Working and Reference Memory Tasks Trigger Opposed Long-Term Synaptic Changes in the Rat Dentate Gyrus

Long-term storage of information into memory is supposed to rely on long-term synaptic plasticity processes. The detection of such synaptic changes after training in long-term/reference memory (RM) tasks has yet been scarce, variable and only studied on a short time scale. Short-term or working memory (WM) is largely known to depend on persistent neuronal activity or short-term plasticity. However, processing information into WM could also involve long-term synaptic changes that could be responsible for the erasure/forgetting of items previously stored in WM and acting as proactive interference. In order to study long-term synaptic changes associated with RM or WM, we trained chronically implanted rats in 3 different radial maze tasks: a classical RM task and 2 WM tasks involving different levels of proactive interference. Synaptic responses in the dentate gyrus were recorded during 2 × 24 h in freely moving rats after training. We found that consolidation of long-term information leads first to a delayed synaptic potentiation, occurring 9 h after RM training that is replaced by a synaptic depression once the RM rule is fully acquired. In contrast, optimal information processing into WM triggers a synaptic depression immediately after training and lasting 3 h that could act as a mechanism for interference erasure/forgetting.

VEGF counteracts amyloid-β-induced synaptic dysfunction

The vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) pathway regulates key processes in synapse function, which are disrupted in early stages of Alzheimer's disease (AD) by toxic-soluble amyloid-beta oligomers (Aβo). Here, we show that VEGF accumulates in and around Aβ plaques in postmortem brains of patients with AD and in APP/PS1 mice, an AD mouse model. We uncover specific binding domains involved in direct interaction between Aβo and VEGF and reveal that this interaction jeopardizes VEGFR2 activation in neurons. Notably, we demonstrate that VEGF gain of function rescues basal synaptic transmission, long-term potentiation (LTP), and dendritic spine alterations, and blocks long-term depression (LTD) facilitation triggered by Aβo. We further decipher underlying mechanisms and find that VEGF inhibits the caspase-3-calcineurin pathway responsible for postsynaptic glutamate receptor loss due to Aβo. These findings provide evidence for alterations of the VEGF pathway in AD models and suggest that restoring VEGF action on neurons may rescue synaptic dysfunction in AD.

Levels of Interference in Long and Short-Term Memory Differentially Modulate Non-REM and REM Sleep

STUDY OBJECTIVES

It is commonly accepted that sleep is beneficial to memory processes, but it is still unclear if this benefit originates from improved memory consolidation or enhanced information processing. It has thus been proposed that sleep may also promote forgetting of undesirable and non-essential memories, a process required for optimization of cognitive resources. We tested the hypothesis that non-rapid eye movement sleep (NREMS) promotes forgetting of irrelevant information, more specifically when processing information in working memory (WM), while REM sleep (REMS) facilitates the consolidation of important information.

METHODS

We recorded sleep patterns of rats trained in a radial maze in three different tasks engaging either the long-term or short-term storage of information, as well as a gradual level of interference.

RESULTS

We observed a transient increase in REMS amount on the day the animal learned the rule of a long-term/reference memory task (RM), and, in contrast, a positive correlation between the performance of rats trained in a WM task involving an important processing of interference and the amount of NREMS or slow wave activity. Various oscillatory events were also differentially modulated by the type of training involved. Notably, NREMS spindles and REMS rapid theta increase with RM training, while sharp-wave ripples increase with all types of training.

CONCLUSIONS

These results suggest that REMS, but also rapid oscillations occurring during NREMS would be specifically implicated in the long-term memory in RM, whereas NREMS and slow oscillations could be involved in the forgetting of irrelevant information required for WM.

A critical role for VEGF and VEGFR2 in NMDA receptor synaptic function and fear-related behavior

Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is known to be required for the action of antidepressant therapies but its impact on brain synaptic function is poorly characterized. Using a combination of electrophysiological, single-molecule imaging and conditional transgenic approaches, we identified the molecular basis of the VEGF effect on synaptic transmission and plasticity. VEGF increases the postsynaptic responses mediated by the N-methyl-D-aspartate type of glutamate receptors (GluNRs) in hippocampal neurons. This is concurrent with the formation of new synapses and with the synaptic recruitment of GluNR expressing the GluN2B subunit (GluNR-2B). VEGF induces a rapid redistribution of GluNR-2B at synaptic sites by increasing the surface dynamics of these receptors within the membrane. Consistently, silencing the expression of the VEGF receptor 2 (VEGFR2) in neural cells impairs hippocampal-dependent synaptic plasticity and consolidation of emotional memory. These findings demonstrated the direct implication of VEGF signaling in neurons via VEGFR2 in proper synaptic function. They highlight the potential of VEGF as a key regulator of GluNR synaptic function and suggest a role for VEGF in new therapeutic approaches targeting GluNR in depression.

Paradoxical sleep: A vigilance state to gate long-term brain plasticity?

