scholarly journals Consequences of human Tau aggregation in the hippocampal formation of ageing mice in vivo

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tim J Viney ◽  
Barbara Sarkany ◽  
A Tugrul Ozdemir ◽  
Katja Hartwich ◽  
Judith Schweimer ◽  
...  

Intracellular aggregation of hyperphosphorylated Tau (pTau) in the brain is associated with cognitive and motor impairments, and ultimately neurodegeneration. We investigate how human pTau affects cells and network activity in the hippocampal formation of THY-Tau22 tauopathy model mice in vivo. We find that pTau preferentially accumulates in deep-layer pyramidal neurons, leading to neurodegeneration, and we establish that pTau spreads to oligodendrocytes. During goal-directed virtual navigation in aged transgenic mice, we detect fewer high-firing pyramidal cells, with the remaining cells retaining their coupling to theta oscillations. Analysis of network oscillations and firing patterns of pyramidal and GABAergic neurons recorded in head-fixed and freely-moving mice suggests preserved neuronal coordination. In spatial memory tests, transgenic mice have reduced short-term familiarity but spatial working and reference memory are surprisingly normal. We hypothesize that unimpaired subcortical network mechanisms implementing cortical neuronal coordination compensate for the widespread pTau aggregation, loss of high-firing cells and neurodegeneration.

2008 ◽  
Vol 99 (3) ◽  
pp. 1394-1407 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah Potez ◽  
Matthew E. Larkum

Understanding the impact of active dendritic properties on network activity in vivo has so far been restricted to studies in anesthetized animals. However, to date no study has been made to determine the direct effect of the anesthetics themselves on dendritic properties. Here, we investigated the effects of three types of anesthetics commonly used for animal experiments (urethane, pentobarbital and ketamine/xylazine). We investigated the generation of calcium spikes, the propagation of action potentials (APs) along the apical dendrite and the somatic firing properties in the presence of anesthetics in vitro using dual somatodendritic whole cell recordings. Calcium spikes were evoked with dendritic current injection and high-frequency trains of APs at the soma. Surprisingly, we found that the direct actions of anesthetics on calcium spikes were very different. Two anesthetics (urethane and pentobarbital) suppressed dendritic calcium spikes in vitro, whereas a mixture of ketamine and xylazine enhanced them. Propagation of spikes along the dendrite was not significantly affected by any of the anesthetics but there were various changes in somatic firing properties that were highly dependent on the anesthetic. Last, we examined the effects of anesthetics on calcium spike initiation and duration in vivo using high-frequency trains of APs generated at the cell body. We found the same anesthetic-dependent direct effects in addition to an overall reduction in dendritic excitability in anesthetized rats with all three anesthetics compared with the slice preparation.


1997 ◽  
Vol 78 (3) ◽  
pp. 1735-1739 ◽  
Author(s):  
Denis Paré ◽  
Elen Lebel ◽  
Eric J. Lang

Paré, Denis, Elen LeBel, and Eric J. Lang. Differential impact of miniature synaptic potentials on the somata and dendrites of pyramidal neurons in vivo. J. Neurophysiol. 78: 1735–1739, 1997. We studied the impact of transmitter release resistant to tetrodotoxin (TTX) in morphologically identified neocortical pyramidal neurons recorded intracellularly in barbiturate-anesthetized cats. It was observed that TTX-resistant release occurs in pyramidal neurons in vivo and at much higher frequencies than was previously reported in vitro. Further, in agreement with previous findings indicating that GABAergic and glutamatergic synapses are differentially distributed in the somata and dendrites of pyramidal cells, we found that most miniature synaptic potentials were sensitive to γ-aminobutyric acid-A (GABAA) or α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid (AMPA) antagonists in presumed somatic and dendritic impalements, respectively. Pharmacological blockage of spontaneous synaptic events produced large increases in input resistance that were more important in dendritic (≈50%) than somatic (≈10%) impalements. These findings imply that in the intact brain, pyramidal neurons are submitted to an intense spike-independent synaptic bombardment that decreases the space constant of the cells. These results should be taken into account when extrapolating in vitro findings to intact brains.


