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Moffa JC, Bland IN, Tooley JR, Kalyanaraman V, Heitmeier M, Creed MC, Copits BA. Cell-Specific Single Viral Vector CRISPR/Cas9 Editing and Genetically Encoded Tool Delivery in the Central and Peripheral Nervous Systems. eNeuro 2024; 11:ENEURO.0438-23.2024. [PMID: 38871457 PMCID: PMC11228695 DOI: 10.1523/eneuro.0438-23.2024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/24/2023] [Revised: 03/20/2024] [Accepted: 04/18/2024] [Indexed: 06/15/2024] Open
Abstract
CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing represents an exciting avenue to study genes of unknown function and can be combined with genetically encoded tools such as fluorescent proteins, channelrhodopsins, DREADDs, and various biosensors to more deeply probe the function of these genes in different cell types. However, current strategies to also manipulate or visualize edited cells are challenging due to the large size of Cas9 proteins and the limited packaging capacity of adeno-associated viruses (AAVs). To overcome these constraints, we developed an alternative gene editing strategy using a single AAV vector and mouse lines that express Cre-dependent Cas9 to achieve efficient cell-type specific editing across the nervous system. Expressing Cre-dependent Cas9 from a genomic locus affords space to package guide RNAs for gene editing together with Cre-dependent, genetically encoded tools to manipulate, map, or monitor neurons using a single virus. We validated this strategy with three common tools in neuroscience: ChRonos, a channelrhodopsin, for studying synaptic transmission using optogenetics, GCaMP8f for recording Ca2+ transients using photometry, and mCherry for tracing axonal projections. We tested these tools in multiple brain regions and cell types, including GABAergic neurons in the nucleus accumbens, glutamatergic neurons projecting from the ventral pallidum to the lateral habenula, dopaminergic neurons in the ventral tegmental area, and proprioceptive neurons in the periphery. This flexible approach could help identify and test the function of novel genes affecting synaptic transmission, circuit activity, or morphology with a single viral injection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jamie C Moffa
- Washington University Pain Center, Department of Anesthesiology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri 63110
- Washington University Medical Scientist Training Program, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri 63110
| | - India N Bland
- Washington University Pain Center, Department of Anesthesiology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri 63110
| | - Jessica R Tooley
- Washington University Pain Center, Department of Anesthesiology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri 63110
- Washington University Division of Biological and Behavioral Sciences, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri 63110
| | - Vani Kalyanaraman
- Washington University Pain Center, Department of Anesthesiology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri 63110
| | - Monique Heitmeier
- Washington University Pain Center, Department of Anesthesiology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri 63110
| | - Meaghan C Creed
- Washington University Pain Center, Department of Anesthesiology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri 63110
- Departments of Neuroscience, Psychiatry, and Biomedical Engineering, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri 63110
| | - Bryan A Copits
- Washington University Pain Center, Department of Anesthesiology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri 63110
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Moffa JC, Bland IN, Tooley JR, Kalyanaraman V, Heitmeier M, Creed MC, Copits BA. Cell specific single viral vector CRISPR/Cas9 editing and genetically encoded tool delivery in the central and peripheral nervous systems. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.10.10.561249. [PMID: 37873336 PMCID: PMC10592710 DOI: 10.1101/2023.10.10.561249] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/25/2023]
Abstract
Gene manipulation strategies using germline knockout, conditional knockout, and more recently CRISPR/Cas9 are crucial tools for advancing our understanding of the nervous system. However, traditional gene knockout approaches can be costly and time consuming, may lack cell-type specificity, and can induce germline recombination. Viral gene editing presents and an exciting alternative to more rapidly study genes of unknown function; however, current strategies to also manipulate or visualize edited cells are challenging due to the large size of Cas9 proteins and the limited packaging capacity of adeno-associated viruses (AAVs). To overcome these constraints, we have developed an alternative gene editing strategy using a single AAV vector and mouse lines that express Cre-dependent Cas9 to achieve efficient cell-type specific editing across the nervous system. Expressing Cre-dependent Cas9 in specific cell types in transgenic mouse lines affords more space to package guide RNAs for gene editing together with Cre-dependent, genetically encoded tools to manipulate, map, or monitor neurons using a single virus. We validated this strategy with three commonly used tools in neuroscience: ChRonos, a channelrhodopsin, for manipulating synaptic transmission using optogenetics; GCaMP8f for recording Ca2+ transients using fiber photometry, and mCherry for anatomical tracing of axonal projections. We tested these tools in multiple brain regions and cell types, including GABAergic neurons in the nucleus accumbens (NAc), glutamatergic neurons projecting from the ventral pallidum (VP) to the lateral habenula (LHb), dopaminergic neurons in the ventral tegmental area (VTA), and parvalbumin (PV)-positive proprioceptive neurons in the periphery. This flexible approach should be useful to identify novel genes that affect synaptic transmission, circuit activity, or morphology with a single viral injection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jamie C. Moffa
- Washington University Pain Center, Department of Anesthesiology, Washington University School of Medicine; St. Louis, MO
- Washington University Medical Scientist Training Program, Washington University School of Medicine; St. Louis, MO
| | - India N. Bland
- Washington University Pain Center, Department of Anesthesiology, Washington University School of Medicine; St. Louis, MO
| | - Jessica R. Tooley
- Washington University Pain Center, Department of Anesthesiology, Washington University School of Medicine; St. Louis, MO
- Washington University Division of Biological and Behavioral Sciences, Washington University School of Medicine; St. Louis, MO
| | - Vani Kalyanaraman
- Washington University Pain Center, Department of Anesthesiology, Washington University School of Medicine; St. Louis, MO
| | - Monique Heitmeier
- Washington University Pain Center, Department of Anesthesiology, Washington University School of Medicine; St. Louis, MO
| | - Meaghan C. Creed
- Washington University Pain Center, Department of Anesthesiology, Washington University School of Medicine; St. Louis, MO
- Departments of Neuroscience, Psychiatry, and Biomedical Engineering, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO
| | - Bryan A. Copits
- Washington University Pain Center, Department of Anesthesiology, Washington University School of Medicine; St. Louis, MO
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Lutzu S, Alviña K, Puente N, Grandes P, Castillo PE. Target cell-specific plasticity rules of NMDA receptor-mediated synaptic transmission in the hippocampus. Front Cell Neurosci 2023; 17:1068472. [PMID: 37091922 PMCID: PMC10113460 DOI: 10.3389/fncel.2023.1068472] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2022] [Accepted: 03/20/2023] [Indexed: 04/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Long-term potentiation and depression of NMDA receptor-mediated synaptic transmission (NMDAR LTP/LTD) can significantly impact synapse function and information transfer in several brain areas. However, the mechanisms that determine the direction of NMDAR plasticity are poorly understood. Here, using physiologically relevant patterns of presynaptic and postsynaptic burst activities, whole-cell patch clamp recordings, 2-photon laser calcium imaging in acute rat hippocampal slices and immunoelectron microscopy, we tested whether distinct calcium dynamics and group I metabotropic glutamate receptor (I-mGluR) subtypes control the sign of NMDAR plasticity. We found that postsynaptic calcium transients (CaTs) in response to hippocampal MF stimulation were significantly larger during the induction of NMDAR-LTP compared to NMDAR-LTD at the MF-to-CA3 pyramidal cell (MF-CA3) synapse. This difference was abolished by pharmacological blockade of mGluR5 and was significantly reduced by depletion of intracellular calcium stores, whereas blocking mGluR1 had no effect on these CaTs. In addition, we discovered that MF to hilar mossy cell (MF-MC) synapses, which share several structural and functional commonalities with MF-CA3 synapses, also undergoes NMDAR plasticity. To our surprise, however, we found that the postsynaptic distribution of I-mGluR subtypes at these two synapses differ, and the same induction protocol that induces NMDAR-LTD at MF-CA3 synapses, only triggered NMDAR-LTP at MF-MC synapses, despite a comparable calcium dynamics. Thus, postsynaptic calcium dynamics alone cannot predict the sign of NMDAR plasticity, indicating that both postsynaptic calcium rise and the relative contribution of I-mGluR subtypes likely determine the learning rules of NMDAR plasticity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stefano Lutzu
- Dominick P. Purpura Department of Neuroscience, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, United States
| | - Karina Alviña
- Dominick P. Purpura Department of Neuroscience, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, United States
| | - Nagore Puente
- Department of Neurosciences, Faculty of Medicine and Nursing, University of the Basque Country UPV/EHU, Leioa, Spain
- Achucarro Basque Center for Neuroscience, Science Park of the University of the Basque Country UPV/EHU, Leioa, Spain
| | - Pedro Grandes
- Department of Neurosciences, Faculty of Medicine and Nursing, University of the Basque Country UPV/EHU, Leioa, Spain
- Achucarro Basque Center for Neuroscience, Science Park of the University of the Basque Country UPV/EHU, Leioa, Spain
| | - Pablo E. Castillo
- Dominick P. Purpura Department of Neuroscience, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, United States
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, United States
- *Correspondence: Pablo E. Castillo,
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Morikawa H, Young CC, Smits JA. Usage of L-type calcium channel blockers to suppress drug reward and memory driving addiction: Past, present, and future. Neuropharmacology 2022; 221:109290. [PMID: 36241085 PMCID: PMC10476140 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2022.109290] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/08/2022] [Revised: 10/02/2022] [Accepted: 10/07/2022] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
Over the past three decades, L-type Ca2+ channel (LTCC) blockers have been considered a potential therapeutic drug to alleviate the symptoms of drug addiction. This idea has been supported, in part, by 1) expression of LTCCs in the brain dopaminergic circuits that are thought to play critical roles in the development and expression of addictive behaviors and 2) common usage of LTCC blockers in treating hypertension, which may enable off-label use of these drugs with good brain penetration as therapeutics for brain disorders. Addiction can be viewed as a maladaptive form of learning where powerful memories of drug-associated stimuli and actions drive compulsive drug intake. Largely under this framework, we will focus on the dopaminergic system that is thought be critically involved in drug-associated learning and memory and provide a brief overview of the past and recent studies testing the therapeutic potential of LTCC blockers for addictive disorders in animal models and humans and offer a future perspective on the use of LTCC blockers in drug addiction and, possibly, addiction to other non-drug rewards (e.g., gambling, eating, shopping). Interested readers can refer to other related articles in this issue and a comprehensive review available elsewhere (Little, 2021) to gain further insights into the roles of LTCCs in drug addiction and withdrawal symptoms associated with dependence. This article is part of the Special Issue on 'L-type calcium channel mechanisms in neuropsychiatric disorders'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hitoshi Morikawa
- Department of Neuroscience and Waggoner Center for Alcohol and Addiction Research, USA.
