Distinct Functional and Pharmacological Properties of Tonic and Quantal Inhibitory Postsynaptic Currents Mediated by γ-Aminobutyric AcidA Receptors in Hippocampal Neurons

2001 ◽  
Vol 59 (4) ◽  
pp. 814-824 ◽  
Author(s):  
Donglin Bai ◽  
Guoyun Zhu ◽  
Peter Pennefather ◽  
Michael F. Jackson ◽  
John F. MacDonald ◽  
...  
1993 ◽  
Vol 70 (4) ◽  
pp. 1339-1349 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. V. Jones ◽  
N. L. Harrison

1. The effects of the volatile anesthetics enflurane, halothane, and isoflurane on gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) receptor-mediated inhibitory postsynaptic currents (IPSCs) were studied in cultured rat hippocampal neurons. The experimental concentrations of anesthetics were measured directly using gas chromatography. All three anesthetics increased the overall duration of IPSCs, measured as the time to half-decay (T1/2). Clinically effective concentrations of anesthetics [between 0.5 and 1.5 times MAC (minimum alveolar concentration)] produced between 100 and 400% increases in T1/2. These effects were fully reversible, and did not involve alterations in the reversal potential for the IPSC (EIPSC). 2. The decay of the IPSC was fitted as a sum of two exponential functions, yielding a fast component (tau fast = 20 ms), and a slow component (tau slow = 77 ms), such that the fast component accounted for 79% of the IPSC amplitude and 52% of the total charge transfer. All three anesthetics produced concentration-related increases in the amplitude and charge transfer of the slow component, while simultaneously decreasing the amplitude and charge transfer of the fast component. Thus T1/2 approximated tau fast under control conditions, but approximated tau slow in the presence of the anesthetics. 3. Varying the calcium chelating agents in the recording pipettes had no effect on the quality or magnitude of alterations in IPSC kinetics produced by halothane, suggesting that variations in intracellular calcium levels are not required for the effect of halothane on the time course of the IPSC. 4. The (+)-stereoisomer of isoflurane produced greater increases in the duration of the IPSC than the (-)-isomer when applied at approximately equal concentrations, suggesting that there is a structurally selective site of interaction for isoflurane that modulates the GABAA receptor. 5. These results suggest that the previously shown abilities of volatile anesthetics to potentiate responses to exogenously applied GABA and to prolong the duration of GABA-mediated synaptic inhibition may be due to an alteration in the gating kinetics of the GABAA receptor/channel complex. Prolongation of synaptic inhibition in the CNS is consistent with the physiological effects that accompany anesthesia and may contribute to the mechanism of anesthetic action.


1999 ◽  
Vol 31 (5) ◽  
pp. 304-309 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. V. Isaeva ◽  
V. G. Sidorenko ◽  
S. A. Fedulova ◽  
N. S. Veselovskii

2007 ◽  
Vol 59 (4) ◽  
pp. 251-255 ◽  
Author(s):  
P.R. Andjus

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a devastating, still incurable neurological disorder affecting upper and lower motoneurons. Passive transfer of the disease occurs when immunoglobulins from ALS patients are injected into experimental animals. It is suggested that ALS IgGs cause excitotoxicity by acting on voltage-gated Ca2+ channels. We reported previously that ALS IgGs increase spontaneous release of glutamate in hippocampal neurons. Since these cells are not normally affected in ALS, we here studied the effect of ALS IgGs on hypoglossal motoneurons in rat brain-stem slices. The frequency of spontaneous glycine-mediated inhibitory postsynaptic currents (sIPSCs) was augmented, but not that of miniature ones (mIPSCs), thus pointing to an indirect effect on release.


2006 ◽  
Vol 105 (2) ◽  
pp. 325-333 ◽  
Author(s):  
Victor Y. Cheng ◽  
Robert P. Bonin ◽  
Mary W. Chiu ◽  
J Glen Newell ◽  
John F. MacDonald ◽  
...  

Background The mechanisms underlying the therapeutic actions of gabapentin remain poorly understood. The chemical structure and behavioral properties of gabapentin strongly suggest actions on inhibitory neurotransmission mediated by gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA); however, gabapentin does not directly modulate GABAA or GABAB receptors. Two distinct forms of GABAergic inhibition occur in the brain: postsynaptic conductance and a persistent tonic inhibitory conductance primarily generated by extrasynaptic GABAA receptors. The aim of this study was to determine whether gabapentin increased the tonic conductance in hippocampal neurons in vitro. As a positive control, the effects of vigabatrin, which irreversibly inhibits GABA transaminase, were also examined. Methods GABAA receptors in hippocampal neurons from embryonic mice were studied using whole cell patch clamp recordings. Miniature inhibitory postsynaptic currents and the tonic current were recorded from cultured neurons that were treated for 36-48 h with gabapentin, vigabatrin, or gabapentin and vigabatrin. To determine whether gabapentin increased the expression of GABAA receptors, Western blots were stained with antibodies selective for alpha1, alpha2, and alpha5 subunits. Results GABAA receptors were insensitive to the acute application of gabapentin, whereas chronic treatment increased the amplitude of the tonic current threefold (EC50 = 209 microm) but did not influence miniature inhibitory postsynaptic currents. Vigabatrin increased the tonic conductance, and the maximally effective concentration did not occlude the actions of gabapentin, which suggests that these compounds act by different mechanisms. Neither gabapentin nor vigabatrin increased the expression of GABAA receptors in the neurons. Conclusions Gabapentin increases a tonic inhibitory conductance in mammalian neurons. High-affinity GABAA receptors that generate the tonic conductance may detect small increases in the ambient concentration of neurotransmitter caused by gabapentin.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yusong Zhang ◽  
Zhiguo Chen ◽  
Zhishan Yang ◽  
Yadi Han

Abstract Background: Previous data suggested that dipeptidyl peptidase-IV (DPP4) involved in the occurrence of febrile seizure (FS), but its potential mechanism remains to be determined. Here, we investigated whether DPP4 regulated gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) mediated spontaneous inhibitory postsynaptic currents (sIPSCs) via the downstream C-X-C Motif Chemokine Ligand 12 (CXCL12)/ C-X-C chemokine receptor type 4 (CXCR4) signaling in cultured hippocampal neurons submitted to hyperthermia(39.5-40°C). Methods: Whole cell patch- clamp method was used to test sIPSC in vitro after DPP4 inhibition or CXCL12 administration. The level of CXCL12 and CXCR4 was tested using western blot analysis. The effect of CXCR4 antagonist AMD3100 (5 mg/ml, i.c.v) on seizures were tested using electroencephalogram (EEG) in a FS model. Results: We found that pharmacological DPP4 inhibitor sitagliptin (Sita,100μM) treatment or siRNA-mediated DPP4 knockdown enhanced the mean amplitude and frequency of sIPSCs in vitro. DPP4 knockdown with siRNA increased protein level of CXCL12 and CXCR4. Furthermore, CXCL12 (10 nM) treatment enhanced inhibitory transmission by increasing the mean frequency and amplitude of sIPSCs in vitro. AMD3100 administration decreased seizure severity by increasing hippocampal GABA content in vivo. Conclusions: Our data suggest that CXCL12/CXCR4 signaling is required for DPP4 regulation of sIPSCs, supporting that DPP4 played a key role in the pathogenesis of FS.


2005 ◽  
Vol 37 (2) ◽  
pp. 104-110
Author(s):  
A. A. Moskalyuk ◽  
O. M. Koval' ◽  
S. A. Fedulova ◽  
N. S. Veselovskii

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