Reduction of Spontaneous Inhibitory Synaptic Activity in Experimental Heterotopic Gray Matter

2003 ◽  
Vol 89 (1) ◽  
pp. 150-158 ◽  
Author(s):  
Huan-Xin Chen ◽  
Steven N. Roper

Neuronal heterotopia has a strong association with epilepsy, but the mechanisms that underlie this relationship are largely unknown. We have utilized the in utero irradiated rat model to study circuit abnormalities in experimentally induced subcortical heterotopic gray matter. Spontaneous and miniature inhibitory (IPSCs) and excitatory (EPSCs) postsynaptic currents were recorded from visualized heterotopic pyramidal neurons in in vitro hemispheric slices and compared with control neocortical pyramidal neurons using the whole cell patch-clamp technique. The frequency of spontaneous and miniature IPSCs was significantly reduced in pyramidal neurons from heterotopic cortex. Amplitude and kinetics of IPSCs were not different between the two groups. Spontaneous and miniature EPSCs were not different between the two groups. Short-term synaptic plasticity of stimulus-evoked EPSCs showed depression in heterotopic neurons and facilitation in control pyramidal neurons. This study shows a selective impairment of the GABAergic circuitry in experimental heterotopic gray matter. We have reported similar findings in normotopic dysplastic cortex from this model. Taken together, these studies demonstrate a pervasive defect in inhibition throughout the cortex of irradiated rats with cortical dysplasia and neuronal heterotopia. This may have important implications regarding cortical development and function following in utero injuries.

1998 ◽  
Vol 79 (6) ◽  
pp. 3252-3256 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paola Pedarzani ◽  
Michael Krause ◽  
Trude Haug ◽  
Johan F. Storm ◽  
Walter Stühmer

Pedarzani, Paola, Michael Krause, Trude Haug, Johan F. Storm, and Walter Stühmer. Modulation of the Ca2+-activated K+ current s I AHP by a phosphatase-kinase balance under basal conditions in rat CA1 pyramidal neurons. J. Neurophysiol. 79: 3252–3256, 1998. The slow Ca2+-activated K+ current, s I AHP, underlying spike frequency adaptation, was recorded with the whole cell patch-clamp technique in CA1 pyramidal neurons in rat hippocampal slices. Inhibitors of serine/threonine protein phosphatases (microcystin, calyculin A, cantharidic acid) caused a gradual decrease of s I AHP amplitude, suggesting the presence of a basal phosphorylation-dephosphorylation turnover regulating s I AHP. Because selective calcineurin (PP-2B) inhibitors did not affect the amplitude of s I AHP, protein phosphatase 1 (PP-1) or 2A (PP-2A) are most likely involved in the basal regulation of this current. The ATP analogue, ATP-γ-S, caused a gradual decrease in the s I AHP amplitude, supporting a role of protein phosphorylation in the basal modulation of s I AHP. When the protein kinase A (PKA) inhibitor adenosine-3′,5′-monophosphorothioate, Rp-isomer (Rp-cAMPS) was coapplied with the phosphatase inhibitor microcystin, it prevented the decrease in the s I AHP amplitude that was observed when microcystin alone was applied. Furthermore, inhibition of PKA by Rp-cAMPS led to an increase in the s I AHP amplitude. Finally, an adenylyl cyclase inhibitor (SQ22,536) and adenosine 3′,5′-cyclic monophosphate-specific type IV phosphodiesterase inhibitors (Ro 20–1724 and rolipram) led to an increase or a decrease in the s I AHP amplitude, respectively. These findings suggest that a balance between basally active PKA and a phosphatase (PP-1 or PP-2A) is responsible for the tonic modulation of s I AHP, resulting in a continuous modulation of excitability and firing properties of hippocampal pyramidal neurons.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marine A Krzisch ◽  
Hao A Wu ◽  
Bingbing Yuan ◽  
Troy W. Whitfield ◽  
X. Shawn Liu ◽  
...  