| | | | - Jasper A Smits
- Department of Psychology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA
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Linaro D, Levy MJ, Hunt DL. Cell type-specific mechanisms of information transfer in data-driven biophysical models of hippocampal CA3 principal neurons. PLoS Comput Biol 2022; 18:e1010071. [PMID: 35452457 PMCID: PMC9089861 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1010071] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2022] [Revised: 05/10/2022] [Accepted: 03/31/2022] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
The transformation of synaptic input into action potential output is a fundamental single-cell computation resulting from the complex interaction of distinct cellular morphology and the unique expression profile of ion channels that define the cellular phenotype. Experimental studies aimed at uncovering the mechanisms of the transfer function have led to important insights, yet are limited in scope by technical feasibility, making biophysical simulations an attractive complementary approach to push the boundaries in our understanding of cellular computation. Here we take a data-driven approach by utilizing high-resolution morphological reconstructions and patch-clamp electrophysiology data together with a multi-objective optimization algorithm to build two populations of biophysically detailed models of murine hippocampal CA3 pyramidal neurons based on the two principal cell types that comprise this region. We evaluated the performance of these models and find that our approach quantitatively matches the cell type-specific firing phenotypes and recapitulate the intrinsic population-level variability in the data. Moreover, we confirm that the conductance values found by the optimization algorithm are consistent with differentially expressed ion channel genes in single-cell transcriptomic data for the two cell types. We then use these models to investigate the cell type-specific biophysical properties involved in the generation of complex-spiking output driven by synaptic input through an information-theoretic treatment of their respective transfer functions. Our simulations identify a host of cell type-specific biophysical mechanisms that define the morpho-functional phenotype to shape the cellular transfer function and place these findings in the context of a role for bursting in CA3 recurrent network synchronization dynamics. The hippocampus is comprised of numerous types of neurons, which constitute the cellular substrate for its rich repertoire of network dynamics. Among these are sharp waves, sequential activations of ensembles of neurons that have been shown to be crucially involved in learning and memory. In the CA3 area of the hippocampus, two types of excitatory cells, thorny and a-thorny neurons, are preferentially active during distinct phases of a sharp wave, suggesting a differential role for these cell types in phenomena such as memory consolidation. Using a strictly data-driven approach, we built biophysically realistic models of both thorny and a-thorny cells and used them to investigate the integrative differences between these two cell types. We found that both neuron classes have the capability of integrating incoming synaptic inputs in a supralinear fashion, although only a-thorny cells respond with bursts of action potentials to spatially and temporally clustered synaptic inputs. Additionally, by using a computational approach based on information theory, we show that, owing to this propensity for bursting, a-thorny cells can encode more information in their spiking output than their thorny counterpart. These results shed new light on the computational capabilities of two types of excitatory neurons and suggest that thorny and a-thorny cells may play distinct roles in the generation of hippocampal network synchronization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniele Linaro
- Dipartimento di Elettronica, Informazione e Bioingegneria (DEIB), Politecnico di Milano, Milan, Italy
- * E-mail: (DL); (DLH)
| | - Matthew J. Levy
- Center for Neural Science and Medicine, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, California, United State of America
| | - David L. Hunt
- Center for Neural Science and Medicine, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, California, United State of America
- Department of Neurosurgery, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, California, United State of America
- Department of Neurology, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, California, United State of America
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, California, United State of America
- * E-mail: (DL); (DLH)
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6
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Froudist-Walsh S, Bliss DP, Ding X, Rapan L, Niu M, Knoblauch K, Zilles K, Kennedy H, Palomero-Gallagher N, Wang XJ. A dopamine gradient controls access to distributed working memory in the large-scale monkey cortex. Neuron 2021; 109:3500-3520.e13. [PMID: 34536352 PMCID: PMC8571070 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2021.08.024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2021] [Revised: 06/08/2021] [Accepted: 08/17/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Dopamine is required for working memory, but how it modulates the large-scale cortex is unknown. Here, we report that dopamine receptor density per neuron, measured by autoradiography, displays a macroscopic gradient along the macaque cortical hierarchy. This gradient is incorporated in a connectome-based large-scale cortex model endowed with multiple neuron types. The model captures an inverted U-shaped dependence of working memory on dopamine and spatial patterns of persistent activity observed in over 90 experimental studies. Moreover, we show that dopamine is crucial for filtering out irrelevant stimuli by enhancing inhibition from dendrite-targeting interneurons. Our model revealed that an activity-silent memory trace can be realized by facilitation of inter-areal connections and that adjusting cortical dopamine induces a switch from this internal memory state to distributed persistent activity. Our work represents a cross-level understanding from molecules and cell types to recurrent circuit dynamics underlying a core cognitive function distributed across the primate cortex.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Daniel P Bliss
- Center for Neural Science, New York University, New York, NY 10003, USA
| | - Xingyu Ding
- Center for Neural Science, New York University, New York, NY 10003, USA
| | | | - Meiqi Niu
- Research Centre Jülich, INM-1, Jülich, Germany
| | - Kenneth Knoblauch
- INSERM U846, Stem Cell & Brain Research Institute, 69500 Bron, France; Université de Lyon, Université Lyon I, 69003 Lyon, France
| | - Karl Zilles
- Research Centre Jülich, INM-1, Jülich, Germany
| | - Henry Kennedy
- INSERM U846, Stem Cell & Brain Research Institute, 69500 Bron, France; Université de Lyon, Université Lyon I, 69003 Lyon, France; Institute of Neuroscience, State Key Laboratory of Neuroscience, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Key Laboratory of Primate Neurobiology CAS, Shanghai, China
| | - Nicola Palomero-Gallagher
- Research Centre Jülich, INM-1, Jülich, Germany; C. & O. Vogt Institute for Brain Research, Heinrich-Heine-University, 40225 Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Xiao-Jing Wang
- Center for Neural Science, New York University, New York, NY 10003, USA.
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7
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Nuno-Perez A, Mondoloni S, Tchenio A, Lecca S, Mameli M. Biophysical and synaptic properties of NMDA receptors in the lateral habenula. Neuropharmacology 2021; 196:108718. [PMID: 34273390 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2021.108718] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2021] [Revised: 07/12/2021] [Accepted: 07/13/2021] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Excitatory synaptic transmission in the lateral habenula (LHb), an evolutionarily ancient subcortical structure, encodes aversive stimuli and affective states. Habenular glutamatergic synapses contribute to these processes partly through the activation of AMPA receptors. Yet, N-methyl-d-aspartate receptors (NMDARs) are also expressed in the LHb and support the emergence of depressive symptoms. Indeed, local NMDAR blockade in the LHb rescues anhedonia and behavioral despair in rodent models of depression. However, the subunit composition and biophysical properties of habenular NMDARs remain unknown, thereby hindering their study in the context of mental health. Here, we performed electrophysiological recordings and optogenetic-assisted circuit mapping in mice, to study pharmacologically-isolated NMDAR currents in LHb neurons that receive innervation from different brain regions (entopeduncular nucleus, lateral hypothalamic area, bed nucleus of the stria terminalis, or ventral tegmental area). This systematic approach revealed that habenular NMDAR currents are sensitive to TCN and ifenprodil - drugs that specifically inhibit GluN2A- and GluN2B-containing NMDARs, respectively. Whilst these pharmacological effects were consistently observed across inputs, we detected region-specific differences in the current-voltage relationship and decay time of NMDAR currents. Finally, inspired by the firing of LHb neurons in vivo, we designed a burst protocol capable of eliciting calcium-dependent long-term potentiation of habenular NMDAR transmission ex vivo. Altogether, we define basic biophysical and synaptic properties of NMDARs in LHb neurons, opening new avenues for studying their plasticity processes in physiological as well as pathological contexts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alvaro Nuno-Perez
- The Department of Fundamental Neuroscience, The University of Lausanne, 1005, Lausanne, Switzerland.
| | - Sarah Mondoloni
- The Department of Fundamental Neuroscience, The University of Lausanne, 1005, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Anna Tchenio
- The Department of Fundamental Neuroscience, The University of Lausanne, 1005, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Salvatore Lecca
- The Department of Fundamental Neuroscience, The University of Lausanne, 1005, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Manuel Mameli
- The Department of Fundamental Neuroscience, The University of Lausanne, 1005, Lausanne, Switzerland; Inserm, UMR-S 839, 75005, Paris, France.
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8
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Lutzu S, Castillo PE. Modulation of NMDA Receptors by G-protein-coupled receptors: Role in Synaptic Transmission, Plasticity and Beyond. Neuroscience 2020; 456:27-42. [PMID: 32105741 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2020.02.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/18/2019] [Revised: 02/11/2020] [Accepted: 02/15/2020] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
Abstract
NMDA receptors (NMDARs) play a critical role in excitatory synaptic transmission, plasticity and in several forms of learning and memory. In addition, NMDAR dysfunction is believed to underlie a number of neuropsychiatric conditions. Growing evidence has demonstrated that NMDARs are tightly regulated by several G-protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs). Ligands that bind to GPCRs, such as neurotransmitters and neuromodulators, activate intracellular pathways that modulate NMDAR expression, subcellular localization and/or functional properties in a short- or a long-term manner across many synapses throughout the central nervous system. In this review article we summarize current knowledge on the molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying NMDAR modulation by GPCRs, and we discuss the implications of this modulation spanning from synaptic transmission and plasticity to circuit function and brain disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stefano Lutzu
- Dominick P. Purpura Department of Neuroscience, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY 10461, USA
| | - Pablo E Castillo
- Dominick P. Purpura Department of Neuroscience, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY 10461, USA; Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY 10461, USA.
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9
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Li Y, Ruan Y, He Y, Cai Q, Pan X, Zhang Y, Liu C, Pu Z, Yang J, Chen M, Huang L, Zhou J, Chen JF. Striatopallidal adenosine A 2A receptors in the nucleus accumbens confer motivational control of goal-directed behavior. Neuropharmacology 2020; 168:108010. [PMID: 32061899 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2020.108010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2019] [Revised: 02/10/2020] [Accepted: 02/12/2020] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
The ability to learn the reward-value and action-outcome contingencies in dynamic environment is critical for flexible adaptive behavior and development of effective pharmacological control of goal-directed behaviors represents an important challenge for improving the deficits in goal-directed behavior which may underlie seemingly disparate symptoms across psychiatric disorders. Adenosine A2A receptor (A2AR) is emerging as a novel neuromodulatory target for controlling goal-directed behavior for its unique neuromodulatory features: the ability to integrate dopamine and glutamate signaling, the "brake" constraint of various cognitive processes and the balanced control of goal-directed and habit actions. However, the contribution and circuit mechanisms of the striatopallidal A2ARs in nucleus accumbens (NAc) to control of goal-directed behavior remain to be determined. Here, we employed newly developed opto-A2AR and the focal A2AR knockdown strategies to demonstrate the causal role of NAc A2AR in control of goal-directed behavior. Furthermore, we dissected out multiple distinct behavioral mechanisms underlying which NAc A2ARs control goal-directed behavior: (i) NAc A2ARs preferentially control goal-directed behavior at the expense of habit formation. (ii) NAc A2ARs modify the animals' sensitivity to the value of the reward without affecting the action-outcome contingency. (iii) A2AR antagonist KW6002 promotes instrumental actions by invigorating motivation. (iv) NAc A2ARs facilitate Pavlovian incentive value transferring to instrumental action. (v) NAc A2ARs control goal-directed behavior probably not through NAc-VP pathway. These insights into the behavioral and circuit mechanisms for NAc A2AR control of goal-directed behavior facilitate translational potential for A2AR antagonists in reversal of deficits in goal-directed decision-making associated with multiple neuropsychiatric disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yan Li
- Department of Neurology, The Second Affiliated Hospital and Yuying Children's Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, 109 Xueyuan Road, Wenzhou, Zhejiang, 325027, China
| | - Yang Ruan
- The Institute of Molecular Medicine, School of Optometry and Ophthalmology and Eye Hospital, Wenzhou Medical University, 270 Xueyuan Road, Wenzhou, Zhejiang, 325027, China
| | - Yan He
- The Institute of Molecular Medicine, School of Optometry and Ophthalmology and Eye Hospital, Wenzhou Medical University, 270 Xueyuan Road, Wenzhou, Zhejiang, 325027, China
| | - Qionghui Cai
- The Institute of Molecular Medicine, School of Optometry and Ophthalmology and Eye Hospital, Wenzhou Medical University, 270 Xueyuan Road, Wenzhou, Zhejiang, 325027, China
| | - Xinran Pan
- Department of Neurology, The Second Affiliated Hospital and Yuying Children's Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, 109 Xueyuan Road, Wenzhou, Zhejiang, 325027, China; The Institute of Molecular Medicine, School of Optometry and Ophthalmology and Eye Hospital, Wenzhou Medical University, 270 Xueyuan Road, Wenzhou, Zhejiang, 325027, China
| | - Yu Zhang
- The Institute of Molecular Medicine, School of Optometry and Ophthalmology and Eye Hospital, Wenzhou Medical University, 270 Xueyuan Road, Wenzhou, Zhejiang, 325027, China
| | - Chengwei Liu
- The Institute of Molecular Medicine, School of Optometry and Ophthalmology and Eye Hospital, Wenzhou Medical University, 270 Xueyuan Road, Wenzhou, Zhejiang, 325027, China
| | - Zhilan Pu
- The Institute of Molecular Medicine, School of Optometry and Ophthalmology and Eye Hospital, Wenzhou Medical University, 270 Xueyuan Road, Wenzhou, Zhejiang, 325027, China
| | - Jingjing Yang
- The Institute of Molecular Medicine, School of Optometry and Ophthalmology and Eye Hospital, Wenzhou Medical University, 270 Xueyuan Road, Wenzhou, Zhejiang, 325027, China
| | - Mozi Chen
- The Institute of Molecular Medicine, School of Optometry and Ophthalmology and Eye Hospital, Wenzhou Medical University, 270 Xueyuan Road, Wenzhou, Zhejiang, 325027, China
| | - Linshan Huang
- The Institute of Molecular Medicine, School of Optometry and Ophthalmology and Eye Hospital, Wenzhou Medical University, 270 Xueyuan Road, Wenzhou, Zhejiang, 325027, China
| | - Jianhong Zhou
- The Institute of Molecular Medicine, School of Optometry and Ophthalmology and Eye Hospital, Wenzhou Medical University, 270 Xueyuan Road, Wenzhou, Zhejiang, 325027, China
| | - Jiang-Fan Chen
- The Institute of Molecular Medicine, School of Optometry and Ophthalmology and Eye Hospital, Wenzhou Medical University, 270 Xueyuan Road, Wenzhou, Zhejiang, 325027, China.
