal cells in the CA1 subfield of the rat hippocampus from delayed neuronal death after 10-min ischemia. The effect of vasopressin-(4-9) was abolished by vasopressin receptor antagonists. The effect of Z-Pro-Prolinal was also abrogated by the antagonists. These results suggest that the neuroprotective effect of prolyl endopeptidase inhibitors is mediated by neuropeptides such as [Arg8]vasopressin and TRH, and indicate the involvement of vasopressin receptors in the neuroprotective effect of vasopressin-(4-9) and prolyl endopeptidase inhibitors.

Z-321, a prolyl endopeptidase inhibitor, augments the potentiation of synaptic transmission in rat hippocampal slices

The present study investigated the effects of arginine-vasopressin (AVP) and (1-[3-(2-indanylacetyl)-L-thioprolyl] pyrrolidine (Z-321), an inhibitor of prolyl endopeptidase (PEP; (EC 3.4.21.26)) which degrades AVP in vitro, on the short-lasting potentiation of the field excitatory postsynaptic potentials (EPSP) coupled with a weak tetanus. The EPSP, after the electrical stimulation of the Schaffer collateral/commissural pathway, were recorded in the CA1 region of rat hippocampal slices. AVP at 10(-8) M and Z-321 at 10(-4) M augmented the potentiation induced by the weak tetanus; the magnitude of the post-tetanic potentiation of the EPSP was enhanced and the potentiation lasted for 60 min. In contrast, the racemic D-thioprolyl compound of Z-321, which virtually lacks any inhibitory effects on PEP, failed to affect the potentiation at 10(-4) M. The facilitatory effect of Z-321 was reversed by the application of [d(CH2)5,Tyr(Me)2]AVP (10(-8) M), an antagonist of the AVP V1 receptors, indicating that the effect of Z-321 was mediated through the V1 receptors. These findings suggest that Z-321 augmented the potentiation due to its inhibitory influence on the AVP degradation by PEP.

Roles of endogenous cholinergic neurons in the induction of long-term potentiation at hippocampal mossy fiber synapses

To evaluate the functional role of endogenous acetylcholine (ACh) in the induction of long-term potentiation (LTP) at mossy fiber-CA3 synapses, the influence of cholinergic hypofunction on it was investigated. Administration of a cholinergic neurotoxin, ethylcholine mustard aziridinium ion (AF64A; 5 nmol, i.c.v.), to guinea pigs one week prior to preparing slices resulted in a significant decrease in the magnitude of LTP, associated with a significant decrease in cholineacetyltransferase (ChAT) activity and the number of ChAT immunoreactive cells in the hippocampal slices. Bath-application of a cholinesterase inhibitor, physostigmine at 0.1 microM and 10 microM, attenuated and augmented, respectively, the magnitude of LTP in slices prepared from vehicle-treated animals (naive slices), whereas that in slices prepared from AF64A-treated animals (lesioned slices) was not significantly affected by physostigmine at any concentration tested. The induction of LTP in naive slices was inhibited or facilitated by a muscarinic M1 antagonist pirenzepine (1 microM) and by an M2 antagonist AF-DX 116 (1 microM) alone, respectively, whereas that in lesioned slices was not significantly changed by either of them. Furthermore, bath-applied carbachol (CCh) at 0.01-10 microM augmented the magnitude of LTP in lesioned slices, whereas the induction of LTP in naive slices was inhibited and facilitated by CCh at 0.01-0.1 microM and 1-10 microM, respectively, as reported previously. Such an augmentation of LTP by CCh was reversed by pirenzepine, but not by AF-DX 116. These observations suggest that AF64A induces the defect in ACh release and the hypofunction of M2 receptors, but not of M1, at least during the induction of LTP at mossy fiber-CA3 synapses.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Electrophysiological interactions between 5-hydroxytryptamine and thyrotropin releasing hormone on rat hippocampal CA1 neurons

