K+-evoked Caa+-dependent release of D-[3H]aspartate from terminals of the cortico-pontine pathway

Regional (14C) 2-deoxyglucose uptake during forelimb movements evoked by rat motor cortex stimulation: pons, cerebellum, medulla, spinal cord, muscle

Electrical stimulation of the right forelimb motor (MI) sensory (SI) cortex in normal, adult rats produced repetitive left forelimb movements. Regions of increased (14C) 2-deoxyglucose (2DG) uptake were mapped auto-radiographically during these movements. MI stimulation activated the ipsilateral reticular tegmental pontine nucleus (RTP) and the middle (rostral-caudal) third of the pontine nuclei including pyramidal (P), medial (POM), ventral (POV), and lateral (POL) pontine nuclei. The ipsilateral inferior olivary complex was activated including dorsal accessory olive (DAO), principal olive (PO), and medial accessory olive (MAO). The contralateral lateral reticular (LR) nucleus and nucleus cuneatus (CU) were activated. Lateral vermal, paravermal, and hemispheric portions of the contralateral cerebellum were also activated. Parts of vermian lobules IV, V, VI, VII, and VIII, and lobulus simplex, crus I, crus II, paramedian lobule, and copula pyramidis were activated. Granule cell layers were activated much more than molecular layers. Discrete microzones of high granule cell 2DG uptake alternated with zones of low uptake in left paramedian lobule and copula pyramidis and may correlate with the fractured cerebellar somatotopy described physiologically by Welker and his associates. Portions of the left lateral and interpositus nuclei were metabolically activated. Medial portions of laminae I-VI were activated in the dorsal horn of cervical spinal cord. The 2DG uptake was either unchanged or decreased in the ventral horn. Thoracic and lumbar spinal cord were not activated. Monsynaptic MI and SI connections to P, POM, POV, POL, RTP, DAO, PO, MAO, LR, CU, and spinal cord could account for activation of those structures. However, there are no direct MI or SI connections to the deep cerebellar nuclei, the cerebellar hemisphere, or the muscles. Activation of these structures must be due to activation of polysynaptic pathways, sensory feedback from the moving forelimb, or both. The present experiments cannot distinguish these possibilities. Comparison of the regions activated during forelimb MI stimulation (FLMIS) to those activated during vibrissae MI stimulation (VMIS) suggests that the pontine nuclei, cerebellar hemisphere, and possibly the deep cerebellar nuclei are somatotopically organized. RTP, LR, CU, and spinal cord were activated during FLMIS but were not activated during VMIS. The failure to activate the ventral horn of cervical spinal cord may be due to known inhibition of alpha-motor neurons during motor cortex stimulation.

Glutamate-like immunoreactivity in synaptic terminals of the posterior cingulopontine pathway: a light and electron microscopic study in the rabbit

A postembedding immunoperoxidase method for light microscopy was used to localize glutamate-like immunoreactivity in the rabbit basilar pontine nuclei. Labelled fibre bundles, neuronal cell bodies and numerous puncta of diverse size were heavily glutamate immunoreactive throughout all subdivisions of the pontine nuclei. To determine whether some of the glutamate-immunoreactive puncta were synaptic terminals of posterior cingulate cortical neurons, a double-labelling technique involving an anterograde tract-tracing method and a postembedding immunogold procedure for electron microscopy was used. A quantitative evaluation of gold particle densities revealed that anterogradely labelled cingulopontine synaptic terminals were about twice as immunoreactive as their postsynaptic dendrites, perikaryal and glial profiles and about three times more than symmetric synaptic terminals. The present results indicate that the posterior cingulopontine projection contains high levels of glutamate at its synaptic terminals. This observation provides further support to the role for glutamate as a neurotransmitter in the corticopontine pathway.

Effect of unilateral motor cortex ablation on activity of choline acetyltransferase and levels of amino acid transmitter candidates in the spinal cord of adult monkeys

Evidence that L-glutamate is a neurotransmitter of corticofugal fibers was sought by measuring changes in several biochemical markers of neurotransmitter function in discrete regions of spinal cord after ablation of sensorimotor cortex in monkeys. One and five weeks after unilateral cortical ablation, samples from six areas of spinal cord (ventral, lateral and dorsal regions of the left and right sides) were analysed for choline acetyltransferase (ChAT) activity and contents of amino acid transmitter candidates-glutamic acid (Glu), aspartic acid (Asp), glycine (Gly), taurine (Tau) and gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA). During one to five weeks after unilateral cortical ablation of the monkey, prolonged hemiplegia in the contralateral side was observed. Histological examination of the spinal cord 5 weeks after unilateral (left) cortical ablation showed no apparent change in either control (ipsilateral, left) or affected (contralateral, right) sides of the cord as examined by the Klüver-Barrera method. The ChAT activity as a cholinergic marker was scarcely changed in any region of either left (control) or right (affected) side of the spinal cord at one and five weeks after unilateral (left side) ablation of the motor cortex. Amino acid levels in each region of the spinal cord were not significantly changed one week after unilateral ablation of the motor cortex. However, a significant decrease of Glu content was observed in the lateral column of the affected (right) side compared to the control (left) side of cervical and lumbar cord five weeks after cortical ablation of the left motor area. No concomitant alterations of other amino acids were detected.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Proportion of glutamate- and aspartate-immunoreactive neurons in the efferent pathways of the rat visual cortex varies according to the target