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10
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Destreel G, Seutin V, Engel D. Subsaturation of the N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor glycine site allows the regulation of bursting activity in juvenile rat nigral dopamine neurons. Eur J Neurosci 2019; 50:3454-3471. [PMID: 31206829 DOI: 10.1111/ejn.14491] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2019] [Revised: 05/23/2019] [Accepted: 06/10/2019] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
The activation of N-methyl-D-aspartate receptors (NMDARs) in substantia nigra pars compacta (SNc) dopamine (DA) cells is central to generate the bursting activity, a phasic signal linked to DA-related behaviours via the change in postsynaptic DA release. NMDARs are recruited during excitatory synaptic transmission by glutamate release, but the glycine site level of occupancy of these receptors during basal action potential-dependent activity is not known for SNc DA neurons. We explored NMDAR-dependent signals during exogenous applications of co-agonists in midbrain slices from juvenile rats. We found that both glycine and D-serine strengthened the NMDAR-dependent component of excitatory postsynaptic currents (EPSCs) in a concentration-dependent manner. EPSCs were also increased by endogenous glycine via the blockade of the glycine transport. The glycine site of NMDARs contributing to synaptic transmission is therefore subsaturated. The behaviourally relevant burst firing was more sensitive to exogenous D-serine and endogenous glycine than to exogenous glycine. The mechanisms regulating the availability of the co-agonists exert consequently a critical influence on the excitability of DA neurons via NMDARs. The modulation of the phasic firing in DA neurons by ambient NMDAR co-agonists may be important for nigral information processing and downstream motor-related behaviour.
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Affiliation(s)
- Geoffrey Destreel
- GIGA-Neurosciences, Neurophysiology Group, University of Liege, Liege, Belgium
| | - Vincent Seutin
- GIGA-Neurosciences, Neurophysiology Group, University of Liege, Liege, Belgium
| | - Dominique Engel
- GIGA-Neurosciences, Neurophysiology Group, University of Liege, Liege, Belgium
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11
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Tovar-Díaz J, Pomrenze MB, Kan R, Pahlavan B, Morikawa H. Cooperative CRF and α1 Adrenergic Signaling in the VTA Promotes NMDA Plasticity and Drives Social Stress Enhancement of Cocaine Conditioning. Cell Rep 2019. [PMID: 29514102 PMCID: PMC5877815 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2018.02.039] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Stressful events rapidly trigger activity-dependent synaptic plasticity, driving the formation of aversive memories. However, it remains unclear how stressful experience affects plasticity mechanisms to regulate appetitive learning, such as intake of addictive drugs. Using rats, we show that corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) and α1 adrenergic receptor (α1AR) signaling enhance the plasticity of NMDA-receptor-mediated glutamatergic transmission in ventral tegmental area (VTA) dopamine (DA) neurons through distinct effects on inositol 1,4,5-triphosphate (IP3)-dependent Ca2+ signaling. We find that CRF amplifies IP3-Ca2+ signaling induced by stimulation of α1ARs, revealing a cooperative mechanism that promotes glutamatergic plasticity. In line with this, acute social defeat stress engages similar cooperative CRF and α1AR signaling in the VTA to enhance learning of cocaine-paired cues. These data provide evidence that CRF and α1ARs act in concert to regulate IP3-Ca2+ signaling in the VTA and promote learning of drug-associated cues.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jorge Tovar-Díaz
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, USA; Waggoner Center for Alcohol and Addiction Research, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, USA
| | - Matthew B Pomrenze
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, USA; Waggoner Center for Alcohol and Addiction Research, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, USA; Institute for Neuroscience, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, USA.
| | - Russell Kan
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, USA
| | - Bahram Pahlavan
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, USA; Waggoner Center for Alcohol and Addiction Research, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, USA
| | - Hitoshi Morikawa
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, USA; Waggoner Center for Alcohol and Addiction Research, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, USA; Institute for Neuroscience, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, USA.
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12
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Cieślak PE, Rodriguez Parkitna J. Ablation of NMDA receptors in dopamine neurons disrupts attribution of incentive salience to reward-paired stimuli. Behav Brain Res 2019; 363:77-82. [PMID: 30711444 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2019.01.037] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2018] [Revised: 01/21/2019] [Accepted: 01/21/2019] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
Midbrain dopamine (DA) neurons play a crucial role in the formation of conditioned associations between environmental cues and appetitive events. Activation of N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) receptors is a key mechanism responsible for the generation of conditioned responses of DA neurons to reward cues. Here, we tested the effects of the cell type-specific inactivation of NMDA receptors in DA neurons in adult mice on stimulus-reward learning. Animals were trained in a Pavlovian learning paradigm in which they had to learn the predictive value of two conditioned stimuli, one of which (CS+) was paired with the delivery of a water reward. Over the course of conditioning, mutant mice learned that the CS+ predicted reward availability, and they approached the reward receptacle more frequently during CS+ trials than CS- trials. However, conditioned responses to the CS+ were weaker in the mutant mice, possibly indicating that they did not attribute incentive salience to the CS+. To further assess whether the attribution of incentive salience was impaired by the mutation, animals were tested in a conditioned reinforcement test. The test revealed that mutant mice made fewer instrumental responses paired with CS+ presentation, confirming that the CS+ had a weaker incentive value. Taken together, these results indicate that reward prediction learning does occur in the absence of NMDA receptors in DA neurons, but the ability of reward-paired cues to invigorate and reinforce behavior is attenuated.
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Affiliation(s)
- Przemysław Eligiusz Cieślak
- Department of Molecular Neuropharmacology, Institute of Pharmacology of the Polish Academy of Sciences, Smętna 12, 31-343, Krakow, Poland
| | - Jan Rodriguez Parkitna
- Department of Molecular Neuropharmacology, Institute of Pharmacology of the Polish Academy of Sciences, Smętna 12, 31-343, Krakow, Poland.
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13
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Sadat-Shirazi MS, Zarrindast MR, Daneshparvar H, Ziaie A, Fekri M, Abbasnezhad E, Ashabi G, Khalifeh S, Vousooghi N. Alteration of dopamine receptors subtypes in the brain of opioid abusers: A postmortem study in Iran. Neurosci Lett 2018; 687:169-176. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neulet.2018.09.043] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2018] [Revised: 06/30/2018] [Accepted: 09/21/2018] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
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14
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Sweis BM, Thomas MJ, Redish AD. Beyond simple tests of value: measuring addiction as a heterogeneous disease of computation-specific valuation processes. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2018; 25:501-512. [PMID: 30115772 PMCID: PMC6097760 DOI: 10.1101/lm.047795.118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/07/2018] [Accepted: 07/06/2018] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Addiction is considered to be a neurobiological disorder of learning and memory because addiction is capable of producing lasting changes in the brain. Recovering addicts chronically struggle with making poor decisions that ultimately lead to relapse, suggesting a view of addiction also as a neurobiological disorder of decision-making information processing. How the brain makes decisions depends on how decision-making processes access information stored as memories in the brain. Advancements in circuit-dissection tools and recent theories in neuroeconomics suggest that neurally dissociable valuation processes access distinct memories differently, and thus are uniquely susceptible as the brain changes during addiction. If addiction is to be considered a neurobiological disorder of memory, and thus decision-making, the heterogeneity with which information is both stored and processed must be taken into account in addiction studies. Addiction etiology can vary widely from person to person. We propose that addiction is not a single disease, nor simply a disorder of learning and memory, but rather a collection of symptoms of heterogeneous neurobiological diseases of distinct circuit-computation-specific decision-making processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brian M Sweis
- Graduate Program in Neuroscience and Medical Scientist Training Program, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455, USA.,Department of Neuroscience, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455, USA
| | - Mark J Thomas
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455, USA.,Department of Psychology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455, USA
| | - A David Redish
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455, USA
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Morphological and Biophysical Determinants of the Intracellular and Extracellular Waveforms in Nigral Dopaminergic Neurons: A Computational Study. J Neurosci 2018; 38:8295-8310. [PMID: 30104340 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.0651-18.2018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2018] [Revised: 07/12/2018] [Accepted: 08/09/2018] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Action potentials (APs) in nigral dopaminergic neurons often exhibit two separate components: the first reflecting spike initiation in the dendritically located axon initial segment (AIS) and the second the subsequent dendro-somatic spike. These components are separated by a notch in the ascending phase of the somatic extracellular waveform and in the temporal derivative of the somatic intracellular waveform. Still, considerable variability exists in the presence and magnitude of the notch across neurons. To systematically address the contribution of AIS, dendritic and somatic compartments to shaping the two-component APs, we modeled APs of previously in vivo electrophysiologically characterized and 3D-reconstructed male mouse and rat dopaminergic neurons. A parsimonious two-domain model, with high (AIS) and lower (dendro-somatic) Na+ conductance, reproduced the notch in the temporal derivatives, but not in the extracellular APs, regardless of morphology. The notch was only revealed when somatic active currents were reduced, constraining the model to three domains. Thus, an initial AIS spike is followed by an actively generated spike by the axon-bearing dendrite (ABD), in turn followed mostly passively by the soma. The transition from being a source compartment for the AIS spike to a source compartment for the ABD spike satisfactorily explains the extracellular somatic notch. Larger AISs and thinner ABD (but not soma-to-AIS distance) accentuate the AIS component. We conclude that variability in AIS size and ABD caliber explains variability in AP extracellular waveform and separation of AIS and dendro-somatic components, given the presence of at least three functional domains with distinct excitability characteristics.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Midbrain dopamine neurons make an important contribution to circuits mediating motivation and movement. Understanding the basic rules that govern the electrical activity of single dopaminergic neurons is therefore essential to reveal how they ultimately contribute to movement and motivation as well as what goes wrong in associated disorders. Our computational study focuses on the generation and propagation of action potentials and shows that different morphologies and excitability characteristics of the cell body, dendrites and proximal axon can explain the diversity of action potentials shapes in this population. These compartments likely make differential contributions both to normal dopaminergic signaling and could potentially underlie pathological dopaminergic signaling implicated in addiction, schizophrenia, Parkinson's disease, and other disorders.