Intracellular recording from CA1 neurons of the rat hippocampal slice preparation was used to examine the possibility of functional interactions between 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) and thyrotropin releasing hormone (TRH), which act as cotransmitters in other areas of the central nervous system. 5-HT (30 microM) elicited complex effects consisting of biphasic changes in membrane potential and a strong depression of the afterhyperpolarization (AHP) following a spike burst. TRH (10 microM) did not alter membrane potential or input conductance but it produced a partial block of the AHP. Under single-electrode voltage clamp, 5-HT and TRH both reduced the amplitude of voltage-activated total K+ currents. When the two substances were co-applied, their actions were occluded. The voltage-activated K+ current remaining in Ca(2+)-free solution lost its sensitivity to 5-HT and TRH, suggesting that the K+ current modulated by TRH and 5-HT was Ca(2+)-dependent, although TRH itself did not depress high-threshold voltage-activated Ca2+ currents. When a relatively small concentration (5 microM) of 5-HT was co-applied with an equimolar amount of TRH, the degree of block of the spike AHP was the sum of the two individual effects of these drugs. It is suggested that in hippocampal pyramidal cells 5-HT and TRH influenced neuronal excitability by depressing a Ca(2+)-dependent K+ current, a phenomenon perhaps mediated through a common intracellular second messenger pathway.

LTP of mossy fiber-stimulated potentials in CA3 during learning in rats

The study was done to determine whether long-term potentiation (LTP) of the potentials occurs at mossy fiber (MF)-CA3 synapses with the advance of learning in unrestrained and unanesthetized rats. The rats were divided into two groups, the test and control groups. The test group was given daily learning tasks in the radial arm maze, whereas the control group was similarly handled without learning tasks. Complete acquisition of learning was observed in the test group on day 5, and the learning was maintained over 3 days. Under freely moving conditions, a significant increase in population spikes (PS) elicited by MF stimulation with the progress in learning was observed in the test group, and the PS potentiation remained stable after day 4. Furthermore, on day 7, when MF stimulation-induced PS in the test group were compared with that in the control group in pentobarbital-anesthetized rats, the responses were comparatively higher in the former. As the training-induced PS potentiation in CA3 occurred with the advance of learning, these findings suggest that LTP in CA3 induced by learning may be related to memory storage.

NS-3, a TRH analog, reverses repeated ECS-induced deficits in water maze performance in the rat

Rats given five consecutive daily electroconvulsive shock (ECS) treatments and trained to run in the Morris water maze, starting three days posttreatment, showed deficits in learning and memory functions. Treatment before each training session with the thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH) analog NS-3 [(CG-3703), (3R),(6R)-6-methyl-5-oxo-3-thiomorphorinyl-l-histidyl-l-prolinamid e tetrahydrate] reversed these behavioral deficits. The possible use of TRH and its analogs as therapeutic treatment for the cognitive dysfunctions resulting from electroconvulsive shock treatment for depression and the possible involvement of central cholinergic systems in the cognitive dysfunctions are discussed.

Modulation by TRH of NMDA-elicited responses of CA1 neurones of the rat hippocampal slice preparation

Intracellular recording from CA1 neurones of the rat hippocampal slice preparation was carried out to assess the ability of the endogenously-occurring neuropeptide thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH) to modulate responses elicited by the excitatory amino acid agonist N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA). TRH (5 microM) produced no change in resting membrane potential or input resistance but facilitated on-going synaptic activity. In the continuous presence of the peptide responses to NMDA were selectively enhanced for about 20 min. In approximately 50% of cells the potentiating effect of TRH persisted in tetrodotoxin (TTX) solution and was associated with removal of the apparent voltage-dependent increase in input resistance usually found during the NMDA-induced depolarization. It is suggested that TRH evoked a transient upregulation of NMDA responses which might account for the reported facilitation by this peptide of long term potentiation in the hippocampus.