Memory consolidation is the process for long-term storage of information and protection against interferences. It has been proposed that long-term potentiation (LTP), the long-lasting enhancement of synaptic transmission, is a cellular model for memory consolidation. Since consolidation of several forms of memory is facilitated by paradoxical sleep (PS) we ask whether PS modulates the cellular and molecular pathways underlying LTP. The long-lasting form of LTP (L-LTP) is dependent on the activation of transcription factors, enzymatic cascades and the secreted neurotrophin BDNF. By using PS deprivation, immunohistochemistry and quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR), we showed that an increase in PS amount (produced by rebound in PS deprived rats) is able to up-regulate the expression level of transcription factors Zif268 and c-Fos as well as Arc and BDNF in the CA1 and CA3 areas of the hippocampus. Several studies involved these factors in dendritic protein synthesis and in long-term structural changes of synapses underlying L-LTP. The present study together with the work of others (Ribeiro et al., 2002) suggest that by this mechanism, a post-learning increase in PS quantity (post-learning PS window) could convert a transient form of LTP to L-LTP.

Major impairments of glutamatergic transmission and long-term synaptic plasticity in the hippocampus of mice lacking the melanin-concentrating hormone receptor-1

The hypothalamic neuropeptide melanin-concentrating hormone (MCH) plays important roles in energy homeostasis, anxiety, and sleep regulation. Since the MCH receptor-1 (MCH-R1), the only functional receptor that mediates MCH functions in rodents, facilitates behavioral performance in hippocampus-dependent learning tasks, we investigated whether glutamatergic transmission in CA1 pyramidal cells could be modulated in mice lacking the MCH-R1 gene (MCH-R1(-/-)). We found that both α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid (AMPA) and N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) receptor-mediated transmissions were diminished in the mutant mice compared with their controls. This deficit was explained, at least in part, by a postsynaptic down-regulation of these receptors since the amplitude of miniature excitatory postsynaptic currents and the NMDA/AMPA ratio were decreased. Long-term synaptic potentiation (LTP) was also impaired in MCH-R1(-/-) mice. This was due to an altered induction, rather than an impaired, expression because repeating the induction stimulus restored LTP to a normal magnitude. In addition, long-term synaptic depression was strongly diminished in MCH-R1(-/-) mice. These results suggest that MCH exerts a facilitatory effect on CA1 glutamatergic synaptic transmission and long-term synaptic plasticity. Recently, it has been shown that MCH neurons fire exclusively during sleep and mainly during rapid eye movement sleep. Thus these findings provide a mechanism by which sleep might facilitate memory consolidation.

Sleep dynamics: a self-organized critical system

In psychiatric and neurological diseases, sleep is often perturbed. Moreover, recent works on humans and animals tend to show that sleep plays a strong role in memory processes. Reciprocally, sleep dynamics following a learning task is modified [Hubert, Nature (London) 02663, 1 (2004), Peigneux, Neuron 44, 535 (2004)]. However, sleep analysis in humans and animals is often limited to the total sleep and wake duration quantification. These two parameters are not fully able to characterize the sleep dynamics. In mammals sleep presents a complex organization with an alternation of slow wave sleep (SWS) and paradoxical sleep (PS) episodes. Moreover, it has been shown recently that these sleep episodes are frequently interrupted by micro-arousal (without awakening). We present here a detailed analysis of the basal sleep properties emerging from the mechanisms underlying the vigilance states alternation in an animal model. These properties present a self-organized critical system signature and reveal the existence of two W, two SWS, and a PS structure exhibiting a criticality as met in sand piles. We propose a theoretical model of the sleep dynamics based on several interacting neuronal populations. This new model of sleep dynamics presents the same properties as experimentally observed, and explains the variability of the collected data. This experimental and theoretical study suggests that sleep dynamics shares several common features with critical systems.

Un rôle pour les microtubules dans les pathologies psychiatriques ?

Microtubules are key cytoskeletal components in the cytoplasm of eukaryotic cells where they have pleiotropic and vital roles in functions such as cell division, trafficking or morphogenesis. Microtubules are especially abundant in neurons. Although microtubules are in many cells dynamic polymers, they exhibit an extreme state of stability in neurons. Previous work has indicated a central role of microtubule associated proteins called STOPs in neuronal microtubule stabilization. We have recently developed STOP null mice. These mice were devoid of stable brain microtubules but to our surprise had nevertheless an apparently normal brain anatomy. However the mice showed synaptic defects affecting different forms of long- and short-term synaptic plasticity. These synaptic defects were associated with severe behavioral defects that showed a remarkable sensitivity to long-term treatment with neuroleptics. We discuss the relationship of the phenotypes observed in STOP null mice with current models of schizophrenia in which the multiple, severe, and neuroleptic sensitive mental disorders caused by the disease are due to a "disease of the synapse".