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16
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Cieślak PE, Ahn WY, Bogacz R, Rodriguez Parkitna J. Selective Effects of the Loss of NMDA or mGluR5 Receptors in the Reward System on Adaptive Decision-Making. eNeuro 2018; 5:ENEURO.0331-18.2018. [PMID: 30302389 PMCID: PMC6175304 DOI: 10.1523/eneuro.0331-18.2018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2017] [Revised: 05/23/2018] [Accepted: 06/03/2018] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Selecting the most advantageous actions in a changing environment is a central feature of adaptive behavior. The midbrain dopamine (DA) neurons along with the major targets of their projections, including dopaminoceptive neurons in the frontal cortex and basal ganglia, play a key role in this process. Here, we investigate the consequences of a selective genetic disruption of NMDA receptor and metabotropic glutamate receptor 5 (mGluR5) in the DA system on adaptive choice behavior in mice. We tested the effects of the mutation on performance in the probabilistic reinforcement learning and probability-discounting tasks. In case of the probabilistic choice, both the loss of NMDA receptors in dopaminergic neurons or the loss mGluR5 receptors in D1 receptor-expressing dopaminoceptive neurons reduced the probability of selecting the more rewarded alternative and lowered the likelihood of returning to the previously rewarded alternative (win-stay). When observed behavior was fitted to reinforcement learning models, we found that these two mutations were associated with a reduced effect of the expected outcome on choice (i.e., more random choices). None of the mutations affected probability discounting, which indicates that all animals had a normal ability to assess probability. However, in both behavioral tasks animals with targeted loss of NMDA receptors in dopaminergic neurons or mGluR5 receptors in D1 neurons were significantly slower to perform choices. In conclusion, these results show that glutamate receptor-dependent signaling in the DA system is essential for the speed and accuracy of choices, but at the same time probably is not critical for correct estimation of probable outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Przemysław Eligiusz Cieślak
- Department of Molecular Neuropharmacology, Institute of Pharmacology of the Polish Academy of Sciences, 31-343, Krakow, Poland
| | - Woo-Young Ahn
- Department of Psychology, Seoul National University, Seoul 08826, Korea
| | - Rafał Bogacz
- MRC Brain Networks Dynamics Unit, Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Oxford University, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford OX3 9DU, United Kingdom
| | - Jan Rodriguez Parkitna
- Department of Molecular Neuropharmacology, Institute of Pharmacology of the Polish Academy of Sciences, 31-343, Krakow, Poland
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17
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Postsynaptic RIM1 modulates synaptic function by facilitating membrane delivery of recycling NMDARs in hippocampal neurons. Nat Commun 2018; 9:2267. [PMID: 29891949 PMCID: PMC5995852 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-018-04672-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/06/2017] [Accepted: 05/11/2018] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
NMDA receptors (NMDARs) are crucial for excitatory synaptic transmission and synaptic plasticity. The number and subunit composition of synaptic NMDARs are tightly controlled by neuronal activity and sensory experience, but the molecular mechanism mediating NMDAR trafficking remains poorly understood. Here, we report that RIM1, with a well-established role in presynaptic vesicle release, also localizes postsynaptically in the mouse hippocampus. Postsynaptic RIM1 in hippocampal CA1 region is required for basal NMDAR-, but not AMPA receptor (AMPAR)-, mediated synaptic responses, and contributes to synaptic plasticity and hippocampus-dependent memory. Moreover, RIM1 levels in hippocampal neurons influence both the constitutive and regulated NMDAR trafficking, without affecting constitutive AMPAR trafficking. We further demonstrate that RIM1 binds to Rab11 via its N terminus, and knockdown of RIM1 impairs membrane insertion of Rab11-positive recycling endosomes containing NMDARs. Together, these results identify a RIM1-dependent mechanism critical for modulating synaptic function by facilitating membrane delivery of recycling NMDARs. Rab3-interacting molecules (RIMs) are a key component of the presynaptic active zone that regulate neurotransmitter release. Here, the authors show that RIM1 also has postsynaptic function to organize NMDA receptors and synaptic response.
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18
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Altered function of neuronal L-type calcium channels in ageing and neuroinflammation: Implications in age-related synaptic dysfunction and cognitive decline. Ageing Res Rev 2018; 42:86-99. [PMID: 29339150 DOI: 10.1016/j.arr.2018.01.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2017] [Revised: 01/10/2018] [Accepted: 01/11/2018] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
The rapid developments in science have led to an increase in human life expectancy and thus, ageing and age-related disorders/diseases have become one of the greatest concerns in the 21st century. Cognitive abilities tend to decline as we get older. This age-related cognitive decline is mainly attributed to aberrant changes in synaptic plasticity and neuronal connections. Recent studies show that alterations in Ca2+ homeostasis underlie the increased vulnerability of neurons to age-related processes like cognitive decline and synaptic dysfunctions. Dysregulation of Ca2+ can lead to dramatic changes in neuronal functions. We discuss in this review, the recent advances on the potential role of dysregulated Ca2+ homeostasis through altered function of L-type voltage gated Ca2+ channels (LTCC) in ageing, with an emphasis on cognitive decline. This review therefore focuses on age-related changes mainly in the hippocampus, and with mention of other brain areas, that are important for learning and memory. This review also highlights age-related memory deficits via synaptic alterations and neuroinflammation. An understanding of these mechanisms will help us formulate strategies to reverse or ameliorate age-related disorders like cognitive decline.
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19
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Gantz SC, Ford CP, Morikawa H, Williams JT. The Evolving Understanding of Dopamine Neurons in the Substantia Nigra and Ventral Tegmental Area. Annu Rev Physiol 2018; 80:219-241. [PMID: 28938084 DOI: 10.1146/annurev-physiol-021317-121615] [Citation(s) in RCA: 63] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
In recent years, the population of neurons in the ventral tegmental area (VTA) and substantia nigra (SN) has been examined at multiple levels. The results indicate that the projections, neurochemistry, and receptor and ion channel expression in this cell population vary widely. This review centers on the intrinsic properties and synaptic regulation that control the activity of dopamine neurons. Although all dopamine neurons fire action potentials in a pacemaker pattern in the absence of synaptic input, the intrinsic properties that underlie this activity differ considerably. Likewise, the transition into a burst/pause pattern results from combinations of intrinsic ion conductances, inhibitory and excitatory synaptic inputs that differ among this cell population. Finally, synaptic plasticity is a key regulator of the rate and pattern of activity in different groups of dopamine neurons. Through these fundamental properties, the activity of dopamine neurons is regulated and underlies the wide-ranging functions that have been attributed to dopamine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephanie C Gantz
- Intramural Research Program, National Institute on Drug Abuse, Baltimore, Maryland 21224, USA
| | - Christopher P Ford
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, Colorado 80045, USA
| | - Hitoshi Morikawa
- Department of Neuroscience and Waggoner Center for Alcohol and Addiction Research, University of Texas, Austin, Texas 78712, USA
| | - John T Williams
- Vollum Institute, Oregon Health Sciences University, Portland, Oregon 97239, USA;
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20
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Carta M, Srikumar BN, Gorlewicz A, Rebola N, Mulle C. Activity-dependent control of NMDA receptor subunit composition at hippocampal mossy fibre synapses. J Physiol 2018; 596:703-716. [PMID: 29218821 DOI: 10.1113/jp275226] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2017] [Accepted: 11/27/2017] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
KEY POINTS CA3 pyramidal cells display input-specific differences in the subunit composition of synaptic NMDA receptors (NMDARs). Although at low density, GluN2B contributes significantly to NMDAR-mediated EPSCs at mossy fibre synapses. Long-term potentiation (LTP) of NMDARs triggers a modification in the subunit composition of synaptic NMDARs by insertion of GluN2B. GluN2B subunits are essential for the expression of LTP of NMDARs at mossy fibre synapses. ABSTRACT Single neurons express NMDA receptors (NMDARs) with distinct subunit composition and biophysical properties that can be segregated in an input-specific manner. The dynamic control of the heterogeneous distribution of synaptic NMDARs is crucial to control input-dependent synaptic integration and plasticity. In hippocampal CA3 pyramidal cells from mice of both sexes, we found that mossy fibre (MF) synapses display a markedly lower proportion of GluN2B-containing NMDARs than associative/commissural synapses. The mechanism involved in such heterogeneous distribution of GluN2B subunits is not known. Here we show that long-term potentiation (LTP) of NMDARs, which is selectively expressed at MF-CA3 pyramidal cell synapses, triggers a modification in the subunit composition of synaptic NMDARs by insertion of GluN2B. This activity-dependent recruitment of GluN2B at mature MF-CA3 pyramidal cell synapses contrasts with the removal of GluN2B subunits at other glutamatergic synapses during development and in response to activity. Furthermore, although expressed at low levels, GluN2B is necessary for the expression of LTP of NMDARs at MF-CA3 pyramidal cell synapses. Altogether, we reveal a previously unknown activity-dependent regulation and function of GluN2B subunits that may contribute to the heterogeneous plasticity induction rules in CA3 pyramidal cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mario Carta
- University of Bordeaux, Interdisciplinary Institute for Neuroscience, CNRS UMR 5297, F-33000, Bordeaux, France
| | - Bettadapura N Srikumar
- University of Bordeaux, Interdisciplinary Institute for Neuroscience, CNRS UMR 5297, F-33000, Bordeaux, France
| | - Adam Gorlewicz
- University of Bordeaux, Interdisciplinary Institute for Neuroscience, CNRS UMR 5297, F-33000, Bordeaux, France
| | - Nelson Rebola
- University of Bordeaux, Interdisciplinary Institute for Neuroscience, CNRS UMR 5297, F-33000, Bordeaux, France
| | - Christophe Mulle
- University of Bordeaux, Interdisciplinary Institute for Neuroscience, CNRS UMR 5297, F-33000, Bordeaux, France
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Effect of spike-timing-dependent plasticity on stochastic burst synchronization in a scale-free neuronal network. Cogn Neurodyn 2018; 12:315-342. [PMID: 29765480 DOI: 10.1007/s11571-017-9470-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/14/2017] [Revised: 11/29/2017] [Accepted: 12/26/2017] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Abstract
We consider an excitatory population of subthreshold Izhikevich neurons which cannot fire spontaneously without noise. As the coupling strength passes a threshold, individual neurons exhibit noise-induced burstings. This neuronal population has adaptive dynamic synaptic strengths governed by the spike-timing-dependent plasticity (STDP). However, STDP was not considered in previous works on stochastic burst synchronization (SBS) between noise-induced burstings of sub-threshold neurons. Here, we study the effect of additive STDP on SBS by varying the noise intensity D in the Barabási-Albert scale-free network (SFN). One of our main findings is a Matthew effect in synaptic plasticity which occurs due to a positive feedback process. Good burst synchronization (with higher bursting measure) gets better via long-term potentiation (LTP) of synaptic strengths, while bad burst synchronization (with lower bursting measure) gets worse via long-term depression (LTD). Consequently, a step-like rapid transition to SBS occurs by changing D, in contrast to a relatively smooth transition in the absence of STDP. We also investigate the effects of network architecture on SBS by varying the symmetric attachment degree [Formula: see text] and the asymmetry parameter [Formula: see text] in the SFN, and Matthew effects are also found to occur by varying [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text]. Furthermore, emergences of LTP and LTD of synaptic strengths are investigated in details via our own microscopic methods based on both the distributions of time delays between the burst onset times of the pre- and the post-synaptic neurons and the pair-correlations between the pre- and the post-synaptic instantaneous individual burst rates (IIBRs). Finally, a multiplicative STDP case (depending on states) with soft bounds is also investigated in comparison with the additive STDP case (independent of states) with hard bounds. Due to the soft bounds, a Matthew effect with some quantitative differences is also found to occur for the case of multiplicative STDP.
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22
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Unconventional NMDA Receptor Signaling. J Neurosci 2017; 37:10800-10807. [PMID: 29118208 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.1825-17.2017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 93] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/03/2017] [Revised: 09/28/2017] [Accepted: 09/28/2017] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
In the classical view, NMDA receptors (NMDARs) are stably expressed at the postsynaptic membrane, where they act via Ca2+ to signal coincidence detection in Hebbian plasticity. More recently, it has been established that NMDAR-mediated transmission can be dynamically regulated by neural activity. In addition, NMDARs have been found presynaptically, where they cannot act as conventional coincidence detectors. Unexpectedly, NMDARs have also been shown to signal metabotropically, without the need for Ca2+ This review highlights novel findings concerning these unconventional modes of NMDAR action.