Abnormal neuronal development in Fragile X syndrome (FXS) is poorly understood. Data on FXS patients remain scarce and FXS animal models have failed to yield successful therapies. In vitro models do not fully recapitulate the morphology and function of human neurons. Here, we co-injected neural precursor cells (NPCs) from FXS patient-derived and corrected isogenic control induced pluripotent stem cells into the brain of neonatal immune-deprived mice. The transplanted cells populated the brain and a proportion differentiated into neurons and glial cells. Single-cell RNA sequencing of transplanted cells revealed upregulated excitatory synaptic transmission and neuronal differentiation pathways in FXS neurons. Immunofluorescence analyses showed accelerated maturation of FXS neurons after an initial delay. Additionally, increased percentages of Arc- and Egr1-positive FXS neurons and wider dendritic protrusions of mature FXS striatal medium spiny neurons pointed to an increase in synaptic activity and synaptic strength as compared to control. This transplantation approach provides new insights into the alterations of neuronal development in FXS by facilitating physiological development of cells in a 3D context, and could be used to test new therapeutic compounds correcting neuronal development defects in FXS.


2001 ◽  
Vol 280 (6) ◽  
pp. R1815-R1822 ◽  
Author(s):  
Javier E. Stern ◽  
Mike Ludwig

To study modulatory actions of nitric oxide (NO) on GABAergic synaptic activity in hypothalamic magnocellular neurons in the supraoptic nucleus (SON), in vitro and in vivo electrophysiological recordings were obtained from identified oxytocin and vasopressin neurons. Whole cell patch-clamp recordings were obtained in vitro from immunochemically identified oxytocin and vasopressin neurons. GABAergic synaptic activity was assessed in vitro by measuring GABAA miniature inhibitory postsynaptic currents (mIPSCs). The NO donor and precursor sodium nitroprusside (SNP) and l-arginine, respectively, increased the frequency and amplitude of GABAA mIPSCs in both cell types ( P ≤ 0.001). Retrodialysis of SNP (50 mM) onto the SON in vivo inhibited the activity of both neuronal types ( P ≤ 0.002), an effect that was reduced by retrodialysis of the GABAA-receptor antagonist bicuculline (2 mM, P≤ 0.001). Neurons activated by intravenous infusion of 2 M NaCl were still strongly inhibited by SNP. These results suggest that NO inhibition of neuronal excitability in oxytocin and vasopressin neurons involves pre- and postsynaptic potentiation of GABAergic synaptic activity in the SON.


2000 ◽  
Vol 278 (3) ◽  
pp. C546-C553 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter S. Hansen ◽  
Kerrie A. Buhagiar ◽  
David F. Gray ◽  
Helge H. Rasmussen

Insulin enhances Na+-K+ pump activity in various noncardiac tissues. We examined whether insulin exposure in vitro regulates Na+-K+ pump function in rabbit ventricular myocytes. Pump current ( I p) was measured using the whole-cell patch-clamp technique at test potentials ( V ms) from −100 to +60 mV. When the Na+ concentration in the patch pipette ([Na]pip) was 10 mM, insulin caused a V m-dependent increase in I p. The increase was ∼70% when V m was at near physiological diastolic potentials. This effect persisted after elimination of extracellular voltage-dependent steps and when K+ and K+-congeners were excluded from the patch pipettes. When [Na]pip was 80 mM, causing near-maximal pump stimulation, insulin had no effect, suggesting that it did not cause an increase in membrane pump density. Effects of tyrphostin A25, wortmannin, okadaic acid, or bisindolylmaleimide I in pipette solutions suggested that the insulin-induced increase in I p involved activation of tyrosine kinase, phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase, and protein phosphatase 1, whereas protein phosphatase 2A and protein kinase C were not involved.