Dendritic glutamate autoreceptors modulate signal processing in rat mitral cells

It has been shown recently that in mitral cells of the rat olfactory bulb, N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) autoreceptors are activated during mitral cell firing. Here we consider in more details the mechanisms of mitral cell self-excitation and its physiological relevance. We show that both ionotropic NMDA and non-NMDA autoreceptors are activated by glutamate released from primary and secondary dendrites. In contrast to non-NMDA autoreceptors, NMDA autoreceptors are almost exclusively located on secondary dendrites and their activation generates a large and sustained self-excitation. Both intracellularly evoked and miniature NMDA-R mediated synaptic potentials are blocked by intracellular bis-(o-aminophenoxy)-N,N,N',N'-tetraacetic acid (BAPTA) and result from a calcium-dependent release of glutamate. Self-excitation can be produced by a single spike, and trains of spikes result in frequency facilitation. Thus activation of excitatory autoreceptors is a major function of action potentials backpropagating in mitral cell dendrites, which results in an immediate positive feedback counteracting recurrent inhibition and increasing the signal-to-noise ratio of olfactory inputs.

Chronic focal neocortical epileptogenesis: does disinhibition play a role?

Several lines of evidence have suggested that decreases in postsynaptic inhibition may have a role in epileptogenesis in cortical structures. However, other studies have suggested that GABAergic inhibition is spared, or even augmented in some forms of post-lesional epilepsy. In the studies described here, inhibitory events were recorded in two models of post-lesional chronic epileptogenesis. (i) As previously reported (D.A. Prince and G.-F. Tseng. J. Neurophysiol. 69: 1276-1291. 1993), epileptiform activity develops in slices from partially isolated rat neocortical islands 2-3 weeks after the initial in vivo lesion. In this model of post-traumatic epilepsy, large amplitude polyphasic inhibitory postsynaptic currents (IPSCs) in layer V pyramidal neurons are associated with each interictal epileptiform field potential. The frequency of spontaneous IPSCs as well as miniature IPSCs was significantly increased in neocortical slices from the epileptogenic chronically injured cortex versus controls. Immunocytochemical reactions for parvalbumin and calbindin, calcium binding proteins present in subgroups of GABAergic neurons, showed an increased staining of both neuropil and somata within the epileptogenic tissue. Immunoreactivity for glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD) and GABA also appeared to be increased in the neuropil. (ii) Cortical microgyri resembling human malformations were produced by freeze lesions made transcranially in P0 rat cortex (K.M. Jacobs, M.J. Gutnick, and D.A. Prince. Cereb. Cortex, 6: 514-523. 1996). The boundary between the four-layered microgyrus and surrounding cortex become epileptogenic within about 2 weeks, as judged by evoked extracellular field potentials and cellular activities. Epileptogenesis in the surrounding cortex is not altered when the microgyrus itself is isolated by transcortical cuts. Patch-clamp recordings from layer V neurons in the epileptogenic zone showed that spontaneous IPSCs are larger and more dependent on glutamatergic synapses than in control neurons. The amplitudes of polysynaptic IPSCs evoked by threshold stimulation were also larger than in control cells. Although evaluation of inhibitory events in these models is still incomplete, results to date suggest that GABAergic inhibition may be enhanced in epileptogenic areas associated with chronic cortical injury. Sprouting of axonal arborizations of pyramidal cells onto interneurons, upregulation of GABAergic neurons, and perhaps sprouting of inhibitory axons that make increased numbers of contacts onto pyramidal cells may all contribute to the increased inhibitory drive. Results in these models do not support the disinhibitory hypothesis of chronic epileptogenesis.

Use-dependent increases in glutamate concentration activate presynaptic metabotropic glutamate receptors

The classical view of fast chemical synaptic transmission is that released neurotransmitter acts locally on postsynaptic receptors and is cleared from the synaptic cleft within a few milliseconds by diffusion and by specific reuptake mechanisms. This rapid clearance restricts the spread of neurotransmitter and, combined with the low affinities of many ionotropic receptors, ensures that synaptic transmission occurs in a point-to-point fashion. We now show, however, that when transmitter release is enhanced at hippocampal mossy fibre synapses, the concentration of glutamate increases and its clearance is delayed; this allows it to spread away from the synapse and to activate presynaptic inhibitory metabotropic glutamate receptors (mGluRs). At normal levels of glutamate release during low-frequency activity, these presynaptic receptors are not activated. When glutamate concentration is increased by higher-frequency activity or by blocking glutamate uptake, however, these receptors become activated, leading to a rapid inhibition of transmitter release. This effect may be related to the long-term depression of mossy fibre synaptic responses that has recently been shown after prolonged activation of presynaptic mGluRs (refs 2, 3). The use-dependent activation of presynaptic mGluRs that we describe here thus represents a negative feedback mechanism for controlling the strength of synaptic transmission.