2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alejandro Pan-Vazquez ◽  
Winnie Wefelmeyer ◽  
Victoria Gonzalez Sabater ◽  
Juan Burrone

AbstractGABAergic interneurons are chiefly responsible for controlling the activity of local circuits in the cortex1,2. However, the rules that govern the wiring of interneurons are not well understood3. Chandelier cells (ChCs) are a type of GABAergic interneuron that control the output of hundreds of neighbouring pyramidal cells through axo-axonic synapses which target the axon initial segment (AIS)4. Despite their importance in modulating circuit activity, our knowledge of the development and function of axo-axonic synapses remains elusive. In this study, we investigated the role of activity in the formation and plasticity of ChC synapses. In vivo imaging of ChCs during development uncovered a narrow window (P12-P18) over which axons arborized and formed connections. We found that increases in the activity of either pyramidal cells or individual ChCs during this temporal window resulted in a reversible decrease in axo-axonic connections. Voltage imaging of GABAergic transmission at the AIS showed that axo-axonic synapses were depolarising during this period. Identical manipulations of network activity in older mice (P40-P46), when ChC synapses are inhibitory, resulted in an increase in axo-axonic synapses. We propose that the direction of ChC plasticity follows homeostatic rules that depend on the polarity of axo-axonic synapses.


2007 ◽  
Vol 65 (4b) ◽  
pp. 1105-1113 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria José Sá ◽  
Carlos Ruela ◽  
Maria Dulce Madeira

OBJECTIVE: To search for right/left asymmetries in the dendritic trees of the neuronal populations and in the cell-free layer volumes of the human hipoccampal formation. METHOD: In necropsic material obtained from six male individuals we performed a quantitative Golgi study of the dendritic trees of dentate granules, CA3 and CA1 pyramidal neurons and a volumetric analysis of dentate gyrus molecular layer, strata oriens plus alveus and strata lacunosum-moleculare plus radiatum of CA3 and CA1 fields. RESULTS: We found inter-hemispheric asymmetries in the dendrites trees of all neurons, reaching the significant level in the number of granule cells dendritic segments (higher in the left than in the right hemisphere), dendritic branching density of CA3 pyramidal cells and mean dendritic length of CA1 apical terminal segments (higher in the right than in the opposite side). No volumetric differences were observed. CONCLUSION: This study points to different anatomical patterns of connectivity in the hippocampal formations of both hemispheres which may underlie functional asymmetries.


2003 ◽  
Vol 90 (2) ◽  
pp. 771-779 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chaelon I. O. Myme ◽  
Ken Sugino ◽  
Gina G. Turrigiano ◽  
Sacha B. Nelson

To better understand regulation of N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) and α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid (AMPA) receptor complements across the cortex, and to investigate NMDA receptor (NMDAR)-based models of persistent activity, we compared NMDA/AMPA ratios in prefrontal (PFC) and visual cortex (VC) in rat. Whole cell voltage-clamp responses were recorded in brain slices from layer 2/3 pyramidal cells of the medial PFC and VC of rats aged p16–p21. Mixed miniature excitatory postsynaptic currents (mEPSCs) having AMPA receptor (AMPAR)- and NMDAR-mediated components were isolated in nominally 0 Mg2+ ACSF. Averaged mEPSCs were well-fit by double exponentials. No significant differences in the NMDA/AMPA ratio (PFC: 27 ± 1%; VC: 28 ± 3%), peak mEPSC amplitude (PFC: 19.1 ± 1 pA; VC: 17.5 ± 0.7 pA), NMDAR decay kinetics (PFC: 69 ± 8 ms; VC: 67 ± 6 ms), or degree of correlation between NMDAR- and AMPAR-mediated mEPSC components were found between the areas (PFC: n = 27; VC: n = 28). Recordings from older rats (p26–29) also showed no differences. EPSCs were evoked extracellularly in 2 mM Mg2+ at depolarized potentials; although the average NMDA/AMPA ratio was larger than that observed for mEPSCs, the ratio was similar in the two regions. In nominally 0 Mg2+ and in the presence of CNQX, spontaneous activation of NMDAR increased recording noise and produced a small tonic depolarization which was similar in both areas. We conclude that this basic property of excitatory transmission is conserved across PFC and VC synapses and is therefore unlikely to contribute to differences in firing patterns observed in vivo in the two regions.