2000 ◽  
Vol 83 (4) ◽  
pp. 2349-2354 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ansalan Stewart ◽  
Robert C. Foehring

Our previous studies of calcium (Ca2+) currents in cortical pyramidal cells revealed that the percentage contribution of each Ca2+ current type to the whole cell Ca2+ current varies from cell to cell. The extent to which these currents are modulated by neurotransmitters is also variable. This study was directed at testing the hypothesis that a major source of this variability is recording from multiple populations of pyramidal cells. We used the whole cell patch-clamp technique to record from dissociated corticocortical, corticostriatal, and corticotectal projecting pyramidal cells. There were significant differences between the three pyramidal cell types in the mean percentage of L-, P-, and N-type Ca2+ currents. For both N- and P-type currents, the range of percentages expressed was small for corticostriatal and corticotectal cells as compared with cells which project to the corpus callosum or to the general population. The variance was significantly different between cell types for N- and P-type currents. These results suggest that an important source of the variability in the proportions of Ca2+ current types present in neocortical pyramidal neurons is recording from multiple populations of pyramidal cells.


2009 ◽  
Vol 102 (5) ◽  
pp. 2581-2593 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tadashi Isa ◽  
William C. Hall

The superior colliculus plays an important role in the translation of sensory signals that encode the location of objects in space into motor signals that encode vectors of the shifts in gaze direction called saccades. Since the late 1990s, our two laboratories have been applying whole cell patch-clamp techniques to in vitro slice preparations of rodent superior colliculus to analyze the structure and function of its circuitry at the cellular level. This review describes the results of these experiments and discusses their contributions to our understanding of the mechanisms responsible for sensorimotor integration in the superior colliculus. The experiments analyze vertical interactions between its superficial visuosensory and intermediate premotor layers and propose how they might contribute to express saccades and to saccadic suppression. They also compare and contrast the circuitry within each of these layers and propose how this circuitry might contribute to the selection of the targets for saccades and to the build-up of the premotor commands that precede saccades. Experiments also explore in vitro the roles of extrinsic inputs to the superior colliculus, including cholinergic inputs from the parabigeminal and parabrachial nuclei and GABAergic inputs from the substantia nigra pars reticulata, in modulating the activity of the collicular circuitry. The results extend and clarify our understanding of the multiple roles the superior colliculus plays in sensorimotor integration.


1997 ◽  
Vol 272 (4) ◽  
pp. H1680-H1689 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. F. Gray ◽  
P. S. Hansen ◽  
M. M. Doohan ◽  
L. C. Hool ◽  
H. H. Rasmussen

Alterations in membrane cholesterol induced in vitro can alter Na+-K+ pump function. Because dietary cholesterol can influence membrane cholesterol in vivo, we examined if dietary cholesterol is a determinant of Na+-K+ pump function. Rabbits were fed cholesterol-supplemented diets for 1-4 wk. Cardiac myocytes were then isolated, and Na+-K+ pump currents (Ip) were measured using the whole cell patch-clamp technique. When the Na+ concentration in the patch pipettes ([Na]pip) was 10 mM, a modest diet-induced increase in serum cholesterol was associated with stimulation of Ip; large increases in serum cholesterol were associated with inhibition. There was no effect of modest or large increases in serum cholesterol on Ip when [Na]pip was 80 mM. The [Na]pip-Ip relationship determined using seven different levels of [Na]pip from 0 to 80 mM indicated that a modest increase in serum cholesterol increased the apparent affinity of the pump for cytoplasmic Na+. In contrast, dietary cholesterol had no effect on the apparent affinity of the pump for extracellular K+. We conclude that cholesterol intake influences the sarcolemmal Na+-K+ pump. This may have clinical implications for cardiovascular function.


eLife ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
Author(s):  
Silvia Ripamonti ◽  
Mateusz C Ambrozkiewicz ◽  
Francesca Guzzi ◽  
Marta Gravati ◽  
Gerardo Biella ◽  
...  

