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McFarlan AR, Gomez I, Chou CYC, Alcolado A, Costa RP, Sjöström PJ. The short-term plasticity of VIP interneurons in motor cortex. Front Synaptic Neurosci 2024; 16:1433977. [PMID: 39267890 PMCID: PMC11390561 DOI: 10.3389/fnsyn.2024.1433977] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/16/2024] [Accepted: 08/14/2024] [Indexed: 09/15/2024] Open
Abstract
Short-term plasticity is an important feature in the brain for shaping neural dynamics and for information processing. Short-term plasticity is known to depend on many factors including brain region, cortical layer, and cell type. Here we focus on vasoactive-intestinal peptide (VIP) interneurons (INs). VIP INs play a key disinhibitory role in cortical circuits by inhibiting other IN types, including Martinotti cells (MCs) and basket cells (BCs). Despite this prominent role, short-term plasticity at synapses to and from VIP INs is not well described. In this study, we therefore characterized the short-term plasticity at inputs and outputs of genetically targeted VIP INs in mouse motor cortex. To explore inhibitory to inhibitory (I → I) short-term plasticity at layer 2/3 (L2/3) VIP IN outputs onto L5 MCs and BCs, we relied on a combination of whole-cell recording, 2-photon microscopy, and optogenetics, which revealed that VIP IN→MC/BC synapses were consistently short-term depressing. To explore excitatory (E) → I short-term plasticity at inputs to VIP INs, we used extracellular stimulation. Surprisingly, unlike VIP IN outputs, E → VIP IN synapses exhibited heterogeneous short-term dynamics, which we attributed to the target VIP IN cell rather than the input. Computational modeling furthermore linked the diversity in short-term dynamics at VIP IN inputs to a wide variability in probability of release. Taken together, our findings highlight how short-term plasticity at VIP IN inputs and outputs is specific to synapse type. We propose that the broad diversity in short-term plasticity of VIP IN inputs forms a basis to code for a broad range of contrasting signal dynamics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amanda R McFarlan
- Centre for Research in Neuroscience, Brain Repair, and Integrative Neuroscience Program, Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, The Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre, Montreal General Hospital, Montreal, QC, Canada
- Integrated Program in Neuroscience, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Isabella Gomez
- Centre for Research in Neuroscience, Brain Repair, and Integrative Neuroscience Program, Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, The Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre, Montreal General Hospital, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Christina Y C Chou
- Centre for Research in Neuroscience, Brain Repair, and Integrative Neuroscience Program, Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, The Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre, Montreal General Hospital, Montreal, QC, Canada
- Integrated Program in Neuroscience, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | | | - Rui Ponte Costa
- Centre for Neural Circuits and Behaviour, Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics, Medical Sciences Division, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - P Jesper Sjöström
- Centre for Research in Neuroscience, Brain Repair, and Integrative Neuroscience Program, Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, The Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre, Montreal General Hospital, Montreal, QC, Canada
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2
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Developmental depression-to-facilitation shift controls excitation-inhibition balance. Commun Biol 2022; 5:873. [PMID: 36008708 PMCID: PMC9411206 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-022-03801-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2022] [Accepted: 08/04/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Changes in the short-term dynamics of excitatory synapses over development have been observed throughout cortex, but their purpose and consequences remain unclear. Here, we propose that developmental changes in synaptic dynamics buffer the effect of slow inhibitory long-term plasticity, allowing for continuously stable neural activity. Using computational modeling we demonstrate that early in development excitatory short-term depression quickly stabilises neural activity, even in the face of strong, unbalanced excitation. We introduce a model of the commonly observed developmental shift from depression to facilitation and show that neural activity remains stable throughout development, while inhibitory synaptic plasticity slowly balances excitation, consistent with experimental observations. Our model predicts changes in the input responses from phasic to phasic-and-tonic and more precise spike timings. We also observe a gradual emergence of short-lasting memory traces governed by short-term plasticity development. We conclude that the developmental depression-to-facilitation shift may control excitation-inhibition balance throughout development with important functional consequences. Using computational modelling this study proposes that the commonly observed depression-to-facilitation shift across development controls excitation-inhibition balance in the brain.
