Long-term synaptic plasticity in hippocampal neurogliaform interneurons
AbstractHippocampal interneurons located within stratum lacunosum-moleculare (SLM), which include neurogliaform (NGF) cells, mediate powerful feed-forward inhibition that can modulate spiking and plasticity in CA1 pyramidal cells. Despite evidence of long-term plasticity at excitatory inputs onto almost all other hippocampal interneuron subtypes, including stratum radiatum feed-forward interneurons, it is not known whether long-term potentiation (LTP) occurs in CA1 SLM interneurons. Here, we show that these interneurons exhibit Hebbian NMDA receptor-dependent LTP, and that Ca2+ influx through voltage-gated Ca2+ channels can also be sufficient for induction of plasticity. Furthermore, using an optogenetic dissection strategy, we find that selective stimulation of excitatory fibers from entorhinal cortex can induce LTP in SLM interneurons, whilst stimulation of thalamic afferents from the nucleus reuniens, also known to project to SLM, does not. Finally, we show that a mouse line selective for cortical NGF cells, where Cre recombinase is under the control of the neuron-derived neurotrophic factor (NDNF) promoter, can also be used to target these interneurons within the hippocampus, and that hippocampal NGF cells exhibit LTP. Recruitment of NGF cells can thus be persistently enhanced in an activity-dependent manner, implying that their role in gating dendritic signaling in pyramidal neurons is modifiable.Significance statementLong-term potentiation (LTP) of synaptic transmission within the hippocampus is involved in memory formation and spatial navigation. While LTP has been extensively studied in excitatory principal cells, less is known about plasticity mechanisms in inhibitory interneurons, which represent a diverse population of cells. Here we characterize LTP in interneurons that mediate powerful feed-forward inhibition of pyramidal neuron distal dendrites, and show that this plasticity can be induced by afferents originating in the entorhinal cortex. Importantly, we identify at least a subset of these LTP-expressing interneurons as neurogliaform cells. The results shed light on this relatively understudied sub-type of hippocampal interneurons and show that their recruitment by extrinsic afferents can be modified in a use-dependent manner.