Distinct short-term plasticity at two excitatory synapses in the hippocampus

A single mossy fiber input contains several release sites and is located on the proximal portion of the apical dendrite of CA3 neurons. It is, therefore, well suited to exert a strong influence on pyramidal cell excitability. Accordingly, the mossy fiber synapse has been referred to as a detonator or teacher synapse in autoassociative network models of the hippocampus. The very low firing rates of granule cells [Jung, M. W. & McNaughton, B. L. (1993) Hippocampus 3, 165-182], which give rise to the mossy fibers, raise the question of how the mossy fiber synapse temporally integrates synaptic activity. We have therefore addressed the frequency dependence of mossy fiber transmission and compared it to associational/commissural synapses in the CA3 region of the hippocampus. Paired pulse facilitation had a similar time course, but was 2-fold greater for mossy fiber synapses. Frequency facilitation, during which repetitive stimulation causes a reversible growth in synaptic transmission, was markedly different at the two synapses. At associational/ commissural synapses facilitation occurred only at frequencies greater than once every 10 s and reached a magnitude of about 125% of control. At mossy fiber synapses, facilitation occurred at frequencies as low as once every 40 s and reached a magnitude of 6-fold. Frequency facilitation was dependent on a rise in intraterminal Ca2+ and activation of Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent kinase II, and was greatly reduced at synapses expressing mossy fiber long-term potentiation. These results indicate that the mossy fiber synapse is able to integrate granule cell spiking activity over a broad range of frequencies, and this dynamic range is substantially reduced by long-term potentiation.

Characterizing the site and mode of action of dynorphin at hippocampal mossy fiber synapses in the guinea pig

Extracellular field potential recordings from the CA3 region in guinea pig hippocampal slices were used to study the release and action of dynorphin at the mossy fiber synapse. Dynorphin A(1-17) or U69593 inhibited mossy fiber synaptic responses in preparations in which the CA3 region was surgically isolated from the rest of the hippocampus. This inhibition was completely reversed by the kappa 1 selective antagonist nor-BNI, thus establishing the presence of functional kappa 1 receptors in CA3. Inhibitory effects of dynorphin on mossy fiber responses were unaltered in the presence of the N- or P-type Ca2+ channel blockers, omega-CgTx or omega-Aga IVA, respectively. This indicates that the action of dynorphin is independent of the particular type of Ca2+ channel that mediates transmitter release at the mossy fiber terminal. Heterosynaptic inhibition of mossy fiber responses was observed in the presence of nifedipine, omega-CgTx, or omega-Aga IVA, indicating that dynorphin release does not depend specifically on L-, N-, or P-type Ca2+ channels. The blockade of heterosynaptic inhibition by the membrane-permeant Ca2+ chelator EGTA-AM suggests the involvement of a slow Ca(2+)-dependent process in dynorphin release. On the basis of a variety of experimental evidence, we propose that the time course of heterosynaptic inhibition is determined primarily by the time course of clearance of dynorphin in the extracellular space.

Spontaneous GABAA receptor-mediated inhibitory currents in adult rat somatosensory cortex

1. Spontaneous inhibitory synaptic currents (sIPSCs) were studied with whole cell voltage-clamp recordings from 131 pyramidal cells in adult rat somatosensory cortical slices. Neurons were intracellulary labeled with biocytin and classified as supragranular (SG, layers 2-3), layer IV (IV), or infragranular (IG, layer V) on the basis of the laminar localization of their somata. Somatic areas were similar for SG, IV, and IG neurons. All identified pyramidal cells generated high-frequency gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABAA) receptor-mediated synaptic events. 2. Bath application of bicuculline blocked the sIPSCs and resulted in a decrease of approximately 0.5 nS in resting conductance and an inward shift in baseline current. 3. sIPSC frequency was significantly lower in SG versus IG or IV neurons, and this difference was accounted for by the occurrence of a higher percentage of bursts of sIPSCs in the IG and IV neurons. 4. Bath application of the alpha-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazoleproprionic (AMPA) receptor antagonist 6-cyano-7-nitroquinoxaline-2,3-dione (CNQX) decreased the frequency of sIPSCs by 13-21%. By contrast, application of the N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor antagonist D-2-amino-5-phosphonovaleric acid (D-AP5) generally had no effect on spontaneous IPSC frequency, suggesting that AMPA rather than NMDA receptor activation contributed to resting discharge of inhibitory interneurons. 5. Addition of tetrodotoxin (TTX) to the perfusion medium reduced the spontaneous IPSC frequency by approximately 30-55%. The miniature IPSCs (mIPSCs) seen in TTX-containing solutions had a frequency of approximately 10 Hz and an average conductance of 0.42-0.48 nS. 6. The kinetic properties of mIPSCs generated in pyramidal cells of different layers were the same, with the rise times of approximately 0.9 ms and decay time constants of approximately 8 ms at a holding potential of 0 mV. The decay phase of mIPSCs was generally fitted by one exponential and displayed a voltage dependence with an e-fold increase in decay time constant for a every 198-mV depolarization. 7. These results show that there is ongoing spontaneous release of GABA in neocortical slices that gives rise to high-frequency impulse-related and non-impulse-related postsynaptic inhibitory currents. Activation of AMPA receptors on inhibitory interneurons accounts for only a small proportion of the GABAA receptor-mediated events. Judging from the distribution of mIPSC frequencies in neurons of different laminae, there is a relatively uniform distribution of inhibitory synapses throughout the cortex. Tonic activation of GABAA receptors on neocortical pyramidal neurons generates an increase in resting membrane conductance that may play an important role in vivo by preventing the development of hyperexcitability, modulating excitatory synaptic events, and controlling the rate and patterns of spike discharge.