Immunohistochemistry, with antisera directed against glutamate (Glu) or aspartate (Asp), was combined with wheat germ agglutinin-horseradish peroxidase (WGA-HRP) histochemistry to examine the distribution, morphology, and proportions of Glu- and Asp-containing neurons that give rise to corticofugal and callosal projections of the rat visual cortex. WGA-HRP injections in the dorsal lateral geniculate nucleus resulted in retrograde labelling of small and medium-sized cells throughout layer VI of the visual cortex. Of these cells, 60% were also Glu-immunoreactive and 61% Asp-positive. WGA-HRP injections in the superior colliculus labelled large and medium-sized neurons in the upper portion of layer V of the visual cortex. Of these cells, 46% were also stained for Glu and 66% for Asp. Injections in the pontine nuclei resulted in retrograde labelling of cells in the deeper part of cortical layer V. Retrogradely labelled cells, which were also immunoreactive for Glu or Asp, were large pyramidal cells. Corticopontine neurons, which were also Glu-positive, accounted for 42% of the total number of WGA-HRP labelled cells, whilst for Asp-positive neurons this percentage was 51%. Finally, after injections in the visual cortex, retrogradely labelled small and medium-sized cells were found throughout layers II-VI in the contralateral visual cortex. Of these neurons, 38% were also labelled for Glu while 49% were also Asp-immunoreactive. The present results demonstrate that substantial proportions of projection neurons in the rat visual cortex are immunoreactive for Glu or Asp, suggesting that these excitatory amino acids are the major transmitters used by the cortical efferent systems examined. Furthermore, the proportions of these immunoreactive neurons in the efferent pathways vary according to the target.

Organization of the pontine nuclei

The pontine nuclei provide the cerebellar hemispheres with the majority of their mossy fiber afferents, and receive their main input from the cerebral cortex. Even though the vast majority of pontine neurons send their axons to the cerebellar cortex, and are contacted monosynaptically by (glutamatergic) corticopontine fibers, the information-processing taking place is not well understood. In addition to typical projection neurons, the pontine nuclei contain putative GABA-ergic interneurons and complex synaptic arrangements. The corticopontine projection is characterized by a precise but highly divergent terminal pattern. Large and functionally diverse parts of the cerebral cortex contribute; in the monkey the most notable exception is the almost total lack of projections from large parts of the prefrontal and temporal cortices. Within corticopontine projections from visual and somatosensory areas there is a de-emphasis of central vision and distal parts of the extremities as compared with other connections of these sensory areas. Subcorticopontine projections provide only a few percent of the total input to the pontine nuclei. Certain cell groups, such as the reticular formation, project in a diffuse manner whereas other nuclei, such as the mammillary nucleus, project to restricted pontine regions only, partially converging with functionally related corticopontine connections. The pontocerebellar projection is characterized by a highly convergent pattern, even though there is also marked divergence. Neurons projecting to a single cerebellar folium appear to be confined to a lamella-shaped volume in the pontine nuclei. The organization of the pontine nuclei suggests that they ensure that information from various, functionally diverse, parts of the cerebral cortex and subcortical nuclei are brought together and integrated in the cerebellar cortex.

Immunohistochemical localization of aspartate in corticofugal pathways

In the present study we used immunohistochemistry, with an antibody directed against aspartate (Asp), in conjunction with wheat germ agglutinin-horseradish peroxidase (WGA-HRP) histochemistry to examine the Asp-containing neurons in the motor and somatosensory cortices of the rat that project to the caudate/putamen or the pons. Injections of WGA-HRP in the caudate/putamen labelled cells in layer V of both cortical areas. In the motor cortex, retrogradely labelled neurons were distributed throughout layer V; 59% of these cells were also Asp-immunoreactive. In the somatosensory cortex labelled neurons were found mainly in layer Vb; 57% of these cells were double labelled. A similar percentage of cells were double labelled in this cortical area following WGA-HRP injections into the pontine nuclei. These observations taken together with previous findings (Exp. Neurol., 105 (1989) 36-44) suggest that nearly equal proportions of neurons that give rise to the corticostriatal and corticopontine pathways may use either Asp or glutamate (Glu) as putative neurotransmitters.

