Differential ontogenesis of presynaptic and postsynaptic GABAB inhibition in rat somatosensory cortex

1993 ◽  
Vol 70 (1) ◽  
pp. 448-452 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Fukuda ◽  
I. Mody ◽  
D. A. Prince

1. The postnatal maturation of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA)B receptor-mediated presynaptic inhibition was studied in brain slices of rat somatosensory cortex maintained in vitro. Patchclamp techniques were used to record whole-cell inhibitory post-synaptic currents from layer II-III neurons in animals from postnatal days (P) 7-24. Monosynaptic inhibitory postsynaptic currents (IPSCs) were evoked after N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) and non-NMDA type glutamate receptors had been blocked by D-amino-phosphonovaleric acid (D-AP5, 20 microM) and 6-cyano-7-nitroquinoxaline-2,3-dione (CNQX, 10 microM), respectively. These IPSCs were solely mediated by postsynaptic GABAA receptors because they were abolished by bicuculline (10 microM), reversed polarity near the chloride equilibrium potential, and were recorded with electrodes that contained Cs+ to block postsynaptic GABAB responses. 2. When pairs of stimuli separated by intervals of 0.1-10 s were used to evoke IPSCs, the second response was depressed, an effect that was maximal at 300 ms. Evoked IPSCs were also depressed by baclofen (10 microM). The paired pulse depression (PPD) of monosynaptic IPSCs was decreased or eliminated by 2-OH-saclofen (200 microM). These findings indicate that PPD of monosynaptic IPSCs was due to presynaptic GABAB receptor-mediated inhibition of GABA release. 3. There were no significant differences in the amounts of PPD in neurons from different age groups (P7-10, P12-17, P22-24) at any interstimulus interval tested (0.1-10 s).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

1996 ◽  
Vol 271 (5) ◽  
pp. R1304-R1310 ◽  
Author(s):  
Y. W. Li ◽  
P. G. Guyenet

In anesthetized rats, iontophoresis of the gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABAB)-receptor agonist and antispastic drug baclofen inhibits the bulbospinal vasomotor neurons of the rostral ventrolateral medulla (RVLM). The present study was carried out to determine whether C1 adrenergic and other bulbospinal neurons of the RVLM have postsynaptic GABAB receptors. Retrogradely labeled RVLM bulbospinal neurons (n = 52) were recorded in 120-micron-thick slices from neonatal rat brain (3-10 days old). Most neurons (48/52) were tonically active (3 +/- 0.6 spikes/s). Twenty-six neurons were recovered histologically, and 18 of them were immunoreactive for tyrosine hydroxylase (TH). In current clamp, baclofen (0.3-10 microM) hyperpolarized RVLM bulbospinal cells in a dose-dependent manner (16 +/- 0.5 mV hyperpolarization by 3 microM baclofen; n = 19) and decreased input resistance by 40% (n = 10). In voltage clamp (1 microM tetrodotoxin present; holding potential: -40 to -60 mV), 3 microM baclofen induced an outward current of 21 +/- 2 pA (n = 29). This current exhibited inward rectification and reversed polarity close to the K+ equilibrium potential (external K+ from 2.5 to 10 mM). The current induced by baclofen was reduced 90% by 0.1-0.2 mM BaCl2 (n = 6) and was blocked reversibly by the selective GABAB-receptor antagonist CGP-55845A (0.5-1 microM; n = 6). All histologically verified TH-immunoreactive cells (n = 18) were sensitive to baclofen. In summary, RVLM bulbospinal neurons including C1 adrenergic cells possess GABAB receptors. Activation of these receptors increases an inwardly rectifying K+ conductance. This effect reduces the intrinsic firing frequency of RVLM vasomotor neurons "in vitro" and may contribute to the sympatholytic action of baclofen "in vivo."


1993 ◽  
Vol 69 (2) ◽  
pp. 626-629 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. C. Behrends ◽  
G. ten Bruggencate

1. The effect of cholinergic receptor activation on gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA)-mediated inhibitory synaptic transmission was investigated in voltage-clamped CA1 pyramidal neurons (HPNs) in the guinea pig hippocampal slice preparation. 2. The cholinergic agonist carbachol (1-10 microM) induced a prominent and sustained increase in the frequency and amplitudes of spontaneous inhibitory postsynaptic currents (IPSCs) in Cl(-)-loaded HPNs. The potentiation of spontaneous IPSCs was not dependent on excitatory synaptic transmission but was blocked by atropine (1 microM). 3. Monosynaptically evoked IPSCs were reversibly depressed by carbachol (10 microM). 4. The frequency of miniature IPSCs recorded in the presence of tetrodotoxin (0.6 or 1.2 microM) was reduced by carbachol (10 or 20 microM) in an atropine-sensitive manner. 5. We conclude that, while cholinergic receptor activation directly excites hippocampal GABAergic interneurons, it has, in addition, a suppressant effect on the synaptic release mechanism at GABAergic terminals. This dual modulatory pattern could explain the suppression of evoked IPSCs despite enhanced spontaneous transmission.