Behavioural effects of scopolamine and the TRH analogue RX77368 on radial arm maze performance in the rat

Effects of repeated intracerebroventricular administration of the thyrotrophin-releasing hormone (TRH) analogue, RX77368 (3,3'-dimethyl-TRH, 2 μg, once daily), on a scopolamine-induced performance deficit in an eight-arm radial maze were evaluated in adult rats. Scopolamine (0.3 mg/kg i.p.-30 min) pre-treatment produced a significant deficit in the number of unrepeated arm entries and total arm entries and increased the percentage of incorrect arm entries and the total time on the maze, compared with saline-treated controls. Prior treatment with RX77368 (40 min before maze testing) produced a partial but significant attenuation of the scopolamine-induced performance deficit on the maze during the first five trials but RX77368 also enhanced maze performance during the same period when given alone. These results suggest that the observed scopolamine-induced performance deficit on the radial arm maze partly results from a reduction in locomotion and maze exploration rather than solely impairment of memory, and that RX77368 treatment may improve radial maze performance by increasing arousal and exploratory behaviour in rats rather than directly enhancing cognition.

Galanin fails to alter both acquisition of a two trial per day water maze task and neurochemical markers of cholinergic or serotonergic neurones in adult rats

The co-existence of galanin with acetylcholine in ventral forebrain neurones combined with evidence that galanin attenuates cholinergic function and is present in senile plaques in Alzheimer's disease all implicate this neuropeptide in the regulation of cognition. This study simultaneously examines the effect of galanin on acquisition in a Morris water maze and post-training markers of cholinergic and serotonergic forebrain neurones thought to be involved in cognition. Synthetic porcine galanin (10(-9) to 10(-6) M) produced dose-related inhibition of atropine sensitive indirectly-evoked contractions of an isolated guinea-pig ileum which was unaffected by naloxone (10(-7) M). This confirmed the bioactivity of synthetic galanin, which reduces acetylcholine, but not opiate, release from the ileal myenteric plexus. Galanin pretreatment (1 or 10 micrograms i.c.v., -15 min) failed to alter acquisition of a Morris water maze task (2 trials per day) in Hooded Lister rats. Following behavioural acquisition, five days of galanin administration did not alter choline acetyltransferase activity, thyrotrophin-releasing hormone-like immunoreactivity or 5-hydroxytryptamine levels or turnover in the frontal cortex, hippocampus or septum, although dopamine levels were significantly elevated in the frontal cortex. These findings suggest that galanin does not affect acquisition in a simple visual-spatial task which taxes reference more than working memory and questions the assumption that a cholinergic mechanism is the major contributor to previously reported cognitive effects of galanin.

Role of somatostatin in the augmentation of hippocampal long-term potentiation by FR121196, a putative cognitive enhancer

N-(4-Acetyl-1-piperazinyl)-4-fluorobenzenesulfonamide (FR121196), a newly introduced putative cognitive enhancer of a derivative of piperazine, was investigated for its effects on long-term potentiation in guinea-pig hippocampal slices. The magnitude of long-term potentiation of population spikes recorded in CA3 pyramidal neurons was significantly augmented by perfusing FR121196 (10(-9)-10(-6) M) for 25 min before and during tetanic stimulation of the mossy fibers; the basal amplitude of population spikes before tetanus was hardly affected by the drug. The dose-response curve was bell-shaped with a maximal augmentation at 10(-7) M. Similar activity and bell-shaped dose-response curve were observed with methamphetamine (10(-8)-10(-6) M). Physostigmine (10(-8)-10(-6) M) also facilitated long-term potentiation of this pathway and the magnitude of augmentation was concentration-dependent. Scopolamine (10(-6) M) per se had little effect on the magnitude of long-term potentiation in the mossy fiber-CA3 pathway, but significantly attenuated its enhancement by FR121196 (10(-7) M) and physostigmine (10(-6) M), although it failed to influence that by methamphetamine (10(-7) M). In hippocampal slices from animals treated with cysteamine, which was shown to deplete hippocampal somatostatin, FR121196 (10(-7) M) hardly affected long-term potentiation generation, whereas physostigmine (10(-6) M) and methamphetamine (10(-7) M) augmented it significantly. These results suggest that FR121196 enhances the development of long-term potentiation in the mossy fiber-CA3 pathway through activation of somatostatinergic neurons in the hippocampal formation.