Cyclic AMP mediates a presynaptic form of LTP at cerebellar parallel fiber synapses

The N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor-independent form of long-term potentiation (LTP) at hippocampal mossy fiber synapses requires presynaptic Ca(2+)-dependent activation of adenylyl cyclase. To determine whether this form of LTP might occur at other synapses, we examined cerebellar parallel fibers that, like hippocampal mossy fiber synapses, express high levels of the Ca2+/calmodulin-sensitive adenylyl cyclase I. Repetitive stimulation of parallel fibers caused a long-lasting increase in synaptic strength that was associated with a decrease in paired-pulse facilitation. Blockade of glutamate receptors did not prevent LTP induction, nor did loading of Purkinje cells with a Ca2+ chelator. LTP was occluded by forskolin-induced potentiation and blocked by the protein kinase A inhibitor Rp-8-CPT-cAMPS. These findings suggest that parallel fiber synapses express a form of LTP that is dependent on the activation of a presynaptic adenylyl cyclase and is indistinguishable from LTP at hippocampal mossy fiber synapses.

Electrophysiological mapping of GABAA receptor-mediated inhibition in adult rat somatosensory cortex

1. gamma-Aminobutyric acid-A (GABAA) receptor-mediated synaptic currents evoked by intracortical stimulation in rat somatosensory cortical slices maintained in vitro were studied using the whole cell patch-clamp technique. All anatomically identified pyramidal neurons of layer II-III (SG neurons), layer IV (IV neurons), and layer V (IG neurons) generated evoked inhibitory postsynaptic currents (eIPSCs) that were blocked by bicuculline. At threshold, eIPSCs had kinetic properties (rise time of 0.9 ms and decay time constant of 9 ms) similar to those of spontaneous IPSCs generated in the same cells. 2. The strength of inhibition was quantified by determining the stimulus threshold for evoking responses and the relationship between stimulus strength and eIPSC peak amplitudes (input/output curve). For eIPSCs recorded in control solution, the input/output curve was about four times steeper than for eIPSCs recorded in the presence of the ionotropic glutamate receptor antagonists 6-cyano-7-nitroquinoxaline-2,3-dione (CNQX) and D-2-amino-5-phosphonovalerate (D-AP5), suggesting the dependence of GABAA inhibition on synpatic excitation of interneurons. 3. In the presence of CNQX and D-AP5, monosynaptic IPSCs, evoked by stimulation close to the recording patch pipette, had similar input/output curves in SG and IG neurons. This suggests that the level of monosynaptic inhibition generated in these two populations of cells is similar. 4. When the stimulus was moved to a distant site > 350 microns from the recorded neuron, either in vertical or in horizontal direction, the stimulus intensity required for evoking IPSCs was higher, and the input/output curve was less steep. This suggests that the density of GABAergic somata and axons projecting to the recorded neuron is lower at these distances than at more proximal sites. 5. The maximum horizontal distance over which IPSCs could be evoked ("horizontal field") was larger in layer V than in other layers. The horizontal field (distance between stimulating and recording pipettes) was 600 microns in layer II-III, 580 microns in layer IV, and 720 microns in layer V. Anatomic identification of the somatosensory cortical barrels indicated that the extent of GABAergic projections was larger than the barrel hollow and might thus form a substrate for interbarrel inhibition in layer IV during cross-wisker stimulation. 6. The maximum vertical inhibitory field was larger than the maximum horizontal field. IPSCs could be evoked in layer V neurons by layer I stimuli, showing that a powerful interlaminar inhibition is present that may play a role in synchronizing the activity of neurons in a column. IPSCs evoked by layer I stimulation frequently had slower kinetics than those elicited by stimulation at sites close to the soma. 7. These findings suggest that functional GABAergic projections are characterized by a large degree of convergence. Quantification of GABAA-mediated IPSCs indicates that this zone of inhibitory synaptic convergence onto a given pyramidal neuron is subdivided into a powerful local inhibitory zone and a surrounding area of long-range, less effective, inhibitory projections. Potential roles for these concentric inhibitory areas in cortical processing of sensory information are discussed.