Excitatory amino acid transmitters and their receptors in neural circuits of the cerebral neocortex

In 1954, L-glutamate (Glu) and L-aspartate (Asp) were first suggested as being excitatory synaptic transmitters in the cerebral cortex. Since then, evidence has mounted steadily in favor of the view that Glu and Asp are major excitatory transmitters in the neocortex. Many of the experimental studies which reported how Glu/Asp came to satisfy the criteria for transmitters in the neocortex are reviewed here, according to the methods employed. Since the question of which particular synaptic sites in cortical neural circuits Glu/Asp operate as excitatory transmitters has not previously been reviewed, particular attention is given to efferent, afferent and intrinsic neural circuits of the visual and somatosensory cortices, where circuitry is relatively clearly delineated. Recent studies using chemical assays of released amino acids, high-affinity uptake mechanisms of Glu/Asp from nerve terminals, the direct micro-iontophoretic administration of Glu/Asp antagonists, and immunocytochemical techniques have demonstrated that almost all corticofugal efferent projections employ Glu/Asp as excitatory synaptic transmitters. Evidence indicating that thalamocortical afferent projections, including geniculocortical projections and some intrinsic connections are glutamatergic, is also reviewed. Thus, the results highlighted here indicate that the main framework of neocortical circuitry is operated by Glu/Asp. Pharmacological studies indicate that synaptic receptors for Glu/Asp can be classified into a few subtypes, including N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) and quisqualate/kainate (non-NMDA) types. Some evidence indicating the sites of operation of NMDA and non-NMDA receptors in neocortical circuitry is reviewed, and the distinct, functional significance of these two types of Glu/Asp receptors in information processing in the neocortex is proposed.

Neurochemical heterogeneity among corticofugal and callosal projections

Biochemical, physiological, and anatomical studies over the past 30 years have firmly established glutamate (Glu) as the major neurotransmitter of those cortical neurons which give rise to corticofugal pathways. In the present study we utilized immunohistochemistry, with an antibody directed against Glu, in conjunction with wheat germ agglutinin-horseradish peroxidase (WGA-HRP) histochemistry to examine the Glu-containing neurons which give rise to corticofugal and callosal projections of the rat. Injections of WGA-HRP into the pons labeled cells in layer V of both visual and somatosensory cortices. WGA-HRP-labeled cells which also stained for Glu were large pyramids and in the visual cortex constituted approximately 42% of the total number of neurons which had effectively transported WGA-HRP, while the percentage was 56% in the somatosensory cortex. Following caudate/putamen injections, WGA-HRP-labeled cells were confined to layer V of the somatosensory and motor cortices. Of these cells, 40% in the somatosensory cortex and 53% in the motor cortex were also stained for Glu. Finally, after WGA-HRP injections in the visual cortex numerous WGA-HRP-positive neurons were found throughout layers II-VI around the boundaries between area 17 and areas 18 and 18a of the contralateral hemisphere. Here, 38% of these cells were also labeled for Glu, but this percentage was higher (49%) when layers II-III were considered alone. These findings show that Glu is not the neurotransmitter used overwhelmingly in corticofugal and callosal projections and that different proportions of neurons are Glu-immunoreactive in the systems examined.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Immunohistochemical localization of glutamate, glutaminase and aspartate aminotransferase in neurons of the pontine nuclei of the rat

The pontine nuclei form the key relay nuclei in the cerebropontocerebellar pathway. Although a great deal of information is available regarding the anatomy of this region, the identity of the neurotransmitter(s) contained in the neurons of the pontine gray are not known. The aim of the present investigation is to utilize immunohistochemical techniques to determine whether glutamate, a putative excitatory transmitter, and the enzymes responsible for its metabolism, are found in pontine neurons. Both glutaminase, an enzyme which converts glutamine to glutamate, and aspartate aminotransferase, an enzyme which is involved in the interconversion between glutamate and aspartate, have been proposed to be markers of neurons which use excitatory amino acids as neurotransmitters. The present study utilizes a monoclonal antibody against carbodiimide-fixed glutamate and polyclonal antisera against glutaminase and aspartate aminotransferase in conjunction with the indirect peroxidase technique or the peroxidase-labeled biotin-avidin procedure to localize glutamatergic neurons in the pontine nuclei of the rat. Numerous neurons in all subdivisions of the pontine nuclei were found to contain carbodiimide-fixed glutamate-like immunoreactivity, glutaminase-like immunoreactivity or aspartate aminotransferase-like immunoreactivity. Horseradish peroxidase was injected into the cerebellum of four rats for use with a combined retrograde transport-immunohistochemical procedure. Double-labeled neurons were observed in all subdivisions of the pontine nuclei, indicating that pontine neurons which contain glutamate-like immunoreactivity project to the cerebellum. Based on the hypothesis that increased levels of glutamate, glutaminase and aspartate aminotransferase reflect a transmitter role for glutamate, the present data raise the possibility that glutamate may be a major neurotransmitter of pontocerebellar fibers.