2009 ◽  
Vol 102 (6) ◽  
pp. 3643-3655 ◽  
Author(s):  
Harald Hentschke ◽  
Claudia Benkwitz ◽  
Matthew I. Banks ◽  
Mark G. Perkins ◽  
Gregg E. Homanics ◽  
...  

Phasic GABAergic inhibition in hippocampus and neocortex falls into two kinetically distinct categories, GABAA,fast and GABAA,slow. In hippocampal area CA1, GABAA,fast is generally believed to underlie gamma oscillations, whereas the contribution of GABAA,slow to hippocampal rhythms has been speculative. Hypothesizing that GABAA receptors containing the β3 subunit contribute to GABAA,slow inhibition and that slow inhibitory synapses control excitability as well as contribute to network rhythms, we investigated the consequences of this subunit's absence on synaptic inhibition and network function. In pyramidal neurons of GABAA receptor β3 subunit-deficient (β3−/−) mice, spontaneous GABAA,slow inhibitory postsynaptic currents (IPSCs) were much less frequent, and evoked GABAA,slow currents were much smaller than in wild-type mice. Fittingly, long-lasting recurrent inhibition of population spikes was less powerful in the mutant, indicating that receptors containing β3 subunits contribute substantially to GABAA,slow currents in pyramidal neurons. By contrast, slow inhibitory control of GABAA,fast-producing interneurons was unaffected in β3−/− mice. In vivo hippocampal network activity was markedly different in the two genotypes. In β3−/− mice, epileptiform activity was observed, and theta oscillations were weaker, slower, less regular and less well coordinated across laminae compared with wild-type mice, whereas gamma oscillations were weaker and faster. The amplitude modulation of gamma oscillations at theta frequency (“nesting”) was preserved but was less well coordinated with theta oscillations. With the caveat that seizure-induced changes in inhibitory circuits might have contributed to the changes observed in the mutant animals, our results point to a strong contribution of β3 subunits to slow GABAergic inhibition onto pyramidal neurons but not onto GABAA,fast -producing interneurons and support different roles for these slow inhibitory synapses in the generation and coordination of hippocampal network rhythms.


2004 ◽  
Vol 480 (1) ◽  
pp. 72-88 ◽  
Author(s):  
Walther Akemann ◽  
Yong-Mei Zhong ◽  
Noritaka Ichinohe ◽  
Kathleen S. Rockland ◽  
Thomas Knöpfel

2007 ◽  
Vol 98 (3) ◽  
pp. 1791-1805 ◽  
Author(s):  
Masanori Murayama ◽  
Enrique Pérez-Garci ◽  
Hans-Rudolf Lüscher ◽  
Matthew E. Larkum

