scholarly journals Silent synapses: what are they telling us about long-term potentiation?

2003 ◽  
Vol 358 (1432) ◽  
pp. 727-733 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dimitri M. Kullmann
Keyword(s):  
Ampa Receptors ◽  
Hippocampal Neurons ◽  
Glutamate Release ◽  
Postsynaptic Density ◽  
Long Term Potentiation ◽  
Silent Synapses ◽  
Term Potentiation ◽  
Silent Synapse ◽  
Cortical Synapses

At several cortical synapses glutamate release events can be mediated exclusively by NMDA receptors, with no detectable contribution from AMPA receptors. This observation was originally made by comparing the trial-to-trial variability of the two components of synaptic signals evoked in hippocampal neurons, and was subsequently confirmed by recording apparently pure NMDA receptor-mediated EPSCs with stimulation of small numbers of axons. It has come to be known as the ‘silent synapse’ phenomenon, and is widely assumed to be caused by the absence of functional AMPA receptors, which can, however, be recruited into the postsynaptic density by long-term potentiation (LTP) induction. Thus, it provides an important impetus for relating AMPA receptor trafficking mechanisms to the expression of LTP, a theme that is taken up elsewhere in this issue. This article draws attention to several findings that call for caution in identifying silent synapses exclusively with synapses without AMPA receptors. In addition, it attempts to identify several missing pieces of evidence that are required to show that unsilencing of such synapses is entirely accounted for by insertion of AMPA receptors into the postsynaptic density. Some aspects of the early stages of LTP expression remain open to alternative explanations.

scholarly journals Expression mechanisms underlying long-term potentiation: a postsynaptic view

2003 ◽  
Vol 358 (1432) ◽  
pp. 721-726 ◽  
Author(s):  
Roger A. Nicoll
Keyword(s):  
Nmda Receptor ◽  
Ampa Receptors ◽  
Glutamate Release ◽  
Glutamate Transporter ◽  
Long Term Potentiation ◽  
Receptor Activation ◽  
Covalent Modification ◽  
Term Potentiation ◽  
Expression Mechanism

This review summarizes the various experiments that have been carried out to determine if the expression of long-term potentiation (LTP), in particular N -methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor-dependent LTP, is presynaptic or postsynaptic. Evidence for a presynaptic expression mechanism comes primarily from experiments reporting that glutamate overflow is increased during LTP and from experiments showing that the failure rate decreases during LTP. However, other experimental approaches, such as monitoring synaptic glutamate release by recording astrocytic glutamate transporter currents, have failed to detect any change in glutamate release during LTP. In addition, the discovery of silent synapses, in which LTP rapidly switches on α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid (AMPA) receptor function at NMDA-receptor-only synapses, provides a postsynaptic mechanism for the decrease in failures during LTP. It is argued that the preponderance of evidence favours a postsynaptic expression mechanism, whereby NMDA receptor activation results in the rapid recruitment of AMPA receptors as well as a covalent modification of synaptic AMPA receptors.

Quantifying the Magnitude of Changes in Synaptic Level Parameters With Long-Term Potentiation

2006 ◽  
Vol 96 (3) ◽  
pp. 1478-1491 ◽  
Author(s):  
William R. Holmes ◽  
Lawrence M. Grover
Keyword(s):  
Ampa Receptors ◽  
Single Channel ◽  
Long Term Potentiation ◽  
Channel Conductance ◽  
Single Channel Conductance ◽  
Vesicle Release ◽  
Silent Synapses ◽  
Term Potentiation ◽  
Synaptic Level

