GABA(B) receptors modulate short-term potentiation of spontaneous excitatory postsynaptic currents in the rat supraoptic nucleus in vitro

The effects of music combined to paired associative stimulation on motor-evoked potentials and alertness in spinal cord injury patients and healthy subjects

Paired associative stimulation (PAS) consisting of high-intensity transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) and high-frequency peripheral nerve stimulation (known as high-PAS) induces plastic changes and improves motor performance in patients with incomplete spinal cord injury (SCI). Listening to music during PAS may potentially improve mood and arousal and facilitate PAS-induced neuroplasticity via auditory-motor coupling, but the effects have not been explored. This pilot study aimed to determine if the effect of high-PAS on motor-evoked potentials (MEPs) and subjective alertness can be augmented with music. Ten healthy subjects and nine SCI patients received three high-PAS sessions in randomized order (PAS only, PAS with music synchronized to TMS, PAS with self-selected music). MEPs were measured before (PRE), after (POST), 30 min (POST30), and 60 min (POST60) after stimulation. Alertness was evaluated with a questionnaire. In healthy subjects, MEPs increased at POST in all sessions and remained higher at POST60 in PAS with synchronized music compared with the other sessions. There was no difference in alertness. In SCI patients, MEPs increased at POST and POST30 in PAS only but not in other sessions, whereas alertness was higher in PAS with self-selected music. More research is needed to determine the potential clinical effects of using music during high-PAS.

GABA B receptor modulation of excitatory and inhibitory synaptic transmission onto rat CA3 hippocampal interneurons

Hippocampal stratum radiatum inhibitory interneurons receive glutamatergic excitatory innervation via the recurrent collateral fibers of CA3 pyramidal neurons and GABAergic inhibition from other interneurons. We examined both presynaptic- and postsynaptic-GABA(B) receptor-mediated responses at both synapse types. Postsynaptic GABA(B) receptor-mediated responses were absent in recordings from young (P16-18) but present in recordings from older animals (> or =P30) suggesting developmental regulation. In young animals, the GABA(B) receptor agonist, baclofen, inhibited the amplitude of evoked EPSCs and IPSCs, an effect blocked by prior application of the selective antagonist CGP55845. Baclofen enhanced the paired-pulse ratio and coefficient of variation of evoked EPSCs and IPSCs, consistent with a presynaptic mechanism of regulation. In addition, baclofen reduced the frequency of miniature IPSCs but not mEPSCs. However, baclofen reduced the frequency of KCl-induced mEPSCs; an effect blocked by Cd(2+), implicating presynaptic voltage-gated Ca(2+) channels as a target for baclofen modulation. In contrast, although Cd(2+) prevented the KCl-induced increase in mIPSC frequency, it failed to block baclofen's reduction of mIPSC frequency. Whereas N- and P/Q-types of Ca(2+) channels contributed equally to GABA(B) receptor-mediated inhibition of EPSCs, more P/Q-type Ca(2+) channels were involved in GABA(B) receptor-mediated inhibition of IPSCs. Finally, baclofen blocked the frequency-dependent depression of EPSCs and IPSCs, but was less effective at blocking frequency-dependent facilitation of EPSCs. Our results demonstrate that presynaptic GABA(B) receptors are expressed on the terminals of both excitatory and inhibitory synapses onto CA3 interneurons and that their activation modulates essential components of the release process underlying transmission at these two synapse types.