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24
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Ostroumov A, Dani JA. Convergent Neuronal Plasticity and Metaplasticity Mechanisms of Stress, Nicotine, and Alcohol. Annu Rev Pharmacol Toxicol 2017; 58:547-566. [PMID: 28977763 DOI: 10.1146/annurev-pharmtox-010617-052735] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
Stress and tobacco smoking are risk factors for alcoholism, but the underlying neural mechanisms are not well understood. Although stress, nicotine, and alcohol have broad, individual effects in the brain, some of their actions converge onto the same mechanisms and circuits. Stress and nicotine augment alcohol-related behaviors, in part via modulation of alcohol-evoked neuronal plasticity and metaplasticity mechanisms. Stress modulates alcohol-evoked plasticity via the release of signaling molecules that influence synaptic transmission. Nicotine also activates some of the same signaling molecules, cells, and circuits, producing a convergence of both stress and nicotine onto common plasticity mechanisms that influence alcohol self-administration. We describe several forms of alcohol-induced plasticity, including classic Hebbian plasticity at glutamatergic synapses, and we highlight less appreciated forms, such as non-Hebbian and GABAergic synaptic plasticity. Risk factors such as stress and nicotine initiate lasting neural changes that modify subsequent alcohol-induced synaptic plasticity and increase the vulnerability to alcohol addiction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexey Ostroumov
- Department of Neuroscience, Mahoney Institute for Neurosciences, Perelman School for Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, USA; ,
| | - John A Dani
- Department of Neuroscience, Mahoney Institute for Neurosciences, Perelman School for Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, USA; ,
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Abstract
Opioids are among the most effective pain relievers; however, their abuse has been on the rise worldwide evident from an alarming increase in accidental opioid overdoses. This demands for an urgent increase in scientific endeavors for better understanding of main cellular mechanisms and circuits involved in opiate addiction. Preclinical studies strongly suggest that memories associated with positive and negative opioid experiences are critical in promoting compulsive opiate-seeking and opiate-taking behaviors, and relapse. Particular focus on synaptic plasticity as the cellular correlate of learning and memory has rapidly evolved in drug addiction field over the past two decades. Several critical addiction-related brain areas are identified, one of which is the ventral tegmental area (VTA), an area intensively studied as the initial locus for drug reward. Here, we provide an update to our previous review on "Opiates and Plasticity" highlighting the most recent discoveries of synaptic plasticity associated with opiates in the VTA. Electrophysiological studies of plasticity of addiction to date have been invaluable in addressing learning processes and mechanisms that underlie motivated and addictive behaviors, and now with the availability of powerful technologies of transgenic approaches and optogenetics, circuit-based studies hold high promise in fostering synaptic studies of opiate addiction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ludovic D. Langlois
- Department of Pharmacology, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, Maryland 20814, United States
| | - Fereshteh S. Nugent
- Department of Pharmacology, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, Maryland 20814, United States
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Carbone C, Costa A, Provensi G, Mannaioni G, Masi A. The Hyperpolarization-Activated Current Determines Synaptic Excitability, Calcium Activity and Specific Viability of Substantia Nigra Dopaminergic Neurons. Front Cell Neurosci 2017; 11:187. [PMID: 28701928 PMCID: PMC5487410 DOI: 10.3389/fncel.2017.00187] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2017] [Accepted: 06/16/2017] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Differential vulnerability between Substantia Nigra pars compacta (SNpc) and Ventral Tegmental Area (VTA) dopaminergic (DAergic) neurons is a hallmark of Parkinson’s disease (PD). Understanding the molecular bases of this key histopathological aspect would foster the development of much-needed disease-modifying therapies. Non-heterogeneous DAergic degeneration is present in both toxin-based and genetic animal models, suggesting that cellular specificity, rather than causing factors, constitutes the background for differential vulnerability. In this regard, we previously demonstrated that MPP+, a neurotoxin able to cause selective nigrostriatal degeneration in animal rodents and primates, inhibits the Hyperpolarization-activated current (Ih) in SNpc DAergic neurons and that pharmacological Ih antagonism causes potentiation of evoked Excitatory post-synaptic potentials (EPSPs). Of note, the magnitude of such potentiation is greater in the SNpc subfield, consistent with higher Ih density. In the present work, we show that Ih block-induced synaptic potentiation leads to the amplification of somatic calcium responses (SCRs) in vitro. This effect is specific for the SNpc subfield and largely mediated by L-Type calcium channels, as indicated by sensitivity to the CaV 1 blocker isradipine. Furthermore, Ih is downregulated by low intracellular ATP and determines the efficacy of GABAergic inhibition in SNpc DAergic neurons. Finally, we show that stereotaxic administration of Ih blockers causes SNpc-specific neurodegeneration and hemiparkinsonian motor phenotype in rats. During PD progression, Ih downregulation may result from mitochondrial dysfunction and, in concert with PD-related disinhibition of excitatory inputs, determine a SNpc-specific disease pathway.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carmen Carbone
- Department of Neuroscience, Psychology, Drug Research and Child Health (NEUROFARBA), Section of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of FlorenceFlorence, Italy
| | - Alessia Costa
- Department of Neuroscience, Psychology, Drug Research and Child Health (NEUROFARBA), Section of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of FlorenceFlorence, Italy
| | - Gustavo Provensi
- Department of Neuroscience, Psychology, Drug Research and Child Health (NEUROFARBA), Section of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of FlorenceFlorence, Italy
| | - Guido Mannaioni
- Department of Neuroscience, Psychology, Drug Research and Child Health (NEUROFARBA), Section of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of FlorenceFlorence, Italy.,Toxicology Unit, Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria CareggiFlorence, Italy
| | - Alessio Masi
- Department of Neuroscience, Psychology, Drug Research and Child Health (NEUROFARBA), Section of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of FlorenceFlorence, Italy.,Toxicology Unit, Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria CareggiFlorence, Italy
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27
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Li MH, Underhill SM, Reed C, Phillips TJ, Amara SG, Ingram SL. Amphetamine and Methamphetamine Increase NMDAR-GluN2B Synaptic Currents in Midbrain Dopamine Neurons. Neuropsychopharmacology 2017; 42:1539-1547. [PMID: 27976681 PMCID: PMC5436114 DOI: 10.1038/npp.2016.278] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/29/2016] [Revised: 11/29/2016] [Accepted: 12/11/2016] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
The psychostimulants amphetamine (AMPH) and methamphetamine (MA) are widely abused illicit drugs. Here we show that both psychostimulants acutely increase NMDA receptor (NMDAR)-mediated synaptic currents and decrease AMPA receptor (AMPAR)/NMDAR ratios in midbrain dopamine neurons. The potentiation depends on the transport of AMPH into the cell by the dopamine transporter. NMDAR-GluN2B receptor inhibitors, ifenprodil, RO 25-6981, and RO 04-5595, inhibit the potentiation without affecting basal-evoked NMDA currents, indicating that NMDAR-GluN2B receptors are activated by AMPH. A selective peptide inhibitor of AMPH-dependent trafficking of the neuronal excitatory amino acid transporter 3 (EAAT3) blocks potentiation, suggesting that EAAT3 internalization increases extracellular glutamate concentrations and activates GluN2B-containing NMDARs. Experiments with the use-dependent NMDAR blocker, MK-801, indicate that potentiated NMDARs reside on the plasma membrane and are not inserted de novo. In behavioral studies, GluN2B inhibitors reduce MA-mediated locomotor activity, without affecting basal activity. These results reveal an important interaction between dopamine and glutamatergic signaling in midbrain dopamine neurons in response to acute administration of psychostimulants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ming-Hua Li
- Department of Neurological Surgery, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR, USA
| | - Suzanne M Underhill
- National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Laboratory of Molecular and Cellular Neurobiology, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Cheryl Reed
- Department of Behavioral Neuroscience, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR, USA
| | - Tamara J Phillips
- Department of Behavioral Neuroscience, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR, USA,VA Portland Health Care System, Portland, OR, USA
| | - Susan G Amara
- National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Laboratory of Molecular and Cellular Neurobiology, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Susan L Ingram
- Department of Neurological Surgery, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR, USA,Department of Neurological Surgery, Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU), 3181 SW Sam Jackson Park Road, Portland, OR 97239, USA, Tel: 503 494 1220, Fax: 503 494 2664, E-mail:
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28
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IP 3-mediated gating mechanism of the IP 3 receptor revealed by mutagenesis and X-ray crystallography. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2017; 114:4661-4666. [PMID: 28416699 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1701420114] [Citation(s) in RCA: 59] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate (IP3) receptor (IP3R) is an IP3-gated ion channel that releases calcium ions (Ca2+) from the endoplasmic reticulum. The IP3-binding sites in the large cytosolic domain are distant from the Ca2+ conducting pore, and the allosteric mechanism of how IP3 opens the Ca2+ channel remains elusive. Here, we identify a long-range gating mechanism uncovered by channel mutagenesis and X-ray crystallography of the large cytosolic domain of mouse type 1 IP3R in the absence and presence of IP3 Analyses of two distinct space group crystals uncovered an IP3-dependent global translocation of the curvature α-helical domain interfacing with the cytosolic and channel domains. Mutagenesis of the IP3R channel revealed an essential role of a leaflet structure in the α-helical domain. These results suggest that the curvature α-helical domain relays IP3-controlled global conformational dynamics to the channel through the leaflet, conferring long-range allosteric coupling from IP3 binding to the Ca2+ channel.
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29
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Engel D. Subcellular Patch-clamp Recordings from the Somatodendritic Domain of Nigral Dopamine Neurons. J Vis Exp 2016. [PMID: 27842379 PMCID: PMC5226116 DOI: 10.3791/54601] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/25/2023] Open
Abstract
Dendrites of dopaminergic neurons receive and convey synaptic input, support action potential back-propagation and neurotransmitter release. Understanding these fundamental functions will shed light on the information transfer in these neurons. Dendritic patch-clamp recordings provide the possibility to directly examine the electrical properties of dendrites and underlying voltage-gated ion channels. However, these fine structures are not easily accessible to patch pipettes because of their small diameter. This report describes a step-by-step procedure to collect stable and reliable recordings from the dendrites of dopaminergic neurons in acute slices. Electrophysiological measurements are combined with post hoc recovery of cell morphology. Successful experiments rely on improved preparation of slices, solutions and pipettes, adequate adjustment of the optics and stability of the pipette in contact with the recorded structure. Standard principles of somatic patch-clamp recording are applied to dendrites but with a gentler approach of the pipette. These versatile techniques can be implemented to address various questions concerning the excitable properties of dendrites.
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30
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Kronbauer M, Metz VG, Roversi K, Dias VT, de David Antoniazzi CT, da Silva Barcelos RC, Burger ME. Influence of magnesium supplementation on movement side effects related to typical antipsychotic treatment in rats. Behav Brain Res 2016; 320:400-411. [PMID: 27816557 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2016.10.049] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2016] [Revised: 10/26/2016] [Accepted: 10/31/2016] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Chronic use of typical antipsychotic haloperidolis related to movement disturbances such as parkinsonism, akathisia and tardive dyskinesia which have been related to excitotoxicity in extrapyramidal brain areas, requiring their prevention and treatment. In the current study we evaluated the influence of the magnesium on prevention (for 28days before-), reversion (for 12days after-) and concomitant supplementation on haloperidol-induced movement disorders in rats. Sub-chronic haloperidol was related to orofacial dyskinesia (OD) and catalepsy development, increased generation of reactive species (RS) and levels of protein carbonyl (PC) in cortex, striatum and substantia nigra (SN) in all experimental protocols. When provided preventatively, Mg reduced the increase of OD and catalepsy time 14 and 7days after haloperidol administration, respectively. When supplemented after haloperidol-induced OD establishment, Mg reversed this behavior after 12days, while catalepsy was reversed after 6days of Mg supplementation.When Mg was concomitantly supplemented with haloperidol administration, OD and catalepsy were prevented. Moreover, Mg supplementation was able to prevent the RS generation in both cortex and SN, reducing PC levels in all brain areas evaluated. When supplemented after haloperidol, Mg reversed RS generation in cortex and striatum, decreasing PC levels in SN and striatum.The co-administration of haloperidol and Mg supplementation prevented RS generation in cortex, striatum and SN, and PC levels in the SN.These outcomes indicate that Mg supplementation may be a useful alternative to prevent movement disturbances resulting of classic antipsychotic pharmacotherapy as haloperidol.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maikel Kronbauer
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Farmacologia, Universidade Federal de Santa Maria (UFSM), RS, Brazil
| | | | - Karine Roversi
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Farmacologia, Universidade Federal de Santa Maria (UFSM), RS, Brazil
| | - Veronica Tironi Dias
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Farmacologia, Universidade Federal de Santa Maria (UFSM), RS, Brazil
| | | | | | - Marilise E Burger
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Farmacologia, Universidade Federal de Santa Maria (UFSM), RS, Brazil; Programa de Pós-Graduação em Bioquímica Toxicológica, UFSM, RS, Brazil; Departamento de Fisiologia e Farmacologia, UFSM, RS, Brazil.