Experimental evidence supports a number of mechanisms for the synaptic change that occurs with long-term potentiation (LTP) including insertion of AMPA receptors, an increase in AMPA receptor single channel conductance, unmasking silent synapses, and increases in vesicle release probability. Here we combine experimental and modeling studies to quantify the magnitude of the change needed at the synaptic level to explain LTP with these proposed mechanisms. Whole cell patch recordings were used to measure excitatory postsynaptic potential (EPSP) amplitude in response to near minimal afferent stimulation before and after LTP induction in CA1 pyramidal cells. Detailed neuron and synapse level models were constructed to estimate quantitatively the changes needed to explain the experimental results. For cells in normal artificial cerebrospinal fluid (ACSF), we found a 60% average increase in EPSP amplitude with LTP. This was explained in the models by a 63% increase in the number of activated synapses, a 64% increase in the AMPA receptor single channel conductance, or a 73% increase in the number of AMPA receptors per potentiated synapse. When the percentage LTP was above the average, the required increases through the proposed mechanisms became nonlinear, particularly for increases in the number of receptors. Given constraints from other experimental studies, our quantification suggests that neither unmasking silent synapses nor increasing the numbers of AMPA receptors at synapses is sufficient to explain the magnitude of LTP we observed, but increasing AMPA single channel conductance or vesicle release probability can be sufficient. Our results are most compatible with a combination of mechanisms producing LTP.

Silent Synapses in Developing Cerebellar Granule Neurons

2002 ◽  
Vol 87 (3) ◽  
pp. 1263-1270 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gabriele Losi ◽  
Kate Prybylowski ◽  
ZhanYan Fu ◽  
Jian Hong Luo ◽  
Stefano Vicini
Keyword(s):  
Ampa Receptors ◽  
Granule Cells ◽  
Cerebellar Granule Cells ◽  
Glutamate Release ◽  
Long Term Potentiation ◽  
Patch Clamp Technique ◽  
Physiological Concentration ◽  
Cerebellar Granule ◽  
Silent Synapses ◽  
Term Potentiation

Silent synapses are excitatory synapses endowed exclusively with N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) responses that have been proposed to acquire α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid (AMPA) responses during development and after long-term potentiation (LTP). These synapses are functionally silent because of the Mg2+ block of NMDA receptors at resting potentials. Here we provide evidence for the presence of silent synapses in developing cerebellar granule cells. Using the patch-clamp technique in the whole-cell configuration, we recorded the spontaneous excitatory postsynaptic currents (sEPSCs) from rat cerebellar granule cells in culture and in slices at physiological concentration of Mg2+ (1 mM). A holding potential of +60 mV removes Mg2+ block of NMDA channels, allowing us to record NMDA-sEPSCs. We thus compared the frequency of AMPA-sEPSCs, recorded at −60 mV, with that of NMDA-sEPSCs, recorded at +60 mV. NMDA-sEPSCs occurred at higher frequency than the AMPA-sEPSCs in most cells recorded in slices from rats at postnatal day (P) <13 and in culture at 6–8 days after plating (DIV6–8). In a few cells from young rats (P6–9) and in most neurons in culture at DIV6 we recorded exclusively NMDA-sEPSCs, supporting the hypothesis of existence of functional synapses with NMDA and without AMPA receptors. Increasing glutamate release in the slice with cyclothiazide and temperature increased AMPA and NMDA-sEPSCs frequencies but failed to alter the relative ratio of frequency of occurrence. Frequency ratio of NMDA versus AMPA-sEPSCs in slices was correlated with the weighted time constant of decay (τ w ) of NMDA-sEPSCs and decreased with development along the reported decrease of τ w . We suggest that the prevalence of synaptic NR2A subunits that confer faster kinetics is paralleled by the disappearance of silent synapses early in cerebellar development.

scholarly journals Expression mechanisms underlying long-term potentiation: a postsynaptic view, 10 years on

2014 ◽  
Vol 369 (1633) ◽  
pp. 20130136 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adam J. Granger ◽  
Roger A. Nicoll
Keyword(s):  
Nmda Receptor ◽  
Ampa Receptors ◽  
Postsynaptic Density ◽  
Long Term Potentiation ◽  
The Past ◽  
Reserve Pool ◽  
Extrasynaptic Receptors ◽  
Term Potentiation ◽  
Expression Mechanism

This review focuses on the research that has occurred over the past decade which has solidified a postsynaptic expression mechanism for long-term potentiation (LTP). However, experiments that have suggested a presynaptic component are also summarized. It is argued that the pairing of glutamate uncaging onto single spines with postsynaptic depolarization provides the final and most elegant demonstration of a postsynaptic expression mechanism for NMDA receptor-dependent LTP. The fact that the magnitude of this LTP is similar to that evoked by pairing synaptic stimulation and depolarization leaves little room for a substantial presynaptic component. Finally, recent data also require a revision in our thinking about the way AMPA receptors (AMPARs) are recruited to the postsynaptic density during LTP. This recruitment is independent of subunit type, but does require an adequate reserve pool of extrasynaptic receptors.