Bidirectional modulation of long-term potentiation by carbachol via M1 and M2 muscarinic receptors in guinea pig hippocampal mossy fiber-CA3 synapses

Participation of muscarinic M1 and M2 receptors in the modulation of long-term potentiation (LTP) was studied in the mossy fiber-CA3 synapse of guinea pig hippocampal slices. The magnitude of tetanus-induced LTP was attenuated in the presence of 0.01-0.1 microM carbachol, at which concentration the pre-tetanus amplitude of field excitatory postsynaptic potential (fEPSP) was not affected. The attenuation of LTP by the low concentration of carbachol was reversed by an M2 muscarinic antagonist, AF-DX 116, but not by an M1 antagonist, pirenzepine. On the contrary, a high concentration (10 microM) of carbachol decreased the pre-tetanic amplitude of fEPSP, however, the magnitude of LTP was significantly larger than that in control slices in which pre-tetanic amplitude of fEPSP was reduced to the level of carbachol-treated slices by reducing the intensity of stimulation or extracellular Ca2+ concentration. The augmentation of LTP by 10 microM carbachol was blocked by pirenzepine but not by AF-DX 116. These results suggest that the synaptic plasticity in the guinea pig hippocampal mossy fiber-CA3 synapse is inhibited and facilitated by muscarinic agonist through muscarinic M2 and M1 receptors to inhibit and facilitate the LTP, respectively.

A mechanism underlying dopamine D1 and D2 receptor-mediated inhibition of dopaminergic neurones in the ventral tegmental area in vitro

1. An intracellular recording study was performed to elucidate the mechanism underlying D1 and D2 receptor-mediated inhibition of neuronal activities of dopaminergic neurones in the ventral tegmental area (VTA) using slice preparations of the rat brain. 2. VTA neurones were classified into type I and type II neurones according to the shape of the action potential, which correspond to dopaminergic and non-dopaminergic neurones, respectively. 3. Addition of dopamine (10 microM) and quinpirole (1-100 microM) to the bath hyperpolarized the membrane of the type I neurones concomitantly with an increase in membrane conductance and an inhibition of action potentials which occurred spontaneously and were elicited by depolarizing pulses applied to the cell. However, quinpirole (10 microM) had no effect on the threshold for action potentials induced by a depolarizing pulse. 4. These quinpirole (10 microM)-induced effects were antagonized by simultaneous application of domperidone (5 microM), a D2 receptor antagonist. 5. The amplitude of quinpirole (10 microM)-induced hyperpolarization was decreased by increasing the potassium concentration in the perfusing fluid or simultaneous application of tetraethylammonium (10 microM). 6. SKF 38393 (10 or 100 microM), a D1 receptor agonist, had no effect on the resting membrane potential or action potential firing induced by a depolarizing pulse applied to the cell. However, when SKF 38393 (10 microM) was applied simultaneously with quinpirole (10 microM), the threshold for action potential generation was elevated by 5-6 mV, although there was no enhancement of hyperpolarization induced by quinpirole. 7. The elevation of the threshold for action potentials induced by SKF 38393 in the presence of quinpirole was antagonized by simultaneous application of SCH 23390 (5 microM), a D1 receptor antagonist.8. Dopamine (10 microM), quinpirole (10 or 100 microM) and SKF 38393 (10 or 100 microM) had no effect on the resting membrane potential or spontaneously occurring action potentials in type II neurones.9. These findings suggest that activation of dopamine D2 receptors of dopaminergic neurones in the VTA increases potassium conductance, thereby hyperpolarizing the membrane and eventually inhibiting neuronal activities. They also suggest that simultaneous activation of both D1 and D2 receptors enhances the D2 receptor-mediated inhibitory effects by elevation of the threshold for action potential generation.