Evidence against a role for metabotropic glutamate receptors in mossy fiber LTP: the use of mutant mice and pharmacological antagonists

We have used a number of approaches to address a possible role of metabotropic glutamate receptors (mGluRs) in mossy fiber long-term potentiation (LTP) in the hippocampus. We have used two types of mutant mice--one lacking the mGluR1 subtype of receptor and one lacking the gamma isoform of protein kinase C. In neither type of mouse did we find any alteration in the magnitude of mossy fiber LTP. We next examined whether mGluRs might modulate the magnitude and/or threshold for the induction of mossy fiber LTP. In these experiments we used tetani that were either just subthreshold or just suprathreshold for generating LTP. The mGluR antagonist (+)-alpha-methyl-4-carboxyphenylglycine [(+)MCPG] did not convert a subthreshold tetanus into a suprathreshold tetanus, nor did (+)MCPG have any effect on the small amount of LTP that was generated by a just suprathreshold tetanus. Based on our studies, we have been unable to identify a role for mGluRs in mossy fiber LTP.

A comparison of the role of dynorphin in the hippocampal mossy fiber pathway in guinea pig and rat

Several behavioral studies in rat (Gallagher, 1988) have suggested that opioids in the hippocampus could play an important role in learning and memory. However, in this species, very few reports specifically address the issue of physiological actions of opioids released by the mossy fibers which constitute the principal source of dynorphin and enkephalin in the hippocampus. In the guinea pig high frequency stimulation of mossy fibers causes a transient heterosynaptic inhibition of neighboring mossy fibers (Weisskopf et al., 1993) or perforant path synapses in the dentate (Wagner et al., 1993), which is mediated by the synaptic release of dynorphin that activates presynaptic kappa receptors. We show here that neither exogenous nor endogenous dynorphin affect mossy fiber excitatory postsynaptic potentials in the Sprague-Dawley rat, which is consistent with the finding that kappa receptor binding in the mossy fiber termination zone is dense in the guinea pig and sparse in this rat. More surprisingly, although kappa receptor binding is found in the rat dentate gyrus molecular layer and in the CA3 pyramidal cell layer, dynorphin had no action on perforant path field responses, somatic potassium currents or evoked monosynaptic inhibitory postsynaptic currents in CA3 cells. This lack of action appears to be an exception among rodents as dynorphin significantly inhibited mossy fiber responses in the hamster, mouse, and even another strain of rat, Long-Evans. Unlike the kappa mediated actions, the mu opioid receptor agonist DAMGO inhibited Sprague-Dawley mossy fiber responses, as it does in guinea pig. In contrast to other investigators, however, we found that the opioid receptor antagonist naloxone had no effect on Sprague-Dawley mossy fiber LTP.

Spatial reciprocity of connections between areas 17 and 18 in the cat

We examined whether the interconnections between areas 17 and 18 are spatially reciprocal, i.e., whether a column of cells in area 17 receives from the same region of area 18 as it sends projections to, and vice versa. We addressed this question by making side by side injections of retrograde fluorescent tracers in area 18, calculating the convergence and divergence of the connections from area 17 to 18. We compared these values with previously reported values of divergence and convergence of the projections from area 18 to area 17. The results demonstrate that there is a good match between the convergence and divergence of the area 17 to area 18 connection and, respectively, the divergence and convergence of the reverse connection. We confirmed directly the spatial reciprocity by injecting simultaneously in area 17 a retrograde and an anterograde tracer and by analyzing quantitatively the density of anterograde and retrograde labeling across the surface of area 18. There was an excellent match between the density maps of retrogradely labeled cells and anterogradely labeled axon terminals in area 18. Connections between areas 17 and 18 therefore exhibit large degrees of convergence and divergence and are spatially reciprocal. Thus, a given column of cells within one of these two areas is reciprocally interconnected with a large region of the opposite area. Such an organization may provide the basis for synchronization of firing of neurons across these two areas, as revealed by cross-correlation studies.

Chronic neocortical epileptogenesis in vitro

1. We used an in vitro model to explore critical aspects of chronic epileptogenesis. Partial neocortical isolations having intact blood supply were made in rat and guinea pig from postnatal day 7 to 34 and then examined 1 to 150 days later in standard brain slice preparations. 2. The epileptogenic potential of several different types of lesions was assessed. Slices containing transcortical (i.e., gray matter) lesions, with or without a contiguous white matter injury (i.e., "undercut"), developed chronic epileptogenesis after a latency of approximately 1-2 wk, manifested by evoked and spontaneous "interictal" discharges and evoked "ictal" events. The region of hyperexcitability did not extend beyond approximately 2 mm from the chronic transcortical lesion and was rarely observed in slices having only an apparent white matter injury. 3. Multiple recordings and current source density (CSD) analysis identified layer V as the source of the interictal discharge. 4. Significant differences in CSD profiles of the evoked interictal discharge occurred between chronically epileptogenic slices and control (noninjured) slices bathed in the convulsant, bicuculline methiodide, suggesting that mechanisms other than disinhibition must be involved in posttraumatic epileptogenesis. 5. Interictal events were blocked in most but not all chronically injured slices by application of the N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor antagonist D-2-amino-5-phosphonovalerate (D-AP5), suggesting that non-NMDA receptors were predominantly involved in some preparations. 6. This model of chronic epileptogenesis in vitro will be useful in studies relevant to mechanisms of posttraumatic epilepsy in man.