Uptake of D-aspartate and L-glutamate in excitatory axon terminals in hippocampus: autoradiographic and biochemical comparison with gamma-aminobutyrate and other amino acids in normal rats and in rats with lesions

High affinity uptake sites for 3H-labelled amino acids were studied in synaptosome-containing homogenates processed biochemically or in surface autoradiograms of incubated slices of hippocampus. D-aspartate and L-glutamate had apparently identical distributions. In normal rat hippocampus the highest uptake was in the terminal fields of axons from the pyramidal cells of regio inferior and hilus fasciae dentatae, while there was a moderate uptake in the terminal fields of the medial and lateral perforant paths, slight uptake in the mossy fibre layer and no uptake in the terminal fields of the basket cells. Uptake sites for gamma-aminobutyrate were concentrated in the latter fields, and in the most superficial cortical layers. The present method shows no uptake in cell bodies. The uptake activities were strongly inhibited by recognized blockers of (neuronal) high affinity uptake of glutamate or gamma-aminobutyrate. Autoradiographically, several other amino acids showed negligible uptake. The uptake of D-aspartate was reduced by 80% in stratum oriens and stratum radiatum of regio superior 4-14 days (70% at 3 days) after transection of the afferent pyramidal cell axons from the ipsi-and contralateral regio inferior. The reduction was in the number of uptake sites, not in their affinity. Uptake of gamma-aminobutyrate was not reduced. Lesions affecting regio superior caused a loss of D-aspartate uptake in subiculum at a site known to receive hippocampal afferents. Autoradiographically, the uptake of D-aspartate was strongly reduced in the inner zone (i.e. the target zone), but increased in the middle zone of the dentate molecular layer after lesions of the hilus fasciae dentatae. At 4 days and longer after transection of the entorhinal afferents, there was a conspicuous reduction of D-aspartate and L-glutamate uptake in the target zones of both the medial and lateral contingent of these fibres. In the same animals, the terminal zone of afferents from hilus fasciae dentatae had an increased radioactivity and was slightly wider than normally. Concomitantly, the gamma-aminobutyrate uptake was increased in the target zones of the degenerating perforant path fibres. The results demonstrate that uptake sites for D-aspartate and L-glutamate are highly localized in axon terminals of regio inferior pyramidal cells and in perforant path afferents. The latter category of terminals has a lower density of acidic amino acid uptake sites than the former. Uptake sites for gamma-aminobutyrate are localized in terminals of intrinsic neurones, including the axosomatic terminals of basket cells.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

The corticopontine projection: axotomy-induced loss of high affinity L-glutamate and D-aspartate uptake, but not of gamma-aminobutyrate uptake, glutamate decarboxylase or choline acetyltransferase, in the pontine nuclei

The corticopontine fibres were severed in the crus cerebri in rats and mice by a stereotaxically operated retractable wire-knife. The pontine nuclei were microscopically dissected from fresh slices of rats and synaptosome-containing homogenates were prepared. The high affinity uptake of radiolabelled L-glutamate (L-Glu) and D-aspartate (D-Asp) was heavily reduced five days after the lesions. The uptake was further reduced after bilateral (-75% for D-Asp and -65% for L-Glu) than after unilateral lesions (-55% for D-Asp and -45 to 50% for L-Glu on the lesioned side.) The molar ratio of the uptakes of D-Asp and L-Glu was consistently lower in pons after transection of the cortical afferents than normally (-28% after bilateral lesions). gamma-Aminobutyrate uptake and glutamic acid decarboxylase were not changed. Choline acetyltransferase was increased (+53%) after unilateral lesions, but not altered after bilateral lesions. Autoradiograms of slices from mice, incubated with tritium-labelled amino acids and fixed in glutaraldehyde, showed high affinity uptake sites for D-Asp to be enriched in the pontine nuclei, compared to neighbouring structures. After partial lesion of the crus cerebri the uptake was reduced in the area with degenerated corticopontine afferents. gamma-Aminobutyrate uptake sites were relatively less concentrated in the pontine nuclei than D-Asp uptake sites. The results indicate, along with the previous demonstration of Ca-dependent K-induced release of D-[3H]aspartate from the corticopontine terminals, that glutamate and/or aspartate may be transmitters in this pathway. The results also suggest that acidic amino acid uptake sites may differ in their relative transport rates for aspartate and glutamate.