The involvement of muscarinic, β-adrenergic and metabotropic glutamate receptors in long-term potentiation in the fimbria-CA3 pathway of the hippocampus

Possible modulatory actions of endogenous neurotransmitters on long-term potentiation (LTP) were investigated in the fimbria-CA3 pathway of rat hippocampal slices. Bath application of atropine (10 microM), but neither timolol (10 microM) nor D,L-2-amino-3-phosphonopropionate (AP3, 100 microM), significantly attenuated LTP induced by 20 pulses of 50 Hz stimulation. When stronger stimulation (3 trains of 100 Hz, 100 pulses) was used for the induction of LTP, timolol significantly attenuated LTP, but atropine and AP3 did not. These results suggest that, under specified conditions, endogenous acetylcholine through muscarinic receptors, and noradrenaline through beta-adrenergic receptors may modulate the generation of LTP in the fimbria-CA3 pathway. Metabotropic glutamate receptors may be involved not in the generation of LTP but in low-frequency synaptic transmission, since 300-1,000 microM AP3 greatly reduced, or abolished synaptic transmission in this pathway.

A facilitatory role of endogenous somatostatin in long-term potentiation of the mossy fiber-CA3 system in guinea-pig hippocampus

To estimate the functional role of endogenous somatostatin in the production of long-term potentiation (LTP) in mossy fiber-CA3 system, an influence of depletion of somatostatin on the magnitude of it was examined in guinea-pig hippocampal slices. Administration of cysteamine (200 mg/kg, s.c.), a depletor of somatostatin, to guinea-pigs 13 h prior to preparing slices resulted in a significant decrease in the magnitude of LTP of population spikes in mossy fiber-CA3 system, being associated with a significant depletion of the content of somatostatin in the hippocampus. Furthermore, bath-applied somatostatin (1-14) at a concentration, at which the substance did not influence LTP in slices prepared from saline-treated animals, significantly augmented LTP in slices from cysteamine-treated animals. Cyclo-somatostatin (0.32 and 3.2 microM), a putative antagonist of somatostatin receptors, failed to affect the magnitude of LTP of mossy fiber-CA3 system when applied alone; however, the combined application of cyclo-somatostatin with somatostatin (0.32 microM) significantly inhibited the augmenting action of somatostatin on LTP. From these observations, it is suggested that endogenous somatostatin plays a facilitatory role in the production of LTP in mossy fiber-CA3 system in guinea-pig hippocampus.

Somatostatin augments long-term potentiation of the mossy fiber-CA3 system in guinea-pig hippocampal slices

The effect of exogenously applied somatostatin (1-14), which is one of the candidates of neuromodulators in the hippocampus, on long-term potentiation (LTP) was investigated in the CA1 and CA3 subfields of guinea-pig hippocampal slices. In the mossy fiber-CA3 pyramidal cell system, the magnitude of LTP of both population excitatory postsynaptic potential (pEPSP) and population spike was significantly augmented by somatostatin (10(-7)-10(-6) M) perfused before and during tetanic stimulation which never affected basal amplitude of population spikes before tetanus. The enhancement of LTP by somatostatin lasted for at least one hour after washout. On the other hand, somatostatin at the most effective concentration (3.2 x 10(-7) M) in the above described system failed to affect the magnitude of the LTP of population spikes in Schaffer collateral-CA1 pathway. The enhancing effect of somatostatin on LTP in the mossy fiber CA3 system was inhibited either by a muscarinic antagonist, scopolamine (10(-6) M), or a beta-adrenoceptor antagonist, timolol (10(-6) M). These results suggest that somatostatin enhances the production of LTP in the mossy fiber-CA3 pathway of the guinea-pig hippocampus through the intervention of cholinergic and noradrenergic neurons.