Activation of type 1 cannabinoid receptors (CB1R) in many central nervous system structures induces both short- and long-term changes in synaptic transmission. Within mammalian striatum, endocannabinoids (eCB) are one of several mechanisms that induce synaptic plasticity at glutamatergic terminals onto medium spiny neurons. Striatal synaptic plasticity may contribute a critical component of adaptive motor coordination and procedural learning. Songbirds are advantageous for studying the neural mechanisms of motor learning because they possess a neural pathway necessary for song learning and adult song plasticity that includes a striato-pallidal nucleus, area X (homologous to a portion of mammalian basal ganglia). Recent findings suggest that eCBs contribute to vocal development. For example, dense CB1R expression in song control nuclei peaks around the closure of the sensori-motor integration phase of song development. Also, systemic administration of a CB1R agonist during vocal development impairs song learning. Here we test whether activation of CB1R alters excitatory synaptic input on spiny neurons in area X of adult male zebra finches. Application of the CB1R agonist WIN55212–2 decreased excitatory postsynaptic current (EPSC) amplitude; that decrease was blocked by the CB1R antagonist AM251. Guided by eCB experiments in mammalian striatum, we tested and verified that at least two mechanisms indirectly activate CB1Rs through eCBs in area X. First, activation of group I metabotropic glutamate receptors with the agonist 3,5-dihydroxyphenylglycine (DHPG) induced a CB1R-mediated reduction in EPSC amplitude. Second, we observed that a 10 s postsynaptic depolarization induced a calcium-mediated, eCB-dependent decrease in synaptic strength that resisted rescue with late CB1R blockade. Together, these results show that eCB modulation occurs at inputs to area X spiny neurons and could influence motor learning and production.
Developmentally Restricted Synaptic Plasticity in a Songbird Nucleus Required for Song Learning