Metabotropic glutamate receptors and visual cortical synaptic plasticity

1995 ◽  
Vol 73 (9) ◽  
pp. 1312-1322 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. Kamishita ◽  
H. Haruta ◽  
N. Torii ◽  
T. Tsumoto ◽  
T. P. Hicks

Two forms of use-dependent synaptic plasticity, called long-term potentiation (LTP) and long-term depression (LTD), can be elicited in the visual cortex following different paradigms of electrophysiological stimulation. These neurobiological phenomena often are considered as necessary components of models for the alteration in function of the nervous system that must occur at some level for the establishment and (or) maintenance of memory engrams, for learning processes, or for the consolidation of active neural connections and regression of inactive contacts in the developing brain. It has been postulated that for LTP and LTD to be produced in the hippocampus, activation of a particular subtype of excitatory amino acid receptor, the metabotropic receptor, is a critical requirement. Only recently has it become possible to test this hypothesis directly, as a new compound, (±)-α-methyl-4-carboxyphenylglycine (MCPG), has been introduced and the suggestion made that it selectively antagonizes the metabotropic receptor. This substance has been tested in the present study on responses recorded from slices of rat visual cortex and has been found both to block the activation of the metabotropic receptor and to interfere selectively with the form of synaptic plasticity called LTD. It thus appears from the experiments reported in this paper as though the metabotropic receptor subtype that is blocked by MCPG is required for the expression of LTD but not for the expression of LTP, in the visual cortex of adult rats.Key words: excitatory amino acids, long-term potentiation, long-term depression, visual cortex, (±)-α-methyl-4-carboxyphenylglycine (MCPG).

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mason L. Yeh ◽  
Jessica R Yasko ◽  
Eric S. Levine ◽  
Betty A. Eipper ◽  
Richard Mains

Abstract Background: Kalirin-7 (Kal7) is a multidomain scaffold and guanine nucleotide exchange factor localized to the postsynaptic density, where Kal7 is crucial for synaptic plasticity. Kal7 knockout mice exhibit marked suppression of long-term potentiation and long-term depression in hippocampus, cerebral cortex and spinal cord, with depressed surface expression of GluN2B receptor subunits and dramatically blunted perception of pain. Kal7 knockout animals show exaggerated locomotor responses to psychostimulants and self-administer cocaine more enthusiastically than wildtype mice. Results: To address the underlying cellular and molecular mechanisms which are deranged by loss of Kal7, we infused candidate intracellular interfering peptides to acutely challenge the synaptic function(s) of Kal7 with potential protein binding partners, to determine if plasticity deficits in Kal7-/- mice are the product of developmental processes since conception, or could be produced on a much shorter time scale. We demonstrated that these small intracellular peptides disrupted normal long-term potentiation and long-term depression, strongly suggesting that maintenance of established interactions of Kal7 with PSD-95 and/or GluN2B is crucial to synaptic plasticity. Conclusions: Blockade of the Kal7-GluN2B interaction was most effective at blocking long-term potentiation, but had no effect on long-term depression. Biochemical approaches indicated that Kal7 interacted with PSD-95 at multiple sites within Kal7.


eLife ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 5 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yihui Cui ◽  
Ilya Prokin ◽  
Hao Xu ◽  
Bruno Delord ◽  
Stephane Genet ◽  
...  

Synaptic plasticity is a cardinal cellular mechanism for learning and memory. The endocannabinoid (eCB) system has emerged as a pivotal pathway for synaptic plasticity because of its widely characterized ability to depress synaptic transmission on short- and long-term scales. Recent reports indicate that eCBs also mediate potentiation of the synapse. However, it is not known how eCB signaling may support bidirectionality. Here, we combined electrophysiology experiments with mathematical modeling to question the mechanisms of eCB bidirectionality in spike-timing dependent plasticity (STDP) at corticostriatal synapses. We demonstrate that STDP outcome is controlled by eCB levels and dynamics: prolonged and moderate levels of eCB lead to eCB-mediated long-term depression (eCB-tLTD) while short and large eCB transients produce eCB-mediated long-term potentiation (eCB-tLTP). Moreover, we show that eCB-tLTD requires active calcineurin whereas eCB-tLTP necessitates the activity of presynaptic PKA. Therefore, just like glutamate or GABA, eCB form a bidirectional system to encode learning and memory.


Author(s):  
Arianna Maffei

Synaptic connections in the brain can change their strength in response to patterned activity. This ability of synapses is defined as synaptic plasticity. Long lasting forms of synaptic plasticity, long-term potentiation (LTP), and long-term depression (LTD), are thought to mediate the storage of information about stimuli or features of stimuli in a neural circuit. Since its discovery in the early 1970s, synaptic plasticity became a central subject of neuroscience, and many studies centered on understanding its mechanisms, as well as its functional implications.


