Changes in paired-pulse facilitation correlate with induction of long-term potentiation in area CA1 of rat hippocampal slices

1. The effects of protein kinase inhibitors on N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA)-receptor-mediated, voltage-dependent calcium channel (VDCC)-mediated, and 100-Hz long-term potentiation (LTP) were studied in area CA1 of rat hippocampal slices. 2. A 25-Hz tetanus induced a quickly developing potentiation that was blocked by the NMDA antagonist D,L-2-amino-5-phosphonovaleric acid (APV) and was not affected by the L-type VDCC inhibitor nifedipine, suggesting that it was mediated by NMDA receptors (NMDA-LTP). 3. Application of a 200-Hz tetanus in APV induced a slowly developing NMDA-receptor-independent potentiation that was blocked by nifedipine and thus named VDCC-LTP. NMDA- and VDCC-LTP reached comparable magnitudes despite their different induction parameters and developmental kinetics. 4. Bath perfusion of the broad-spectrum serine/threonine kinase inhibitor 1-(5-isoquinolinylsulfonyl)-2-methylpiperazine (H-7) blocked NMDA-LTP but not VDCC-LTP, whereas the tyrosine kinase inhibitors genistein and lavendustin A blocked VDCC-LTP but not NMDA-LTP. These results suggest a differential involvement of H-7-sensitive serine/threonine kinases and tyrosine kinases in the two forms of LTP. 5. Tetanization of 200 Hz in control media resulted in a compound potentiation twice as large as NMDA- or VDCC-LTP, implying that the two forms of LTP did not facilitate or reduce each other's expression. The often-used 100-Hz tetanus (1 s twice) induced a potentiation that was comparable in size with the 200-Hz compound LTP. Nifedipine, genistein, and lavendustin A reduced the 100-Hz LTP by approximately 50%, suggesting that this LTP is also a compound potentiation consisting of NMDA- and VDCC-mediated components and their corresponding signal transduction pathways.

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Pre- and Postnatal Propylthiouracil-Induced Hypothyroidism Impairs Synaptic Transmission and Plasticity in Area CA1 of the Neonatal Rat Hippocampus

Endocrinology ◽

10.1210/en.2003-0395 ◽

2003 ◽

Vol 144 (9) ◽

pp. 4195-4203 ◽

Cited By ~ 87

Author(s):

Li Sui ◽

M. E. Gilbert

Keyword(s):

Thyroid Hormone ◽

Synaptic Transmission ◽

Long Term Potentiation ◽

Synaptic Function ◽

Learning Deficits ◽

Paired Pulse ◽

Area Ca1 ◽

Term Potentiation ◽

Paired Pulse Depression

Abstract Thyroid hormones are essential for neonatal brain development. It is well established that insufficiency of thyroid hormone during critical periods of development can impair cognitive functions. The mechanisms that underlie learning deficits in hypothyroid animals, however, are not well understood. As impairments in synaptic function are likely to contribute to cognitive deficits, the current study tested whether thyroid hormone insufficiency during development would alter quantitative characteristics of synaptic function in the hippocampus. Developing rats were exposed in utero and postnatally to 0, 3, or 10 ppm propylthiouracil (PTU), a thyroid hormone synthesis inhibitor, administered in the drinking water of dams from gestation d 6 until postnatal day (PN) 30. Excitatory postsynaptic potentials and population spikes were recorded from the stratum radiatum and the pyramidal cell layer, respectively, in area CA1 of hippocampal slices from offspring between PN21 and PN30. Baseline synaptic transmission was evaluated by comparing input-output relationships between groups. Paired-pulse facilitation, paired-pulse depression, long-term potentiation, and long-term depression were recorded to examine short- and long-term synaptic plasticity. PTU reduced thyroid hormones, reduced body weight gain, and delayed eye-opening in a dose-dependent manner. Excitatory synaptic transmission was increased by developmental exposure to PTU. Thyroid hormone insufficiency was also dose-dependently associated with a reduction paired-pulse facilitation and long-term potentiation of the excitatory postsynaptic potential and elimination of paired-pulse depression of the population spike. The results indicate that thyroid hormone insufficiency compromises the functional integrity of synaptic communication in area CA1 of developing rat hippocampus and suggest that these changes may contribute to learning deficits associated with developmental hypothyroidism.

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Developmental increase in CA3-CA1 presynaptic function in the hippocampal slice

Journal of Neurophysiology ◽

10.1152/jn.1995.73.5.1821 ◽

1995 ◽

Vol 73 (5) ◽

pp. 1821-1828 ◽

Cited By ~ 36

Author(s):

T. C. Dumas ◽

T. C. Foster

Keyword(s):

Hippocampal Slices ◽

Age Groups ◽

Extracellular Recording ◽

Long Term Potentiation ◽

Developmental Differences ◽

Excitatory Postsynaptic Potential ◽

Paired Pulse ◽

Paired Pulse Facilitation ◽

Presynaptic Function ◽

Term Potentiation

1. We recorded extracellular and intracellular CA3-CA1 synaptic responses in hippocampal slices from neonatal rats [postnatal day (P) 15-21 and P29-35]. Presynaptic function was examined by measuring input-output relationships and paired-pulse facilitation and by quantal analysis of minimally evoked responses. 2. Extracellular recording revealed no difference in excitatory postsynaptic potential (EPSP) threshold or the fiber potential response for a given stimulus intensity between the two age groups. However, the slope of the field EPSP was consistently larger in older animals. The increase in EPSP slope was associated with a decrease in paired-pulse facilitation, suggesting an increase in presynaptic function with postnatal development. 3. Extracellular results were confirmed by intracellular recordings that revealed no difference in the minimal stimulation intensity needed to evoke a response, an increase in mean EPSP amplitude with development, and a decrease in paired-pulse facilitation. Quantal parameters were extracted by three separate methods including method of failures, coefficient of variance, and parameter optimization through noise deconvolution. All methods supported presynaptic mediation of facilitation. Comparison of quantal parameters during development indicated an increase in mean quantal content. 4. The results demonstrate that synaptic strength is altered over the course of development because of, at least in part, changes in presynaptic release mechanisms. Developmental differences in presynaptic function provide an explanation of differences in mechanisms for expression of long-term potentiation. The lower initial probability of transmitter release in neonates may permit increased presynaptic change.

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