Calcium influx into the dendritic tufts of layer 5 neocortical pyramidal neurons modifies a number of important cellular mechanisms. It can trigger local synaptic plasticity and switch the firing properties from regular to burst firing. Due to methodological limitations, our knowledge about Ca2+ spikes in the dendritic tuft stems mostly from in vitro experiments. However, it has been speculated that regenerative Ca2+ events in the distal dendrites correlate with distinct behavioral states. Therefore it would be most desirable to be able to record these Ca2+ events in vivo, preferably in the behaving animal. Here, we present a novel approach for recording Ca2+ signals in the dendrites of populations of layer 5 pyramidal neurons in vivo, which ensures that all recorded fluorescence changes are due to intracellular Ca2+ signals in the apical dendrites. The method has two main features: 1) bolus loading of layer 5 with a membrane-permeant Ca2+ dye resulting in specific loading of pyramidal cell dendrites in the upper layers and 2) a fiberoptic cable attached to a gradient index lens and a prism reflecting light horizontally at 90° to the angle of the apical dendrites. We demonstrate that the in vivo signal-to-noise ratio recorded with this relatively inexpensive and easy-to-implement fiberoptic-based device is comparable to conventional camera-based imaging systems used in vitro. In addition, the device is flexible and lightweight and can be used for recording Ca2+ signals in the distal dendritic tuft of freely behaving animals.


2010 ◽  
Vol 63 (5-6) ◽  
pp. 356-360
Author(s):  
Maja Stankovic-Vulovic ◽  
Ivana Zivanovic-Macuzic ◽  
Predrag Sazdanovic ◽  
Dejan Jeremic ◽  
Jovo Tosevski

Subiculum proper is an archicortical structure of the subicular complex and presents the place of origin of great majority of axons of the whole hippocampal formation. In contrast to the hippocampus which has been intensively studied, the data about human subiculum proper are quite scarce. The aim of our study was to indentify morphological characteristics of neurons of the human subiculum proper. The study was performed on 10 brains of both genders by using Golgi impregnation and Nissl staining. The subiculum has three layers: molecular, pyramidal and polymorphic layer. The dominant cell type in the pyramidal layer was the pyramidal neurons, which had pyramidal shaped soma, multiple basal dendrites and one apical dendrite. The nonpyramidal cells were scattered among the pyramidal cells of the pyramidal layer. The nonpyramidal cells were classified on: multipolar, bipolar and neurons with triangular-shaped soma. The neurons of the molecular layer of the human subiculum were divided into groups: bipolar and multipolar neurons. The most numerous cells of the polymorphic layer were bipolar and multipolar neurons.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Olivier Dubanet ◽  
Arnaldo Ferreira Gomes Da Silva ◽  
Andreas Frick ◽  
Hajime Hirase ◽  
Anna Beyeler ◽  
...  

AbstractSeveral studies suggest a contribution of reversed, excitatory GABA to epileptogenesis. But GABAergic transmission critically depends on the very dynamic combination of membrane potential, conductance and occurrence of other synaptic inputs. Taking this complexity into account implies measuring the postsynaptic responses to spontaneously occurring GABAergic events, in vivo, without interfering with neuronal [Cl-]i. Because of technical difficulties, this has not been achieved yet. We have overcome this challenge by combining in vivo extracellular detection of both optogenetically-evoked and spontaneously occurring unitary inhibitory postsynaptic field-potentials (fIPSPs), with the silicon probe recording of neuronal firing activity, with single cell resolution. We report that isolated acute seizures induced a global reversal of the polarity of CA3 hippocampal GABAergic transmission, shifting from inhibitory to excitatory for a duration of several tens of seconds before returning to normal polarity. Nevertheless we observed this reversed polarity only in the post-ictal period during which neurons (including GABAergic interneurons) were silent. Perisomatic inhibition was also affected during the course of epileptogenesis in the Kainate model of chronic epilepsy. One week after Kainate injection, the majority of pyramidal cells escaped inhibitory control by perisomatic GABAergic events. Besides, we did not observe a reversed polarity of fIPSPs, but fIPSPs provided time-locked excitation to a minor subset of CA3 pyramidal neurons. Beside methodological interests, our results suggest that subtle alterations in the regulation of [Cl-]i and perisomatic GABAergic transmission already operate in the hippocampal circuit during the latent period that precedes the establishment of chronic epilepsy.


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