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Elmasri M, Hunter DW, Winchester G, Bates EE, Aziz W, Van Der Does DM, Karachaliou E, Sakimura K, Penn AC. Common synaptic phenotypes arising from diverse mutations in the human NMDA receptor subunit GluN2A. Commun Biol 2022; 5:174. [PMID: 35228668 PMCID: PMC8885697 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-022-03115-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/03/2020] [Accepted: 01/31/2022] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Dominant mutations in the human gene GRIN2A, encoding NMDA receptor (NMDAR) subunit GluN2A, make a significant and growing contribution to the catalogue of published single-gene epilepsies. Understanding the disease mechanism in these epilepsy patients is complicated by the surprising diversity of effects that the mutations have on NMDARs. Here we have examined the cell-autonomous effect of five GluN2A mutations, 3 loss-of-function and 2 gain-of-function, on evoked NMDAR-mediated synaptic currents (NMDA-EPSCs) in CA1 pyramidal neurons in cultured hippocampal slices. Despite the mutants differing in their functional incorporation at synapses, prolonged NMDA-EPSC current decays (with only marginal changes in charge transfer) were a common effect for both gain- and loss-of-function mutants. Modelling NMDA-EPSCs with mutant properties in a CA1 neuron revealed that the effect of GRIN2A mutations can lead to abnormal temporal integration and spine calcium dynamics during trains of concerted synaptic activity. Investigations beyond establishing the molecular defects of GluN2A mutants are much needed to understand their impact on synaptic transmission. The cell-autonomous effect of five severe loss- or gain-of-function GluN2A (NMDA receptor) mutations is assessed on evoked NMDAR-mediated synaptic currents in CA1 pyramidal neurons in cultured mouse hippocampal slices. Data and modelling suggest that mutant-like NMDA-EPSCs can lead to abnormal temporal summation and spine calcium dynamics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marwa Elmasri
- Sussex Neuroscience, School of Life Sciences, University of Sussex, Brighton, BN1 9QG, UK
| | - Daniel William Hunter
- Sussex Neuroscience, School of Life Sciences, University of Sussex, Brighton, BN1 9QG, UK
| | - Giles Winchester
- Sussex Neuroscience, School of Life Sciences, University of Sussex, Brighton, BN1 9QG, UK
| | - Ella Emine Bates
- Sussex Neuroscience, School of Life Sciences, University of Sussex, Brighton, BN1 9QG, UK
| | - Wajeeha Aziz
- Sussex Neuroscience, School of Life Sciences, University of Sussex, Brighton, BN1 9QG, UK
| | | | - Eirini Karachaliou
- Sussex Neuroscience, School of Life Sciences, University of Sussex, Brighton, BN1 9QG, UK
| | - Kenji Sakimura
- Department of Cellular Neurobiology, Brain Research Institute, Niigata University, Niigata, 951-8585, Japan
| | - Andrew Charles Penn
- Sussex Neuroscience, School of Life Sciences, University of Sussex, Brighton, BN1 9QG, UK.