Spatial and temporal coherence in cortico-cortical connections: a cross-correlation study in areas 17 and 18 in the cat

Visual cortical areas are richly but selectively connected by "patchy" projections. We characterized these connections physiologically with cross-correlograms (CCHs), calculated for neuron pairs or small groups located one each in visual areas 17 and 18 of the cat. The CCHs were then compared to the visuotopic and orientation match of the neurons' receptive fields (RFs). For both spontaneous and visually driven activity, most non-flat correlograms were centered; i.e. the most likely temporal relationship between spikes in the two areas is a synchronous one. Although spikes are most likely to occur simultaneously, area 17 spikes may occur before area 18 or vice versa, giving the cross-correlogram peak a finite width (temporal dispersion). Cross-correlograms fell into one of three groups according to their full-width at half peak height: 1-8 ms (modal width, 3 ms), 15-65 ms (modal width 30 ms), or 100-1000 ms (modal width 400 ms). These classificatory groups are nonoverlapping; the three types of coupling appeared singly and in combination. Neurons whose receptive fields (RFs) are nonoverlapping or cross-oriented may yet be coupled, but the coupling is more likely to be the broadest type of coupling than the medium-dispersed type. The sharpest type of coupling is found exclusively between neurons with at least partially overlapping RFs and mostly between neurons whose stimulus orientation preferences matched to within 22.5 deg. The maximum spatial dispersion observed in the RFs of coupled neurons compares well with the maximum divergence seen anatomically in the A18/A17 projection system. We suggest three different mechanisms to produce each of the three different degrees of observed spatial and temporal coherence. All mechanisms use common input of cortical origin. For medium and broad coupling, this common input arises from cell assemblies split between both sides of the 17/18 projection system, but acting synchronously. Such distributed common-input cell assemblies are a means of overcoming sparse connectivity and achieving synaptic transmission in the pyramidal network.

Visuotopic organization of corticocortical connections in the visual system of the cat

It has recently been demonstrated that, in contrast with the retinogeniculocortical projection, the corticocortical connections in the cat present a high degree of convergence and divergence. This suggests that some corticocortical connections link nonvisuotopically corresponding regions. Using fine-grain electrophysiological mapping and anatomical tracing, we have set out to test this possibility by placing a small injection of retrograde tracer in area 17 and by comparing the extent of visual field encoded in the region of area 18 containing labeled cells and that represented in the uptake zone. The results demonstrate that the size of the labeled region on the surface of area 18 is independent of eccentricity and that, despite its anisotrophy, this region of labeling encodes a broadly circular region of visual field that is larger than that encoded in the uptake zone of the tracer in area 17. For example, in the representation of lower visual field, a virtual point in area 17 that encodes a visual field region 4 degrees in diameter receives afferents from a region of area 18 encoding a region 11 degrees wide. Examination of the density of labeled cells in the labeled zone in area 18 reveals that the highest density is observed in a region in visuotopic correspondence with the injection site. However, high labeling density is also occasionally found in patches that do not represent the same visual field region as the injection site. Many receptive fields of neurons recorded in the labeled zone in area 18 only partially overlap or fail to overlap the visual field region encoded by the injection site. The results also demonstrate that the extent of visual field encoded in the labeled zone in area 18 is the same as that represented in the region of intrinsic labeling in area 17. It is suggested that cortical afferents coming from several cortical areas and converging on a column of cells in area 17 cover the same extent of visual field and that this cortical network constitutes the structural basis for the modulatory regions of the receptive field as well as the synchronization of neurons in different cortical areas.

Response selectivity of neurons in area MT of the macaque monkey during reversible inactivation of area V1

1. Behavioral results in the monkey and clinical studies in human show remarkable residual visual capacities after a lesion of area V1. Earlier work by Rodman et al. demonstrated that visual activity can be recorded in the middle temporal area (MT) of the macaque monkey several weeks after a complete lesion of V1. These authors also tested the effect of a reversible block of area V1 on the visual responses of a small number of neurons in area MT and showed that most of these cells remain visually responsive. From the results of that study, however, it is difficult to assess the contribution of area 17 to the receptive-field selectivity of area MT neurons. To address this question, we have quantitatively measured the effects of a reversible inactivation of area 17 on the direction selectivity of MT neurons. 2. A circular part of the opercular region of area V1 was reversibly inactivated by cooling with a Peltier device. A microelectrode was positioned in the lower layers of V1 to control the total inactivation of that area. Eighty percent of the sites recorded in the retinotopically corresponding region of MT during inactivation of V1 were found to be visually responsive. The importance of the effect was assessed by calculating the blocking index (0 for no effect, 1 for complete inactivation). Approximately one-half of the quantitatively studied neurons gave a blocking index below 0.6, illustrating the strong residual responses recorded in many neurons. 3. Receptive-field properties were examined with multihistograms. It was found that, during inactivation of V1, the preferred direction changed for most neurons but remained close to the preferred direction or to its opposite in the control situation. During inactivation of V1, the average tuning curve of neurons became broader mostly because of strong reductions in the response to directions close to the preferred and nonpreferred. Very little change was observed in the responses for directions at 90 degrees to the optimal. These results are consistent with a model in which direction selectivity is present without an input from V1 but is reinforced by the spatial organization of this excitatory input. 4. Residual responses were found to be highly dependent on the state of anesthesia because they were completely abolished by the addition of 0.4-0.5% halothane to the ventilation gases. Finally, visual responses were recorded in area MT several hours after an acute lesion of area 17.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Visual activity in areas V3a and V3 during reversible inactivation of area V1 in the macaque monkey