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Berberian N, Ross M, Chartier S. Discrimination of Motion Direction in a Robot Using a Phenomenological Model of Synaptic Plasticity. COMPUTATIONAL INTELLIGENCE AND NEUROSCIENCE 2019; 2019:6989128. [PMID: 31191633 PMCID: PMC6525956 DOI: 10.1155/2019/6989128] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2018] [Revised: 02/14/2019] [Accepted: 03/19/2019] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Recognizing and tracking the direction of moving stimuli is crucial to the control of much animal behaviour. In this study, we examine whether a bio-inspired model of synaptic plasticity implemented in a robotic agent may allow the discrimination of motion direction of real-world stimuli. Starting with a well-established model of short-term synaptic plasticity (STP), we develop a microcircuit motif of spiking neurons capable of exhibiting preferential and nonpreferential responses to changes in the direction of an orientation stimulus in motion. While the robotic agent processes sensory inputs, the STP mechanism introduces direction-dependent changes in the synaptic connections of the microcircuit, resulting in a population of units that exhibit a typical cortical response property observed in primary visual cortex (V1), namely, direction selectivity. Visually evoked responses from the model are then compared to those observed in multielectrode recordings from V1 in anesthetized macaque monkeys, while sinusoidal gratings are displayed on a screen. Overall, the model highlights the role of STP as a complementary mechanism in explaining the direction selectivity and applies these insights in a physical robot as a method for validating important response characteristics observed in experimental data from V1, namely, direction selectivity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nareg Berberian
- Laboratory for Computational Neurodynamics and Cognition, School of Psychology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada K1N 6N5
| | - Matt Ross
- Laboratory for Computational Neurodynamics and Cognition, School of Psychology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada K1N 6N5
| | - Sylvain Chartier
- Laboratory for Computational Neurodynamics and Cognition, School of Psychology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada K1N 6N5
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4
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Milshtein-Parush H, Frere S, Regev L, Lahav C, Benbenishty A, Ben-Eliyahu S, Goshen I, Slutsky I. Sensory Deprivation Triggers Synaptic and Intrinsic Plasticity in the Hippocampus. Cereb Cortex 2018; 27:3457-3470. [PMID: 28407141 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhx084] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2016] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Hippocampus, a temporal lobe structure involved in learning and memory, receives information from all sensory modalities. Despite extensive research on the role of sensory experience in cortical map plasticity, little is known about whether and how sensory experience regulates functioning of the hippocampal circuits. Here, we show that 9 ± 2 days of whisker deprivation during early mouse development depresses activity of CA3 pyramidal neurons by several principal mechanisms: decrease in release probability, increase in the fraction of silent synapses, and reduction in intrinsic excitability. As a result of deprivation-induced presynaptic inhibition, CA3-CA1 synaptic facilitation was augmented at high frequencies, shifting filtering properties of synapses. The changes in the AMPA-mediated synaptic transmission were accompanied by an increase in NR2B-containing NMDA receptors and a reduction in the AMPA/NMDA ratio. The observed reconfiguration of the CA3-CA1 connections may represent a homeostatic adaptation to augmentation in synaptic activity during the initial deprivation phase. In adult mice, tactile disuse diminished intrinsic excitability without altering synaptic facilitation. We suggest that sensory experience regulates computations performed by the hippocampus by tuning its synaptic and intrinsic characteristics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hila Milshtein-Parush
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 69978, Israel.,Sagol School of Neuroscience, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 69978, Israel
| | - Samuel Frere
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 69978, Israel
| | - Limor Regev
- The Edmond and Lily Safra Center for Brain Sciences, The Hebrew University, Jerusalem 91904,Israel
| | - Coren Lahav
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 69978, Israel.,Sagol School of Neuroscience, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 69978, Israel
| | - Amit Benbenishty
- Sagol School of Neuroscience, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 69978, Israel.,Neuroimmunology Research Unit, School of Psychological Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 69978, Israel
| | - Shamgar Ben-Eliyahu
- Sagol School of Neuroscience, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 69978, Israel.,Neuroimmunology Research Unit, School of Psychological Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 69978, Israel
| | - Inbal Goshen
- The Edmond and Lily Safra Center for Brain Sciences, The Hebrew University, Jerusalem 91904,Israel
| | - Inna Slutsky
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 69978, Israel.,Sagol School of Neuroscience, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 69978, Israel
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Larsen RS, Sjöström PJ. Synapse-type-specific plasticity in local circuits. Curr Opin Neurobiol 2015; 35:127-35. [PMID: 26310110 PMCID: PMC5280068 DOI: 10.1016/j.conb.2015.08.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 63] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2015] [Revised: 07/16/2015] [Accepted: 08/04/2015] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Abstract
Neuroscientists spent decades debating whether synaptic plasticity was presynaptically or postsynaptically expressed. It was eventually concluded that plasticity depends on many factors, including cell type. More recently, it has become increasingly clear that plasticity is regulated at an even finer grained level; it is specific to the synapse type, a concept we denote synapse-type-specific plasticity (STSP). Here, we review recent developments in the field of STSP, discussing both long-term and short-term variants and with particular emphasis on neocortical function. As there are dozens of neocortical cell types, there is a multiplicity of forms of STSP, the vast majority of which have never been explored. We argue that to understand the brain and synaptic diseases, we have to grapple with STSP.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rylan S Larsen
- Allen Institute for Brain Science, Seattle, WA 98103, USA
| | - P Jesper Sjöström
- Centre for Research in Neuroscience, Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, The Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre, Montreal General Hospital, Montréal, Québec H3G 1A4, Canada.