2019 ◽  
Vol 3 ◽  
pp. 239821281984821 ◽  
Author(s):  
TVP Bliss ◽  
GL Collingridge

In this article, we describe our involvement in the early days of research into long-term potentiation. We start with a description of the early experiments conducted in Oslo and London where long-term potentiation was first characterised. We discuss the ways in which the molecular pharmacology of glutamate receptors control the induction and expression of long-term potentiation and its counterpart, long-term depression. We then go on to summarise the extraordinary advances in understanding the cellular mechanisms of synaptic plasticity that have taken place in the subsequent half century. Finally, the increasing evidence that impaired long-term potentiation is a core feature of many brain disorders (LToPathies) is addressed by way of a few selected examples.


Author(s):  
Marianna Crispino ◽  
Floriana Volpicelli ◽  
Carla Perrone-Capano

Our knowledge on the plastic functions of the serotonin (5-HT) receptor subtype 7 (5-HT7R) in the brain physiology and pathology considerably advanced in the last few years. A wealth of data show that the 5-HT7R is a key player in the establishment and remodeling of neuronal cytoarchitecture during development and in the mature brain, and its dysfunction is linked to neuropsychiatric and neurodevelopmental diseases. The involvement of this receptor in synaptic plasticity is further demonstrated by data showing that its activation allows to rescue long term potentiation (LTP) and long term depression (LTD) deficits in various animal models of neurodevelopmental diseases. In addition, it is becoming clear that the 5-HT7R is involved in inflammatory intestinal diseases, possibly playing a role in the gut-brain axis, and modulates the function of immune cells. In this review, we will mainly focus on recent findings on this receptor’s role in the structural and synaptic plasticity of the mammalian brain, although we will also illustrate novel aspects highlighted in gut and immune system.


eLife ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ananya Dasgupta ◽  
Yu Jia Lim ◽  
Krishna Kumar ◽  
Nimmi Baby ◽  
Ka Lam Karen Pang ◽  
...  

Metabotropic glutamate receptors (mGluRs) play an important role in synaptic plasticity and memory and are largely classified based on amino acid sequence homology and pharmacological properties. Among group III metabotropic glutamate receptors, mGluR7 and mGluR4 show high relative expression in the rat hippocampal area CA2. Group III metabotropic glutamate receptors are known to down-regulate cAMP-dependent signaling pathways via the activation of Gi/o proteins. Here, we provide evidence that inhibition of group III mGluRs by specific antagonists permits an NMDA receptor- and protein synthesis-dependent long-lasting synaptic potentiation in the apparently long-term potentiation (LTP)-resistant Schaffer collateral (SC)-CA2 synapses. Moreover, long-lasting potentiation of these synapses transforms a transient synaptic potentiation of the entorhinal cortical (EC)-CA2 synapses into a stable long-lasting LTP, in accordance with the synaptic tagging/capture hypothesis (STC). Furthermore, this study also sheds light on the role of ERK/MAPK protein signaling and the downregulation of STEP protein in the group III mGluR inhibition-mediated plasticity in the hippocampal CA2 region, identifying them as critical molecular players. Thus, the regulation of group III mGluRs provides a conducive environment for the SC-CA2 synapses to respond to events that could lead to activity-dependent synaptic plasticity.


2015 ◽  
Vol 37 (3) ◽  
pp. 263-272 ◽  
Author(s):  
Giulia Zanni ◽  
Kai Zhou ◽  
Ilse Riebe ◽  
Cuicui Xie ◽  
Changlian Zhu ◽  
...  

Radiotherapy is common in the treatment of brain tumors in children but often causes deleterious, late-appearing sequelae, including cognitive decline. This is thought to be caused, at least partly, by the suppression of hippocampal neurogenesis. However, the changes in neuronal network properties in the dentate gyrus (DG) following the irradiation of the young, growing brain are still poorly understood. We characterized the long-lasting effects of irradiation on the electrophysiological properties of the DG after a single dose of 6-Gy whole-brain irradiation on postnatal day 11 in male Wistar rats. The assessment of the basal excitatory transmission in the medial perforant pathway (MPP) by an examination of the field excitatory postsynaptic potential/volley ratio showed an increase of the synaptic efficacy per axon in irradiated animals compared to sham controls. The paired-pulse ratio at the MPP granule cell synapses was not affected by irradiation, suggesting that the release probability of neurotransmitters was not altered. Surprisingly, the induction of long-term synaptic plasticity in the DG by applying 4 trains of high-frequency stimulation provoked a shift from long-term potentiation (LTP) to long-term depression (LTD) in irradiated animals compared to sham controls. The morphological changes consisted in a virtually complete ablation of neurogenesis following irradiation, as judged by doublecortin immunostaining, while the inhibitory network of parvalbumin interneurons was intact. These data suggest that the irradiation of the juvenile brain caused permanent changes in synaptic plasticity that would seem consistent with an impairment of declarative learning. Unlike in our previous study in mice, lithium treatment did unfortunately not ameliorate any of the studied parameters. For the first time, we show that the effects of cranial irradiation on long-term synaptic plasticity is different in the juvenile compared with the adult brain, such that while irradiation of the adult brain will only cause a reduction in LTP, irradiation of the juvenile brain goes further and causes LTD. Although the mechanisms underlying the synaptic alterations need to be elucidated, these findings provide a better understanding of the effects of irradiation in the developing brain and the cognitive deficits observed in young patients who have been subjected to cranial radiotherapy.


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