scholarly journals Fusion pore modulation as a presynaptic mechanism contributing to expression of long-term potentiation

2003 ◽  
Vol 358 (1432) ◽  
pp. 695-705 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sukwoo Choi ◽  
Jürgen Klingauf ◽  
Richard W. Tsien
Keyword(s):  
Nmda Receptor ◽  
Glutamate Release ◽  
Hippocampal Slices ◽  
Long Term Potentiation ◽  
Quantitative Model ◽  
Fusion Pore ◽  
Silent Synapses ◽  
Term Potentiation ◽  
Presynaptic Mechanisms

Working on the idea that postsynaptic and presynaptic mechanisms of long-term potentiation (LTP) expression are not inherently mutually exclusive, we have looked for the existence and functionality of presynaptic mechanisms for augmenting transmitter release in hippocampal slices. Specifically, we asked if changes in glutamate release might contribute to the conversion of ‘silent synapses’ that show N -methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) responses but no detectable α -amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid (AMPA) responses, to ones that exhibit both. Here, we review experiments where NMDA receptor responses provided a bioassay of cleft glutamate concentration, using opposition between peak [glu] cleft and a rapidly reversible antagonist, L-AP5. We discuss findings of a dramatic increase in peak [glu] cleft upon expression of pairing-induced LTP (Choi). We present simulations with a quantitative model of glutamatergic synaptic transmission that includes modulation of the presynaptic fusion pore, realistic cleft geometry and a distributed array of postsynaptic receptors and glutamate transporters. The modelling supports the idea that changes in the dynamics of glutamate release can contribute to synaptic unsilencing. We review direct evidence from Renger et al ., in accord with the modelling, that trading off the strength and duration of the glutamate transient can markedly alter AMPA receptor responses with little effect on NMDA receptor responses. An array of additional findings relevant to fusion pore modulation and its proposed contribution to LTP expression are considered.

scholarly journals Incorporation of inwardly rectifying AMPA receptors at silent synapses during hippocampal long-term potentiation

2014 ◽  
Vol 369 (1633) ◽  
pp. 20130156 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daiju Morita ◽  
Jong Cheol Rah ◽  
John T. R. Isaac
Keyword(s):  
Ampa Receptors ◽  
Calcium Influx ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Long Term Potentiation ◽  
Subunit Composition ◽  
Common Mechanism ◽  
Silent Synapses ◽  
Term Potentiation ◽  
Inwardly Rectifying

Despite decades of study, the mechanisms by which synapses express the increase in strength during long-term potentiation (LTP) remain an area of intense interest. Here, we have studied how AMPA receptor subunit composition changes during the early phases of hippocampal LTP in CA1 pyramidal neurons. We studied LTP at silent synapses that initially lack AMPA receptors, but contain NMDA receptors. We show that strongly inwardly rectifying AMPA receptors are initially incorporated at silent synapses during LTP and are then subsequently replaced by non-rectifying AMPA receptors. These findings suggest that silent synapses initially incorporate GluA2-lacking, calcium-permeable AMPA receptors during LTP that are then replaced by GluA2-containing calcium-impermeable receptors. We also show that LTP consolidation at CA1 synapses requires a rise in intracellular calcium concentration during the early phase of expression, indicating that calcium influx through the GluA2-lacking AMPA receptors drives their replacement by GluA2-containing receptors during LTP consolidation. Taken together with previous studies in hippocampus and in other brain regions, these findings suggest that a common mechanism for the expression of activity-dependent glutamatergic synaptic plasticity involves the regulation of GluA2-subunit composition and highlights a critical role for silent synapses in this process.