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Chen CC, Chu P, Brumberg JC. Experience-dependent regulation of tissue-type plasminogen activator in the mouse barrel cortex. Neurosci Lett 2015; 599:152-7. [PMID: 26021877 DOI: 10.1016/j.neulet.2015.05.050] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/18/2015] [Revised: 05/14/2015] [Accepted: 05/22/2015] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
It has been suggested that tissue-type plasminogen activator (tPA), a serine protease, plays a key role in regulating the extracellular matrix core proteins, thereby impacting the structural plasticity in the cerebral cortex. Much is known about its role in regulating plasticity in the visual cortex. However, its permissive role has not been demonstrated to generalize to other cerebral cortical areas. By utilizing a combination of immunofluorescent histochemistry and confocal microscopy, we demonstrate that endogenous tPA is indeed present in the somatosensory cortex, and its expression is experience-dependent. Chronic sensory deprivation induced by whisker trimming from birth for one month leads to increased tPA immunoreactivity in all layers of the barrel cortex. Furthermore, tPA immunoreactivity remains high even after sensation has been restored to the mystacial pad (by allowing whiskers to grow back to full length for one month). Our results suggest that tPA levels in the cerebral cortex are regulated by sensory experience, and play a key role in regulating structural remodeling in the cerebral cortex.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chia-Chien Chen
- Neuropsychology Subprogram, Psychology, 365th 5th Avenue, New York, NY 10016, USA
| | - Philip Chu
- Neuropsychology Subprogram, Psychology, 365th 5th Avenue, New York, NY 10016, USA
| | - Joshua C Brumberg
- Neuropsychology Subprogram, Psychology, 365th 5th Avenue, New York, NY 10016, USA; Biology-Neuroscience Subprogram, The Graduate Center, CUNY, 365th 5th Avenue, New York, NY 10016, USA; Department of Psychology, Queens College, CUNY, 65-30 Kissena Boulevard, Flushing, NY 11367, USA.
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7
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Goudar V, Buonomano DV. A model of order-selectivity based on dynamic changes in the balance of excitation and inhibition produced by short-term synaptic plasticity. J Neurophysiol 2014; 113:509-23. [PMID: 25339707 DOI: 10.1152/jn.00568.2014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Determining the order of sensory events separated by a few hundred milliseconds is critical to many forms of sensory processing, including vocalization and speech discrimination. Although many experimental studies have recorded from auditory order-sensitive and order-selective neurons, the underlying mechanisms are poorly understood. Here we demonstrate that universal properties of cortical synapses-short-term synaptic plasticity of excitatory and inhibitory synapses-are well suited for the generation of order-selective neural responses. Using computational models of canonical disynaptic circuits, we show that the dynamic changes in the balance of excitation and inhibition imposed by short-term plasticity lead to the generation of order-selective responses. Parametric analyses predict that among the forms of short-term plasticity expressed at excitatory-to-excitatory, excitatory-to-inhibitory, and inhibitory-to-excitatory synapses, the single most important contributor to order-selectivity is the paired-pulse depression of inhibitory postsynaptic potentials (IPSPs). A topographic model of the auditory cortex that incorporates short-term plasticity accounts for both context-dependent suppression and enhancement in response to paired tones. Together these results provide a framework to account for an important computational problem based on ubiquitous synaptic properties that did not yet have a clearly established computational function. Additionally, these studies suggest that disynaptic circuits represent a fundamental computational unit that is capable of processing both spatial and temporal information.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vishwa Goudar
- Integrative Center for Learning and Memory, Departments of Neurobiology and Psychology, UCLA, Los Angeles, California
| | - Dean V Buonomano
- Integrative Center for Learning and Memory, Departments of Neurobiology and Psychology, UCLA, Los Angeles, California