Beyond its role in parturition and lactation, oxytocin influences higher brain processes that control social behavior of mammals, and perturbed oxytocin signaling has been linked to the pathogenesis of several psychiatric disorders. However, it is still largely unknown how oxytocin exactly regulates neuronal function. We show that early, transient oxytocin exposure in vitro inhibits the development of hippocampal glutamatergic neurons, leading to reduced dendrite complexity, synapse density, and excitatory transmission, while sparing GABAergic neurons. Conversely, genetic elimination of oxytocin receptors increases the expression of protein components of excitatory synapses and excitatory synaptic transmission in vitro. In vivo, oxytocin-receptor-deficient hippocampal pyramidal neurons develop more complex dendrites, which leads to increased spine number and reduced γ-oscillations. These results indicate that oxytocin controls the development of hippocampal excitatory neurons and contributes to the maintenance of a physiological excitation/inhibition balance, whose disruption can cause neurobehavioral disturbances.


eLife ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter James Morgan ◽  
Romain Bourboulou ◽  
Caroline Filippi ◽  
Julie Koenig-Gambini ◽  
Jérôme Epsztein

In area CA1 of the hippocampus, the selection of place cells to represent a new environment is biased towards neurons with higher excitability. However, different environments are represented by orthogonal cell ensembles, suggesting that regulatory mechanisms exist. Activity-dependent plasticity of intrinsic excitability, as observed in vitro, is an attractive candidate. Here, using whole-cell patch-clamp recordings of CA1 pyramidal neurons in anesthetized rats, we have examined how inducing theta-bursts of action potentials affects their intrinsic excitability over time. We observed a long-lasting, homeostatic depression of intrinsic excitability which commenced within minutes, and, in contrast to in vitro observations, was not mediated by dendritic Ih. Instead, it was attenuated by the Kv1.1 channel blocker dendrotoxin K, suggesting an axonal origin. Analysis of place cells’ out-of-field firing in mice navigating in virtual reality further revealed an experience-dependent reduction consistent with decreased excitability. We propose that this mechanism could reduce memory interference.


2006 ◽  
Vol 96 (6) ◽  
pp. 2877-2888 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adán Hernández ◽  
Osvaldo Ibáñez-Sandoval ◽  
Arturo Sierra ◽  
René Valdiosera ◽  
Dagoberto Tapia ◽  
...  

The effects of activating dopaminergic D2/3 and D4 receptors during activation of the subthalamic projection to the globus pallidus (GP) were explored in rat brain slices using the whole cell patch-clamp technique. Byocitin labeling and both orthodromic and antidromic activation demonstrated the integrity of some subthalamopallidal connections in in vitro parasagittal brain slices. Excitatory postsynaptic currents (EPSCs) that could be blocked by CNQX and AP5 were evoked onto pallidal neurons by local field stimulation of the subthalamopallidal pathway in the presence of bicuculline. Bath application of dopamine and quinpirole, a dopaminergic D2-class receptor agonist, reduced evoked EPSCs by about 35%. This effect was only partially blocked by sulpiride, a D2/3 receptor antagonist. The sulpiride-sensitive reduction of the subthalamopallidal EPSC was associated with an increase in the paired-pulse ratio (PPR) and a reduction in the frequency but not the mean amplitude of spontaneous EPSCs (sEPSCs), indicative of a presynaptic site of action, which was confirmed by variance–mean analysis. The sulpiride-resistant EPSC reduction was mimicked by PD 168,077 and blocked by L-745,870, selective D4 receptor agonist and antagonist, respectively, suggesting the involvement of D4 receptors. The reduction of EPSCs produced by PD 168,077 was not accompanied by changes in PPR or the frequency of sEPSCs; however, it was accompanied by a reduction in mean sEPSC amplitude, indicative of a postsynaptic site of action. These results show that dopamine modulates subthalamopallidal excitation by presynaptic D2/3 and postsynaptic D4 receptors. The importance of this modulation is discussed.


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