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31
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Whitaker LR, Carneiro de Oliveira PE, McPherson KB, Fallon RV, Planeta CS, Bonci A, Hope BT. Associative Learning Drives the Formation of Silent Synapses in Neuronal Ensembles of the Nucleus Accumbens. Biol Psychiatry 2016; 80:246-56. [PMID: 26386479 PMCID: PMC4753139 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2015.08.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/18/2015] [Revised: 08/05/2015] [Accepted: 08/06/2015] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Learned associations between environmental stimuli and rewards play a critical role in addiction. Associative learning requires alterations in sparsely distributed populations of strongly activated neurons, or neuronal ensembles. Until recently, assessment of functional alterations underlying learned behavior was restricted to global neuroadaptations in a particular brain area or cell type, rendering it impossible to identify neuronal ensembles critically involved in learned behavior. METHODS We used Fos-GFP transgenic mice that contained a transgene with a Fos promoter driving expression of green fluorescent protein (GFP) to detect neurons that were strongly activated during associative learning, in this case, context-independent and context-specific cocaine-induced locomotor sensitization. Whole-cell electrophysiological recordings were used to assess synaptic alterations in specifically activated GFP-positive (GFP+) neurons compared with surrounding nonactivated GFP-negative (GFP-) neurons 90 min after the sensitized locomotor response. RESULTS After context-independent cocaine sensitization, cocaine-induced locomotion was equally sensitized by repeated cocaine injections in two different sensitization contexts. Correspondingly, silent synapses in these mice were induced in GFP+ neurons, but not GFP- neurons, after sensitization in both of these contexts. After context-specific cocaine sensitization, cocaine-induced locomotion was sensitized exclusively in mice trained and tested in the same context (paired group), but not in mice that were trained in one context and then tested in a different context (unpaired group). Silent synapses increased in GFP+ neurons, but not in GFP- neurons from mice in the paired group, but not from mice in the unpaired group. CONCLUSIONS Our results indicate that silent synapses are formed only in neuronal ensembles of the nucleus accumbens shell that are related to associative learning.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Paulo E. Carneiro de Oliveira
- Laboratório de Neuropsicofarmacologia, PANT, Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas, Universidade Estadual Paulista, Rod. Araraquara-Jaú Km 1, 14801-902, Araraquara, SP, Brasil
| | | | | | - Cleopatra S. Planeta
- Laboratório de Neuropsicofarmacologia, PANT, Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas, Universidade Estadual Paulista, Rod. Araraquara-Jaú Km 1, 14801-902, Araraquara, SP, Brasil
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32
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Stelly CE, Pomrenze MB, Cook JB, Morikawa H. Repeated social defeat stress enhances glutamatergic synaptic plasticity in the VTA and cocaine place conditioning. eLife 2016; 5. [PMID: 27374604 PMCID: PMC4931908 DOI: 10.7554/elife.15448] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2016] [Accepted: 06/07/2016] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Enduring memories of sensory cues associated with drug intake drive addiction. It is well known that stressful experiences increase addiction vulnerability. However, it is not clear how repeated stress promotes learning of cue-drug associations, as repeated stress generally impairs learning and memory processes unrelated to stressful experiences. Here, we show that repeated social defeat stress in rats causes persistent enhancement of long-term potentiation (LTP) of NMDA receptor-mediated glutamatergic transmission in the ventral tegmental area (VTA). Protein kinase A-dependent increase in the potency of inositol 1,4,5-triphosphate-induced Ca2+ signaling underlies LTP facilitation. Notably, defeated rats display enhanced learning of contextual cues paired with cocaine experience assessed using a conditioned place preference (CPP) paradigm. Enhancement of LTP in the VTA and cocaine CPP in behaving rats both require glucocorticoid receptor activation during defeat episodes. These findings suggest that enhanced glutamatergic plasticity in the VTA may contribute, at least partially, to increased addiction vulnerability following repeated stressful experiences. DOI:http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.15448.001 Daily stress increases the likelihood that people who take drugs will become addicted. A very early step in the development of addiction is learning that certain people, places, or paraphernalia are associated with obtaining drugs. These ‘cues’ – drug dealers, bars, cigarette advertisements, etc. – become powerful motivators to seek out drugs and can trigger relapse in recovering addicts. It is thought that learning happens when synapses (the connections between neurons in the brain) that relay information about particular cues become stronger. However, it is not clear how stress promotes the learning of cue-drug associations. Stelly et al. investigated whether repeated episodes of stress make it easier to strengthen synapses on dopamine neurons, which are involved in processing rewards and addiction. For the experiments, rats were repeatedly exposed to a stressful situation – an encounter with an unfamiliar aggressive rat – every day for five days. Stelly et al. found that these stressed rats formed stronger associations between the drug cocaine and the place where they were given the drug (the cue). Furthermore, a mechanism that strengthens synapses was more sensitive in the stressed rats than in unstressed rats. These changes persisted for 10-30 days after the stressful situation, suggesting that stress might begin a period of time during which the individual is more vulnerable to addiction. The experiments also show that a hormone called corticosterone – which is released during stressful experiences – is necessary for stress to trigger the changes in the synapses and behavior of the rats. However, corticosterone must work with other factors because giving this hormone to unstressed rats was not sufficient to trigger the changes seen in the stressed rats. Future experiments will investigate what these other stress factors are and how they work together with corticosterone. DOI:http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.15448.002
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Affiliation(s)
- Claire E Stelly
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Texas, Austin, United States.,Waggoner Center for Alcohol and Addiction Research, University of Texas, Austin, United States
| | - Matthew B Pomrenze
- Waggoner Center for Alcohol and Addiction Research, University of Texas, Austin, United States.,Division of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Texas, Austin, United States
| | - Jason B Cook
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Texas, Austin, United States.,Waggoner Center for Alcohol and Addiction Research, University of Texas, Austin, United States
| | - Hitoshi Morikawa
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Texas, Austin, United States.,Waggoner Center for Alcohol and Addiction Research, University of Texas, Austin, United States
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33
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Swapna I, Bondy B, Morikawa H. Differential Dopamine Regulation of Ca(2+) Signaling and Its Timing Dependence in the Nucleus Accumbens. Cell Rep 2016; 15:563-573. [PMID: 27068462 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2016.03.055] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/12/2015] [Revised: 01/10/2016] [Accepted: 03/14/2016] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Dopamine action in the nucleus accumbens (NAc) is thought to drive appetitive behavior and Pavlovian reward learning. However, it remains controversial how dopamine achieves these behavioral effects by regulating medium spiny projection neurons (MSNs) of the NAc, especially on a behaviorally relevant timescale. Metabotropic glutamate receptor (mGluR)-induced Ca(2+) signaling dependent on the Ca(2+)- releasing messenger inositol 1,4,5-triphosphate (IP3) plays a critical role in controlling neuronal excitability and synaptic plasticity. Here, we show that transient dopamine application facilitates mGluR/IP3-induced Ca(2+) signals within a time window of ∼2-10 s in a subpopulation of MSNs in the NAc core. Dopamine facilitation of IP3-induced Ca(2+) signaling is mediated by D1 dopamine receptors. In dopamine-insensitive MSNs, activation of A2A adenosine receptors causes enhancement of IP3-evoked Ca(2+) signals, which is reversed by D2 dopamine receptor activation. These results show that dopamine differentially regulates Ca(2+) signaling on the order of seconds in two distinct MSN subpopulations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Immani Swapna
- Department of Neuroscience and Waggoner Center for Alcohol and Addiction Research, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, USA
| | - Brian Bondy
- Department of Neuroscience and Waggoner Center for Alcohol and Addiction Research, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, USA
| | - Hitoshi Morikawa
- Department of Neuroscience and Waggoner Center for Alcohol and Addiction Research, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, USA.