A selective LTP of NMDA receptor-mediated currents induced by anoxia in CA1 hippocampal neurons

1993 ◽  
Vol 70 (5) ◽  
pp. 2045-2055 ◽  
Author(s):  
V. Crepel ◽  
C. Hammond ◽  
P. Chinestra ◽  
D. Diabira ◽  
Y. Ben-Ari
Keyword(s):  
Nmda Receptor ◽  
Ampa Receptor ◽  
Ampa Receptors ◽  
Hippocampal Neurons ◽  
Long Term Potentiation ◽  
Peak Amplitude ◽  
Excitatory Postsynaptic Potential ◽  
Physiological Concentration ◽  
Term Potentiation

1. The possibility of long-lasting modifications of glutamatergic responses after anoxic-aglycemic (AA) episodes was investigated in CA1 hippocampal neurons of adult slices. Bicuculline (10 microM) was continuously bath applied to block GABAA receptor-mediated currents. AA episodes were induced by brief (1.30-3 min) perfusions with a glucose free artificial-cerebro-spinal-fluid (ACSF) saturated with 95% N2-5% CO2. 2. In presence of (0.6 mM) Mg2+ and a low concentration of the alpha-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionate (AMPA) receptor antagonist 6-cyano-7-nitroquinoxaline-2,3-dione (CNQX, 1 microM), the Schaffer collateral field EPSPs consisted of an early AMPA receptor-mediated component and a late N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor-mediated component. The former was blocked by (10 microM) CNQX and the latter by (50) microM D-2-amino-5-phosphonovalerate (D-APV). The AA episode induced a selective long-term potentiation (LTP) of the NMDA receptor-mediated component [+70 +/- 13% (mean +/- SE), P < or = 0.008, n = 9] without affecting significantly the AMPA receptor-mediated component (+2 +/- 4, P < or = 0.86 n = 9). This selective LTP is due to an enhanced efficacy of synaptic transmission and will be referred to as anoxic LTP. 3. In slices perfused with an ACSF containing a physiological concentration of (1.3 mM) Mg2+ and no CNQX, the intracellularly recorded excitatory postsynaptic potential (EPSP) was mixed (AMPA/NMDA) at -65 mV and exclusively mediated by AMPA receptors at -100 mV. At -65 mV, the AA episode induced a persistent potentiation of the EPSP (peak amplitude potentiated by 43 +/- 6%, P < or = 0.008, n = 9, 1 h after return to control ACSF). This potentiated component of the EPSP was fully sensitive to (50 microM) D-APV. The CNQX-sensitive AMPA receptor-mediated component was not affected by the AA episode (-5.7 +/- 6%, P < or = 0.123, n = 9). Furthermore, at -100 mV a large APV-sensitive component appeared after the AA episode (+58 +/- 18% of the peak amplitude, P < or = 0.018, n = 9). Therefore, the AA episode induced a selective LTP of the NMDA receptor-mediated component of the EPSP. 4. A robust LTP (+50.0 +/- 7.5%, P < or = 0.008, n = 12) of the NMDA receptor-mediated intracellular EPSP was also observed when AMPA receptors were fully and continuously blocked by (15 microM) CNQX.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

scholarly journals Aberrant Synaptic PTEN in Symptomatic Alzheimer’s Patients May Link Synaptic Depression to Network Failure

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marta Díaz González ◽  
Assaf Buberman ◽  
Miguel Morales ◽  
Isidro Ferrer ◽  
Shira Knafo
Keyword(s):  
Ampa Receptors ◽  
Hippocampal Neurons ◽  
Amyloid Β ◽  
Long Term Potentiation ◽  
Synaptic Depression ◽  
Synaptic Function ◽  
Network Failure ◽  
Term Potentiation ◽  
Synaptic Failure

In Alzheimer’s disease (AD), Amyloid β (Aβ) impairs synaptic function by inhibiting long-term potentiation (LTP), and by facilitating long-term depression (LTD). There is now evidence from AD models that Aβ provokes this shift toward synaptic depression by triggering the access to and accumulation of PTEN in the postsynaptic terminal of hippocampal neurons. Here we quantified the PTEN in 196,138 individual excitatory dentate gyrus synapses from AD patients at different stages of the disease and from controls with no neuropathological findings. We detected a gradual increase of synaptic PTEN in AD brains as the disease progresses, in conjunction with a significant decrease in synaptic density. The synapses that remain in symptomatic AD patients are more likely to be smaller and exhibit fewer AMPA receptors (AMPARs). Hence, a high Aβ load appears to strongly compromise human hippocampal synapses, as reflected by an increase in PTEN, inducing a loss of AMPARs that may eventually provoke synaptic failure and loss.

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