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Al-Amin MM, Sullivan RKP, Alexander S, Carter DA, Bradford D, Burne THJ, Burne THJ. Impaired spatial memory in adult vitamin D deficient BALB/c mice is associated with reductions in spine density, nitric oxide, and neural nitric oxide synthase in the hippocampus. AIMS Neurosci 2022; 9:31-56. [PMID: 35434279 PMCID: PMC8941191 DOI: 10.3934/neuroscience.2022004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2021] [Revised: 01/11/2022] [Accepted: 01/20/2022] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Vitamin D deficiency is prevalent in adults and is associated with cognitive impairment. However, the mechanism by which adult vitamin D (AVD) deficiency affects cognitive function remains unclear. We examined spatial memory impairment in AVD-deficient BALB/c mice and its underlying mechanism by measuring spine density, long term potentiation (LTP), nitric oxide (NO), neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS), and endothelial NOS (eNOS) in the hippocampus. Adult male BALB/c mice were fed a control or vitamin D deficient diet for 20 weeks. Spatial memory performance was measured using an active place avoidance (APA) task, where AVD-deficient mice had reduced latency entering the shock zone compared to controls. We characterised hippocampal spine morphology in the CA1 and dentate gyrus (DG) and made electrophysiological recordings in the hippocampus of behaviourally naïve mice to measure LTP. We next measured NO, as well as glutathione, lipid peroxidation and oxidation of protein products and quantified hippocampal immunoreactivity for nNOS and eNOS. Spine morphology analysis revealed a significant reduction in the number of mushroom spines in the CA1 dendrites but not in the DG. There was no effect of diet on LTP. However, hippocampal NO levels were depleted whereas other oxidation markers were unaltered by AVD deficiency. We also showed a reduced nNOS, but not eNOS, immunoreactivity. Finally, vitamin D supplementation for 10 weeks to AVD-deficient mice restored nNOS immunoreactivity to that seen in in control mice. Our results suggest that lower levels of NO and reduced nNOS immunostaining contribute to hippocampal-dependent spatial learning deficits in AVD-deficient mice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Md. Mamun Al-Amin
- Queensland Brain Institute, The University of Queensland, Brisbane 4072, Australia
| | | | - Suzy Alexander
- Queensland Brain Institute, The University of Queensland, Brisbane 4072, Australia,Queensland Centre for Mental Health Research, Wacol 4076, Australia
| | - David A. Carter
- Queensland Brain Institute, The University of Queensland, Brisbane 4072, Australia
| | - DanaKai Bradford
- Queensland Brain Institute, The University of Queensland, Brisbane 4072, Australia,Australian E-Health Research Centre, CSIRO, Pullenvale 4069, Australia
| | - Thomas H. J. Burne
- Queensland Brain Institute, The University of Queensland, Brisbane 4072, Australia,Queensland Centre for Mental Health Research, Wacol 4076, Australia,* Correspondence: ; Tel: +61 733466371; Fax: +61 733466301
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A distinct entorhinal cortex to hippocampal CA1 direct circuit for olfactory associative learning. Nat Neurosci 2017; 20:559-570. [PMID: 28263300 DOI: 10.1038/nn.4517] [Citation(s) in RCA: 124] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2016] [Accepted: 01/24/2017] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Lateral and medial parts of entorhinal cortex (EC) convey nonspatial 'what' and spatial 'where' information, respectively, into hippocampal CA1, via both the indirect EC layer 2→ hippocampal dentate gyrus→CA3→CA1 and the direct EC layer 3→CA1 paths. However, it remains elusive how the direct path transfers distinct information and contributes to hippocampal learning functions. Here we report that lateral EC projection neurons selectively form direct excitatory synapses onto a subpopulation of morphologically complex, calbindin-expressing pyramidal cells (PCs) in the dorsal CA1 (dCA1), while medial EC neurons uniformly innervate all dCA1 PCs. Optogenetically inactivating the distinct lateral EC-dCA1 connections or the postsynaptic dCA1 calbindin-expressing PC activity slows olfactory associative learning. Moreover, optetrode recordings reveal that dCA1 calbindin-expressing PCs develop more selective spiking responses to odor cues during learning. Thus, our results identify a direct lateral EC→dCA1 circuit that is required for olfactory associative learning.
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Saudargiene A, Cobb S, Graham BP. A computational study on plasticity during theta cycles at Schaffer collateral synapses on CA1 pyramidal cells in the hippocampus. Hippocampus 2014; 25:208-18. [DOI: 10.1002/hipo.22365] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 09/10/2014] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Ausra Saudargiene
- Department of Informatics; Vytautas Magnus University; Kaunas Lithuania
| | - Stuart Cobb
- Institute of Neuroscience and Psychology, University of Glasgow; Glasgow Scotland United Kingdom
| | - Bruce P. Graham
- Computer Science and Mathematics; School of Natural Sciences, University of Stirling; Scotland United Kingdom
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