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34
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Degoulet M, Stelly CE, Ahn KC, Morikawa H. L-type Ca²⁺ channel blockade with antihypertensive medication disrupts VTA synaptic plasticity and drug-associated contextual memory. Mol Psychiatry 2016; 21:394-402. [PMID: 26100537 PMCID: PMC4689680 DOI: 10.1038/mp.2015.84] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2014] [Revised: 04/14/2015] [Accepted: 04/30/2015] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
Drug addiction is driven, in part, by powerful and enduring memories of sensory cues associated with drug intake. As such, relapse to drug use during abstinence is frequently triggered by an encounter with drug-associated cues, including the drug itself. L-type Ca(2+) channels (LTCCs) are known to regulate different forms of synaptic plasticity, the major neural substrate for learning and memory, in various brain areas. Long-term potentiation (LTP) of NMDA receptor (NMDAR)-mediated glutamatergic transmission in the ventral tegmental area (VTA) may contribute to the increased motivational valence of drug-associated cues triggering relapse. In this study, using rat brain slices, we found that isradipine, a general LTCC antagonist used as antihypertensive medication, not only blocks the induction of NMDAR LTP but also promotes the reversal of previously induced LTP in the VTA. In behaving rats, isradipine injected into the VTA suppressed the acquisition of cocaine-paired contextual cue memory assessed using a conditioned place preference (CPP) paradigm. Furthermore, administration of isradipine or a CaV1.3 subtype-selective LTCC antagonist (systemic or intra-VTA) before a single extinction or reinstatement session, while having no immediate effect at the time of administration, abolished previously acquired cocaine and alcohol (ethanol) CPP on subsequent days. Notably, CPP thus extinguished cannot be reinstated by drug re-exposure, even after 2 weeks of withdrawal. These results suggest that LTCC blockade during exposure to drug-associated cues may cause unlearning of the increased valence of those cues, presumably via reversal of glutamatergic synaptic plasticity in the VTA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mickael Degoulet
- Department of Neuroscience and Waggoner Center for Alcohol and Addiction Research, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, USA
| | - Claire E. Stelly
- Department of Neuroscience and Waggoner Center for Alcohol and Addiction Research, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, USA
| | - Kee-Chan Ahn
- Department of Neuroscience and Waggoner Center for Alcohol and Addiction Research, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, USA
| | - Hitoshi Morikawa
- Department of Neuroscience and Waggoner Center for Alcohol and Addiction Research, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, USA,Corresponding author: Hitoshi Morikawa, Department of Neuroscience and Waggoner Center for Alcohol and Addiction Research, University of Texas at Austin, 2400 Speedway, Austin, TX 78712, USA., Tel: 1-512-232-9299, Fax: 1-512-471-3878,
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35
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McClatchy DB, Savas JN, Martínez-Bartolomé S, Park SK, Maher P, Powell SB, Yates JR. Global quantitative analysis of phosphorylation underlying phencyclidine signaling and sensorimotor gating in the prefrontal cortex. Mol Psychiatry 2016; 21:205-15. [PMID: 25869802 PMCID: PMC4605830 DOI: 10.1038/mp.2015.41] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2014] [Revised: 01/27/2015] [Accepted: 03/02/2015] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
Prepulse inhibition (PPI) is an example of sensorimotor gating and deficits in PPI have been demonstrated in schizophrenia patients. Phencyclidine (PCP) suppression of PPI in animals has been studied to elucidate the pathological elements of schizophrenia. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying PCP treatment or PPI in the brain are still poorly understood. In this study, quantitative phosphoproteomic analysis was performed on the prefrontal cortex from rats that were subjected to PPI after being systemically injected with PCP or saline. PCP downregulated phosphorylation events were significantly enriched in proteins associated with long-term potentiation (LTP). Importantly, this data set identifies functionally novel phosphorylation sites on known LTP-associated signaling molecules. In addition, mutagenesis of a significantly altered phosphorylation site on xCT (SLC7A11), the light chain of system xc-, the cystine/glutamate antiporter, suggests that PCP also regulates the activity of this protein. Finally, new insights were also derived on PPI signaling independent of PCP treatment. This is the first quantitative phosphorylation proteomic analysis providing new molecular insights into sensorimotor gating.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Jeffrey N. Savas
- Department of Chemical Physiology, The Scripps Research Institute
| | | | - Sung Kyu Park
- Department of Chemical Physiology, The Scripps Research Institute
| | - Pamela Maher
- Cellular Neurobiology Laboratory, Salk Institute
| | | | - John R. Yates
- Department of Chemical Physiology, The Scripps Research Institute
- Corresponding Author:
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36
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Brzosko Z, Schultz W, Paulsen O. Retroactive modulation of spike timing-dependent plasticity by dopamine. eLife 2015; 4. [PMID: 26516682 PMCID: PMC4626806 DOI: 10.7554/elife.09685] [Citation(s) in RCA: 74] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/25/2015] [Accepted: 09/20/2015] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Most reinforcement learning models assume that the reward signal arrives after the activity that led to the reward, placing constraints on the possible underlying cellular mechanisms. Here we show that dopamine, a positive reinforcement signal, can retroactively convert hippocampal timing-dependent synaptic depression into potentiation. This effect requires functional NMDA receptors and is mediated in part through the activation of the cAMP/PKA cascade. Collectively, our results support the idea that reward-related signaling can act on a pre-established synaptic eligibility trace, thereby associating specific experiences with behaviorally distant, rewarding outcomes. This finding identifies a biologically plausible mechanism for solving the 'distal reward problem'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zuzanna Brzosko
- Department of Physiology, Development and Neuroscience, Physiological Laboratory, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Wolfram Schultz
- Department of Physiology, Development and Neuroscience, Physiological Laboratory, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Ole Paulsen
- Department of Physiology, Development and Neuroscience, Physiological Laboratory, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
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37
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Wild AR, Bollands M, Morris PG, Jones S. Mechanisms regulating spill-over of synaptic glutamate to extrasynaptic NMDA receptors in mouse substantia nigra dopaminergic neurons. Eur J Neurosci 2015; 42:2633-43. [PMID: 26370007 PMCID: PMC4832385 DOI: 10.1111/ejn.13075] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/16/2015] [Revised: 08/31/2015] [Accepted: 09/08/2015] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
Abstract
N‐Methyl‐d‐aspartate glutamate receptors (NMDARs) contribute to neural development, plasticity and survival, but they are also linked with neurodegeneration. NMDARs at synapses are activated by coincident glutamate release and depolarization. NMDARs distal to synapses can sometimes be recruited by ‘spill‐over’ of glutamate during high‐frequency synaptic stimulation or when glutamate uptake is compromised, and this influences the shape of NMDAR‐mediated postsynaptic responses. In substantia nigra dopamine neurons, activation of NMDARs beyond the synapse during different frequencies of presynaptic stimulation has not been explored, even though excitatory afferents from the subthalamic nucleus show a range of firing frequencies, and these frequencies change in human and experimental Parkinson's disease. This study reports that high‐frequency stimulation (80 Hz/200 ms) evoked NMDAR‐excitatory postsynaptic currents (EPSCs) that were larger and longer lasting than those evoked by single stimuli at low frequency (0.1 Hz). MK‐801, which irreversibly blocked NMDAR‐EPSCs activated during 0.1‐Hz stimulation, left a proportion of NMDAR‐EPSCs that could be activated by 80‐Hz stimulation and that may represent activity of NMDARs distal to synapses. TBOA, which blocks glutamate transporters, significantly increased NMDAR‐EPSCs in response to 80‐Hz stimulation, particularly when metabotropic glutamate receptors (mGluRs) were also blocked, indicating that recruitment of NMDARs distal to synapses is regulated by glutamate transporters and mGluRs. These regulatory mechanisms may be essential in the substantia nigra for restricting glutamate diffusion from synaptic sites and keeping NMDAR‐EPSCs in dopamine neurons relatively small and fast. Failure of glutamate transporters may contribute to the declining health of dopamine neurons during pathological conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- A R Wild
- Department of Physiology, Development & Neuroscience, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge, CB2 3DY, UK
| | - M Bollands
- Department of Physiology, Development & Neuroscience, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge, CB2 3DY, UK
| | - P G Morris
- Department of Physiology, Development & Neuroscience, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge, CB2 3DY, UK
| | - S Jones
- Department of Physiology, Development & Neuroscience, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge, CB2 3DY, UK
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38
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Pignatelli M, Bonci A. Role of Dopamine Neurons in Reward and Aversion: A Synaptic Plasticity Perspective. Neuron 2015; 86:1145-57. [PMID: 26050034 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2015.04.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 172] [Impact Index Per Article: 19.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/14/2023]
Abstract
The brain is wired to predict future outcomes. Experience-dependent plasticity at excitatory synapses within dopamine neurons of the ventral tegmental area, a key region for a broad range of motivated behaviors, is thought to be a fundamental cellular mechanism that enables adaptation to a dynamic environment. Thus, depending on the circumstances, dopamine neurons are capable of processing both positive and negative reinforcement learning strategies. In this review, we will discuss how changes in synaptic plasticity of dopamine neurons may affect dopamine release, as well as behavioral adaptations to different environmental conditions falling at opposite ends of a saliency spectrum ranging from reward to aversion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marco Pignatelli
- Intramural Research Program, Synaptic Plasticity Section, National Institute on Drug Abuse, Baltimore, MD 21224, USA
| | - Antonello Bonci
- Intramural Research Program, Synaptic Plasticity Section, National Institute on Drug Abuse, Baltimore, MD 21224, USA; Solomon H. Snyder Neuroscience Institute, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA; Department of Psychiatry, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA.
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39
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Abstract
Rewards are crucial objects that induce learning, approach behavior, choices, and emotions. Whereas emotions are difficult to investigate in animals, the learning function is mediated by neuronal reward prediction error signals which implement basic constructs of reinforcement learning theory. These signals are found in dopamine neurons, which emit a global reward signal to striatum and frontal cortex, and in specific neurons in striatum, amygdala, and frontal cortex projecting to select neuronal populations. The approach and choice functions involve subjective value, which is objectively assessed by behavioral choices eliciting internal, subjective reward preferences. Utility is the formal mathematical characterization of subjective value and a prime decision variable in economic choice theory. It is coded as utility prediction error by phasic dopamine responses. Utility can incorporate various influences, including risk, delay, effort, and social interaction. Appropriate for formal decision mechanisms, rewards are coded as object value, action value, difference value, and chosen value by specific neurons. Although all reward, reinforcement, and decision variables are theoretical constructs, their neuronal signals constitute measurable physical implementations and as such confirm the validity of these concepts. The neuronal reward signals provide guidance for behavior while constraining the free will to act.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wolfram Schultz
- Department of Physiology, Development and Neuroscience, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
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40
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Tonic firing rate controls dendritic Ca2+ signaling and synaptic gain in substantia nigra dopamine neurons. J Neurosci 2015; 35:5823-36. [PMID: 25855191 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.3904-14.2015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Substantia nigra dopamine neurons fire tonically resulting in action potential backpropagation and dendritic Ca(2+) influx. Using Ca(2+) imaging in acute mouse brain slices, we find a surprisingly steep relationship between tonic firing rate and dendritic Ca(2+). Increasing the tonic rate from 1 to 6 Hz generated Ca(2+) signals up to fivefold greater than predicted by linear summation of single spike-evoked Ca(2+)-transients. This "Ca(2+) supralinearity" was produced largely by depolarization of the interspike voltage leading to activation of subthreshold Ca(2+) channels and was present throughout the proximal and distal dendrites. Two-photon glutamate uncaging experiments show somatic depolarization enhances NMDA receptor-mediated Ca(2+) signals >400 μm distal to the soma, due to unusually tight electrotonic coupling of the soma to distal dendrites. Consequently, we find that fast tonic firing intensifies synaptically driven burst firing output in dopamine neurons. These results show that modulation of background firing rate precisely tunes dendritic Ca(2+) signaling and provides a simple yet powerful mechanism to dynamically regulate the gain of synaptic input.
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41
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Oswald MJ, Schulz JM, Kelsch W, Oorschot DE, Reynolds JNJ. Potentiation of NMDA receptor-mediated transmission in striatal cholinergic interneurons. Front Cell Neurosci 2015; 9:116. [PMID: 25914618 PMCID: PMC4391264 DOI: 10.3389/fncel.2015.00116] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/21/2014] [Accepted: 03/13/2015] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Pauses in the tonic firing of striatal cholinergic interneurons (CINs) emerge during reward-related learning in response to conditioning of a neutral cue. We have previously reported that augmenting the postsynaptic response to cortical afferents in CINs is coupled to the emergence of a cell-intrinsic afterhyperpolarization (AHP) underlying pauses in tonic activity. Here we investigated in a bihemispheric rat-brain slice preparation the mechanisms of synaptic plasticity of excitatory afferents to CINs and the association with changes in the AHP. We found that high frequency stimulation (HFS) of commissural corticostriatal afferents from the contralateral hemisphere induced a robust long-term depression (LTD) of postsynaptic potentials (PSP) in CINs. Depression of the PSP of smaller magnitude and duration was observed in response to HFS of the ipsilateral white matter or cerebral cortex. In Mg2+-free solution HFS induced NMDA receptor-dependent potentiation of the PSP, evident in both the maximal slope and amplitude of the PSP. The increase in maximal slope corroborates previous findings, and was blocked by antagonism of either D1-like dopamine receptors with SCH23390 or D2-like dopamine receptors with sulpiride during HFS in Mg2+-free solution. Potentiation of the slower PSP amplitude component was due to augmentation of the NMDA receptor-mediated potential as this was completely reversed on subsequent application of the NMDA receptor antagonist AP5. HFS similarly potentiated NMDA receptor currents isolated by blockade of AMPA/kainate receptors with CNQX. The plasticity-induced increase in the slow PSP component was directly associated with an increase in the subsequent AHP. Thus plasticity of cortical afferent synapses is ideally suited to influence the cue-induced firing dynamics of CINs, particularly through potentiation of NMDA receptor-mediated synaptic transmission.
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Affiliation(s)
- Manfred J Oswald
- Department of Anatomy and the Brain Health Research Centre, University of Otago Dunedin, New Zealand
| | - Jan M Schulz
- Department of Anatomy and the Brain Health Research Centre, University of Otago Dunedin, New Zealand
| | - Wolfgang Kelsch
- Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University Mannheim, Germany
| | - Dorothy E Oorschot
- Department of Anatomy and the Brain Health Research Centre, University of Otago Dunedin, New Zealand
| | - John N J Reynolds
- Department of Anatomy and the Brain Health Research Centre, University of Otago Dunedin, New Zealand
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42
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Dupuis JP, Bioulac BH, Baufreton J. Long-term depression at distinct glutamatergic synapses in the basal ganglia. Rev Neurosci 2015; 25:741-54. [PMID: 25046307 DOI: 10.1515/revneuro-2014-0024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2014] [Accepted: 06/20/2014] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
Long-term adaptations of synaptic transmission are believed to be the cellular basis of information storage in the brain. In particular, long-term depression of excitatory neurotransmission has been under intense investigation since convergent lines of evidence support a crucial role for this process in learning and memory. Within the basal ganglia, a network of subcortical nuclei forming a key part of the extrapyramidal motor system, plasticity at excitatory synapses is essential to the regulation of motor, cognitive, and reward functions. The striatum, the main gateway of the basal ganglia, receives convergent excitatory inputs from cortical areas and transmits information to the network output structures and is a major site of activity-dependent plasticity. Indeed, long-term depression at cortico-striatal synapses modulates the transfer of information to basal ganglia output structures and affects voluntary movement execution. Cortico-striatal plasticity is thus considered as a cellular substrate for adaptive motor control. Downstream in this network, the subthalamic nucleus and substantia nigra nuclei also receive glutamatergic innervation from the cortex and the subthalamic nucleus, respectively. Although these connections have been less investigated, recent studies have started to unravel the molecular mechanisms that contribute to adjustments in the strength of cortico-subthalamic and subthalamo-nigral transmissions, revealing that adaptations at these synapses governing the output of the network could also contribute to motor planning and execution. Here, we review our current understanding of long-term depression mechanisms at basal ganglia glutamatergic synapses and emphasize the common and unique plastic features observed at successive levels of the network in healthy and pathological conditions.