1. Behavioral studies in the monkey and clinical studies in humans show that some visuomotor functions are spared in case of a V1 lesion. This residual vision appears to be subserved at least partially by visual activity in extrastriate cortex. Earlier studies have demonstrated that neurons in area V2 lose their visual responses when V1 is reversibly inactivated. On the other hand, Rodman and collaborators have recently shown that neurons in the middle temporal area (area MT) remain visually responsive when V1 is lesioned or inactivated. The purpose of the present study was to determine whether area MT is unique among extrastriate cortical areas in containing visually responsive neurons in the absence of input from area 17. 2. A circular part of the opercular region of area V1 was reversibly inactivated by cooling with a Peltier device. In that condition, 149 sites were recorded in the retinotopically corresponding regions of areas V3 and V3a. 3. About 30% of sites in area V3a still responded to visual stimulation when V1 was inactivated. On the contrary, nearly all sites in area V3 ceased to fire to visual stimulation. Receptive-field properties were assessed with qualitative measures; for most single cells or multiunit sites that responded during V1 inactivation, these properties did not change during cooling. 4. These results suggest that area V3a could take part in spared visuomotor abilities in case of a lesion of V1. Areas V3a and MT are both part of the occipitoparietal pathway, which suggests that the residual vision observed after a lesion of area 17 may depend mostly on this pathway.

Visual activity in macaque area V4 depends on area 17 input

It is known that some direct projections from the lateral geniculate nucleus terminate in area V4 of the macaque monkey. Retinal information can also bypass area 17 and reach V4 through relays in the superior colliculus and pulvinar. This raises the question whether area V4 is visually responsive in the absence of input from area 17. We tested this possibility by recording in area V4 while inactivating a region of area 17 by cooling. This led to a complete abolition of the visual responses of practically all the neurons whose receptive fields were included in the visual field region coded by the inactivated zone in area 17. In contrast, neurons whose receptive fields were outside this region remained visually responsive.

Convergence and divergence in the afferent projections to cat area 17

We have examined the topography of the afferent connections to area 17 in the cat by means of double retrograde label tracing techniques. Injections of two fluorescent retrograde tracers, diamidino yellow and fast blue, were made with variable separations in area 17 and the spatial distributions of the resulting populations of labeled cells examined in afferent cortical areas and subcortical structures. When injections were separated rostrocaudally, the topographic organizations of the projections were characterized quantitatively with two graphic methods: the labeling density curve and the connectivity graph. The labeling density curve measures labeled neuron density in successive rostrocaudal sections, whereas the connectivity graph provides a two-dimensional model of the topography of a given connectivity. The connectivity graph makes it possible to define two parameters that characterize the topography of the connection: the convergence and the divergence. The convergence is defined as the extent of an afferent structure that contains neurons converging on a line normal to the cortical surface in area 17. The divergence is the extent of area 17 that is innervated by neurons contained in an infinitely small region of the afferent structure. The results show that a number of subcortical structures project to area 17 in a nontopographic manner, i.e., that in each of these structures neurons contained in an infinitely small region send projections to the whole of area 17 and that a line normal to the surface of area 17 is innervated by neurons distributed throughout the afferent structure in question. Nontopographic projections are found from the intralaminar nuclei, the ventral mesencephalic tegmental region, the diagonal band of Broca, and the locus coeruleus. All remaining subcortical structures and cortical areas send topographically organized projections to area 17. The extent of the convergence and divergence, however, varies between structures. Only the projection from the A laminae of the LGN was found to approximate a point-to-point projection with a convergence of 0.4 mm and 2 mm in divergence. Much larger convergence and divergence values are found in the projections from the claustrum and the cortical areas. For example, the divergence reaches 20 mm for the projections from area 20 or from the anterior part of the lateral suprasylvian sulcus. Knowing the convergence and divergence values and the retinotopic organizations of area 17 and a number of its afferents, it becomes possible to test whether connections in the visual system link regions representing the same zone of the visual field.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)