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Blackman AV, Abrahamsson T, Costa RP, Lalanne T, Sjöström PJ. Target-cell-specific short-term plasticity in local circuits. Front Synaptic Neurosci 2013; 5:11. [PMID: 24367330 PMCID: PMC3854841 DOI: 10.3389/fnsyn.2013.00011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 58] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/30/2013] [Accepted: 11/07/2013] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Short-term plasticity (STP) denotes changes in synaptic strength that last up to tens of seconds. It is generally thought that STP impacts information transfer across synaptic connections and may thereby provide neurons with, for example, the ability to detect input coherence, to maintain stability and to promote synchronization. STP is due to a combination of mechanisms, including vesicle depletion and calcium accumulation in synaptic terminals. Different forms of STP exist, depending on many factors, including synapse type. Recent evidence shows that synapse dependence holds true even for connections that originate from a single presynaptic cell, which implies that postsynaptic target cell type can determine synaptic short-term dynamics. This arrangement is surprising, since STP itself is chiefly due to presynaptic mechanisms. Target-specific synaptic dynamics in addition imply that STP is not a bug resulting from synapses fatiguing when driven too hard, but rather a feature that is selectively implemented in the brain for specific functional purposes. As an example, target-specific STP results in sequential somatic and dendritic inhibition in neocortical and hippocampal excitatory cells during high-frequency firing. Recent studies also show that the Elfn1 gene specifically controls STP at some synapse types. In addition, presynaptic NMDA receptors have been implicated in synapse-specific control of synaptic dynamics during high-frequency activity. We argue that synapse-specific STP deserves considerable further study, both experimentally and theoretically, since its function is not well known. We propose that synapse-specific STP has to be understood in the context of the local circuit, which requires combining different scientific disciplines ranging from molecular biology through electrophysiology to computer modeling.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arne V Blackman
- Department of Neuroscience, Physiology and Pharmacology, University College London London, UK
| | - Therese Abrahamsson
- Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, Centre for Research in Neuroscience, The Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre, Montreal General Hospital Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Rui Ponte Costa
- Neuroinformatics Doctoral Training Centre, School of Informatics, Institute for Adaptive and Neural Computation, University of Edinburgh Edinburgh, UK
| | - Txomin Lalanne
- Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, Centre for Research in Neuroscience, The Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre, Montreal General Hospital Montreal, QC, Canada ; Integrated Program in Neuroscience, McGill University Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - P Jesper Sjöström
- Department of Neuroscience, Physiology and Pharmacology, University College London London, UK ; Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, Centre for Research in Neuroscience, The Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre, Montreal General Hospital Montreal, QC, Canada
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9
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Chen WX, Buonomano DV. Developmental shift of short-term synaptic plasticity in cortical organotypic slices. Neuroscience 2012; 213:38-46. [PMID: 22521823 PMCID: PMC3367122 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2012.04.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2011] [Revised: 04/07/2012] [Accepted: 04/11/2012] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Although short-term synaptic plasticity (STP) is ubiquitous in neocortical synapses its functional role in neural computations is not well understood. Critical to elucidating the function of STP will be to understand how STP itself changes with development and experience. Previous studies have reported developmental changes in STP using acute slices. It is not clear, however, to what extent the changes in STP are a function of local ontogenetic programs or the result of the many different sensory and experience-dependent changes that accompany development in vivo. To address this question we examined the in vitro development of STP in organotypic slices cultured for up to 4 weeks. Paired recordings were performed in L5 pyramidal neurons at different stages of in vitro development. We observed a shift in STP in the form of a decrease in the paired-pulse ratio (PPR) (less depression) from the second to fourth week in vitro. This shift in STP was not accompanied by a change in initial excitatory postsynaptic potential (EPSP) amplitude. Fitting STP to a quantitative model indicated that the developmental shift is consistent with presynaptic changes. Importantly, despite the change in the PPR we did not observe changes in the time constant governing STP. Since these experiments were conducted in vitro our results indicate that the shift in STP does not depend on in vivo sensory experience. Although sensory experience may shape STP, we suggest that developmental shifts in STP are at least in part ontogenetically determined.
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Affiliation(s)
- W X Chen
- Department of Neurobiology, Integrative Center for Learning and Memory, and Brain Research Institute, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
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