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Rodríguez-Manzo G. Glutamatergic transmission is involved in the long lasting sexual inhibition of sexually exhausted male rats. Pharmacol Biochem Behav 2015; 131:64-70. [PMID: 25668128 DOI: 10.1016/j.pbb.2015.02.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/23/2014] [Revised: 01/24/2015] [Accepted: 02/02/2015] [Indexed: 01/29/2023]
Abstract
Copulation to satiation induces a series of enduring physiological changes in male rats, with the appearance of a long lasting sexual inhibitory period as the most conspicuous, that are suggestive of the occurrence of neuroplastic changes. Copulation is a natural reward activating the mesocorticolimbic circuit and inducing nucleus accumbens dopamine release. The repeated activation of this system by drug rewards induces neuroplastic changes involving both dopamine and glutamate transmission. We hypothesized that repeated activation of the mesocorticolimbic circuit during copulation to satiation might also activate these neurotransmitter systems. The objective of the present work was to establish the possible participation of glutamate transmission in sexual satiety. To this aim we tested if the systemic injection of specific glutamate receptor antagonists of the NMDA, AMPA and mGluR5 receptor subtypes would reverse the sexual inhibitory state characteristic of sexually satiated rats. Results showed that systemic administration of low doses of the three glutamate receptor antagonists reversed sexual exhaustion evidencing a role for glutamate in the maintenance of the sexual inhibition that follows copulation to satiation, with the participation of NMDA, AMPA and mGluR5 receptors. These glutamate receptor subtypes have been associated to the neuroplastic changes resulting from repeated activation of the mesocorticolimbic circuit by drug rewards, a phenomenon that might also result from its activation by continued copulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gabriela Rodríguez-Manzo
- Departamento de Farmacobiología, Cinvestav-Sede Sur, Calzada de los Tenorios 235, Col. Granjas Coapa, Delegación Tlalpan 14330 D.F., Mexico.
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44
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Aberrant calcium signaling by transglutaminase-mediated posttranslational modification of inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate receptors. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2014; 111:E3966-75. [PMID: 25201980 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1409730111] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/29/2023] Open
Abstract
The inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate receptor (IP3R) in the endoplasmic reticulum mediates calcium signaling that impinges on intracellular processes. IP3Rs are allosteric proteins comprising four subunits that form an ion channel activated by binding of IP3 at a distance. Defective allostery in IP3R is considered crucial to cellular dysfunction, but the specific mechanism remains unknown. Here we demonstrate that a pleiotropic enzyme transglutaminase type 2 targets the allosteric coupling domain of IP3R type 1 (IP3R1) and negatively regulates IP3R1-mediated calcium signaling and autophagy by locking the subunit configurations. The control point of this regulation is the covalent posttranslational modification of the Gln2746 residue that transglutaminase type 2 tethers to the adjacent subunit. Modification of Gln2746 and IP3R1 function was observed in Huntington disease models, suggesting a pathological role of this modification in the neurodegenerative disease. Our study reveals that cellular signaling is regulated by a new mode of posttranslational modification that chronically and enzymatically blocks allosteric changes in the ligand-gated channels that relate to disease states.
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45
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Unlearning: NMDA receptor-mediated metaplasticity in the anterior piriform cortex following early odor preference training in rats. J Neurosci 2014; 34:5143-51. [PMID: 24719094 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.0128-14.2014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Here we demonstrate metaplastic effect of a change in NMDA receptor (NMDAR) number in the anterior piriform cortex (aPC) in rat induced by a 10 min pairing of peppermint odor + stroking, which significantly modifies later learning and memory. Using isolated synaptoneurosomes, we found NR1 receptor downregulation 3 h after training and upregulation at 24 h. Consistent with the NR1 pattern, the NMDAR-mediated EPSP was smaller at 3 h and larger at 24 h. Subunit composition was unchanged. Whereas LTP was reduced at both times by training, LTD was facilitated only at 3 h. Behaviorally, pups, given a pairing of peppermint + stroking 3 h after an initial peppermint + stroking training, lost the normally acquired peppermint preference 24 h later. To probe the pathway specificity of this unlearning effect, pups were trained first with peppermint and then, at 3 h, given a second training with peppermint or vanillin. Pups given peppermint training at both times lost the learned peppermint preference. Pups given vanillin retraining at 3 h had normal peppermint preference. Downregulating NR1 with siRNA prevented odor preference learning. Finally, the NMDAR antagonist MK-801 blocked the LTD facilitation seen 3 h after training, and giving MK-801 before the second peppermint training trial eliminated the loss of peppermint odor preference. A training-associated reduction in NMDARs facilitates LTD 3 h later; training at the time of LTD facilitation reverses an LTP-dependent odor preference. Experience-dependent, pathway-specific metaplastic effects in a cortical structure have broad implications for the optimal spacing of learning experiences.
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46
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Dupuis JP, Ladépêche L, Seth H, Bard L, Varela J, Mikasova L, Bouchet D, Rogemond V, Honnorat J, Hanse E, Groc L. Surface dynamics of GluN2B-NMDA receptors controls plasticity of maturing glutamate synapses. EMBO J 2014; 33:842-61. [PMID: 24591565 DOI: 10.1002/embj.201386356] [Citation(s) in RCA: 90] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
NMDA-type glutamate receptors (NMDAR) are central actors in the plasticity of excitatory synapses. During adaptive processes, the number and composition of synaptic NMDAR can be rapidly modified, as in neonatal hippocampal synapses where a switch from predominant GluN2B- to GluN2A-containing receptors is observed after the induction of long-term potentiation (LTP). However, the cellular pathways by which surface NMDAR subtypes are dynamically regulated during activity-dependent synaptic adaptations remain poorly understood. Using a combination of high-resolution single nanoparticle imaging and electrophysiology, we show here that GluN2B-NMDAR are dynamically redistributed away from glutamate synapses through increased lateral diffusion during LTP in immature neurons. Strikingly, preventing this activity-dependent GluN2B-NMDAR surface redistribution through cross-linking, either with commercial or with autoimmune anti-NMDA antibodies from patient with neuropsychiatric symptoms, affects the dynamics and spine accumulation of CaMKII and impairs LTP. Interestingly, the same impairments are observed when expressing a mutant of GluN2B-NMDAR unable to bind CaMKII. We thus uncover a non-canonical mechanism by which GluN2B-NMDAR surface dynamics plays a critical role in the plasticity of maturing synapses through a direct interplay with CaMKII.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julien P Dupuis
- Interdisciplinary Institute for Neuroscience University de Bordeaux UMR 5297, Bordeaux, France
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47
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Yuan T, Mameli M, O'Connor EC, O' Connor EC, Dey PN, Verpelli C, Sala C, Perez-Otano I, Lüscher C, Bellone C. Expression of cocaine-evoked synaptic plasticity by GluN3A-containing NMDA receptors. Neuron 2013; 80:1025-38. [PMID: 24183704 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2013.07.050] [Citation(s) in RCA: 86] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 07/30/2013] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
Drug-evoked synaptic plasticity in the mesolimbic dopamine (DA) system reorganizes neural circuits that may lead to addictive behavior. The first cocaine exposure potentiates AMPAR excitatory postsynaptic currents (EPSCs) onto DA neurons of the VTA but reduces the amplitude of NMDAR-EPSCs. While plasticity of AMPAR transmission is expressed by insertion of calcium (Ca(2+))-permeable GluA2-lacking receptors, little is known about the expression mechanism for altered NMDAR transmission. Combining ex vivo patch-clamp recordings, mouse genetics, and subcellular Ca(2+) imaging, we observe that cocaine drives the insertion of NMDARs that are quasi-Ca(2+)-impermeable and contain GluN3A and GluN2B subunits. These GluN3A-containing NMDARs appear necessary for the expression of cocaine-evoked plasticity of AMPARs. We identify an mGluR1-dependent mechanism to remove these noncanonical NMDARs that requires Homer/Shank interaction and protein synthesis. Our data provide insight into the early cocaine-driven reorganization of glutamatergic transmission onto DA neurons and offer GluN3A-containing NMDARs as new targets in drug addiction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tifei Yuan
- Department of Basic Neurosciences, Medical Faculty, University of Geneva, 1 rue Michel Servet, CH-1211 Geneva, Switzerland
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48
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Chung C. NMDA receptor as a newly identified member of the metabotropic glutamate receptor family: clinical implications for neurodegenerative diseases. Mol Cells 2013; 36:99-104. [PMID: 23740429 PMCID: PMC3887951 DOI: 10.1007/s10059-013-0113-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/11/2013] [Revised: 05/08/2013] [Accepted: 05/09/2013] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Recent reports have proposed a novel function for the N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor (NMDAR), a well-known excitatory, ionotropic receptor. A series of observations employing pharmacological techniques has proposed that upon ligand binding, this ionotropic receptor can actually function via signaling cascades independent of traditional ionotropic action. Moreover, the "metabotropic" action of NMDARs is suggested to mediate a form of synaptic plasticity, namely long-term synaptic depression (LTD), which shares cellular mechanisms with the synaptic deficits observed in Alzheimer's disease. Given that a growing body of clinical and preclinical evidence strongly recommends NMDAR antagonists for their therapeutic potentials and advantages in a variety of diseases, further investigation into their molecular and cellular mechanisms is required to better understand the "metabotropic" action of NMDARs.
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Affiliation(s)
- ChiHye Chung
- Department of Biological Sciences, Konkuk University, Seoul 143-701, Korea.
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49
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Hunt DL, Puente N, Grandes P, Castillo PE. Bidirectional NMDA receptor plasticity controls CA3 output and heterosynaptic metaplasticity. Nat Neurosci 2013; 16:1049-59. [PMID: 23852115 PMCID: PMC3740388 DOI: 10.1038/nn.3461] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2012] [Accepted: 06/11/2013] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
NMDA receptors (NMDARs) are classically known as coincidence detectors for the induction of long-term synaptic plasticity and have been implicated in hippocampal CA3 cell-dependent spatial memory functions that likely rely on dynamic cellular ensemble encoding of space. The unique functional properties of both NMDARs and mossy fiber projections to CA3 pyramidal cells place mossy fiber NMDARs in a prime position to influence CA3 ensemble dynamics. By mimicking presynaptic and postsynaptic activity patterns observed in vivo, we found a burst timing-dependent pattern of activity that triggered bidirectional long-term NMDAR plasticity at mossy fiber-CA3 synapses in rat hippocampal slices. This form of plasticity imparts bimodal control of mossy fiber-driven CA3 burst firing and spike temporal fidelity. Moreover, we found that mossy fiber NMDARs mediate heterosynaptic metaplasticity between mossy fiber and associational-commissural synapses. Thus, bidirectional NMDAR plasticity at mossy fiber-CA3 synapses could substantially contribute to the formation, storage and recall of CA3 cell assembly patterns.
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Affiliation(s)
- David L Hunt
- Dominick P. Purpura Department of Neuroscience, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, New York, USA
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50
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Paoletti P, Bellone C, Zhou Q. NMDA receptor subunit diversity: impact on receptor properties, synaptic plasticity and disease. Nat Rev Neurosci 2013; 14:383-400. [DOI: 10.1038/nrn3504] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1525] [Impact Index Per Article: 138.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
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