1994 ◽  
Vol 72 (5) ◽  
pp. 2406-2419 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Pinco ◽  
A. Lev-Tov

1. We studied the projections of ventrolateral funiculus (VLF) axons to lumbar motoneurons in the in vitro spinal cord preparation of 1- to 6-day-old rats using extracellular and sharp-electrode intracellular recordings. 2. Ipsilateral and contralateral VLF projections to lumbar motoneurons (L4-L5) could be activated in the neonatal rat by stimulation of the surgically peeled VLF at the rostral (L1-L2) and caudal lumbar (L6) cord. Motoneurons were activated ipsilaterally through short- and long-latency projections in all cases and contralaterally through long-latency projections in most cases. 3. Suppression of the excitatory components of VLF postsynaptic potentials (PSPs) by application of the specific antagonists of N-methyl D-aspartate (NMDA) and non-NMDA receptors, 2-amino-5-phosphonovaleric acid (APV) and 6-cyano-7-nitroquin-oxaline-2,3-dione (CNQX), revealed depolarizing PSPs that could be reversed at -55 to -60 mV by injection of depolarizing current steps to the motoneurons. These depolarizing PSPs were blocked by addition of strychnine and bicuculline and are therefore suggested to be glycine and gamma-aminobutyric acid-A (GABAA) receptor-mediated inhibitory PSPs. The identity of a small (< or = 0.2 mV) residual depolarizing component that persisted in the presence of APV, CNQX, strychnine, and bicuculline remains to be determined. 4. Short-latency excitatory PSPs (EPSPs) could be resolved from the ipsilaterally elicited VLF PSPs after the reduction of the polysynaptic activity in the preparation by administration of mephenesin, which was followed by suppression of the glycine and GABAA receptor-mediated components of the PSPs by bath application of strychnine and bicuculline. The latencies of these EPSPs were similar to those of the monosynaptic dorsal root afferent EPSPs recorded from the same motoneurons. These short-latency VLF EPSPs were shortened by the NMDA antagonist APV and revealed an NMDA receptor-mediated component after administration of the non-NMDA receptor antagonist CNQX. Addition of the GABAB receptor agonist L-(-) baclofen or the glutamate analogue L-2-amino-4-phosphonobutyric acid (L-AP4) attenuated the pharmacologically resolved short-latency EPSPs.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)


1995 ◽  
Vol 74 (4) ◽  
pp. 1583-1592 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Zhang ◽  
M. M. Slaughter

1. Electrophysiological recordings were obtained from neurons in the amphibian intact retina and retinal slice preparations. The effects of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) were evaluated in the presence of bicuculline or SR95531, which block the GABAA receptor, and baclofen, which saturates the GABAB receptor. 2. Under these conditions, GABA preferentially reduced ON light responses in amacrine and ganglion cells, apparently through a presynaptic mechanism that reduced bipolar cell input. GABA also produced a small hyperpolarization in the resting membrane potential of ganglion cells. 3. Picrotoxin blocked these effects of GABA. The action of GABA was duplicated by muscimol and by trans-aminocrotonic acid. Cis-aminocrotonic acid was neither a potent nor selective agonist. This pharmacology is indicative of the GABAC receptor. 4. In voltage-clamp recordings of ganglion cells in the slice preparation, GABA produced a large chloride conductance that was blocked by bicuculline or SR95531, and a smaller chloride conductance that was not blocked by these GABAA receptor antagonists, but was blocked by picrotoxin. This indicates that ganglion cells possess both GABAA and GABAC receptors. 5. The GABAC receptor current was relatively nondesensitized. Consequently, whereas the peak GABAA receptor current was more than fivefold larger than the GABAC receptor current, after desensitization the latter current was larger. Both currents reversed near the chloride equilibrium potential.


1995 ◽  
Vol 82 (2) ◽  
pp. 502-511 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jean Mantz ◽  
Jean-Baptiste Lecharny ◽  
Vincent Laudenbach ◽  
Danielle Henzel ◽  
Gilles Peytavin ◽  
...  

Background Numerous classes of anesthetic agents have been shown to enhance the effects mediated by the postsynaptic gamma-aminobutyric acid A (GABAA) receptor-coupled chloride channel in the mammalian central nervous system. However, presynaptic actions of anesthetics potentially relevant to clinical anesthesia remain to be clarified. Therefore, in this study, the effects of intravenous and volatile anesthetics on both the uptake and the depolarization-evoked release of GABA in the rat striatum were investigated. Methods Assay for specific GABA uptake was performed by measuring the radioactivity incorporated in purified striatal synaptosomes incubated with 3H-GABA (20 nM, 5 min, 37 degrees C) and increasing concentrations of anesthetics in either the presence or the absence of nipecotic acid (1 mM, a specific GABA uptake inhibitor). Assay for GABA release consisted of superfusing 3H-GABA preloaded synaptosomes with artificial cerebrospinal fluid (0.5 ml.min-1, 37 degrees C) and measuring the radioactivity obtained from 0.5 ml fractions over 18 min, first in the absence of any treatment (spontaneous release, 8 min), then in the presence of either KCl alone (9 mM, 15 mM) or with various concentrations of anesthetics (5 min), and finally, with no pharmacologic stimulation (5 min). The following anesthetic agents were tested: propofol, etomidate, thiopental, ketamine, halothane, enflurane, isoflurane, and clonidine. Results More than 95% of 3H-GABA uptake was blocked by a 10(-3)-M concentration of nipecotic acid. Propofol, etomidate, thiopental, and ketamine induced a dose-related, reversible, noncompetitive, inhibition of 3H-GABA uptake: IC50 = 4.6 +/- 0.3 x 10(-5) M, 5.8 +/- 0.3 x 10(-5) M, 2.1 +/- 0.4 x 10(-3) M, and 4.9 +/- 0.5 x 10(-4) M for propofol, etomidate, thiopental, and ketamine, respectively. Volatile agents and clonidine had no significant effect, even when used at concentrations greater than those used clinically. KCl application induced a significant, calcium-dependent, concentration-related, increase from basal 3H-GABA release, +34 +/- 10% (P &lt; 0.01) and +61 +/- 13% (P &lt; 0.001), respectively, for 9 mM and 15 mM KCl. The release of 3H-GABA elicited by KCl was not affected by any of the anesthetic agents tested. Conclusions These results indicate that most of the intravenous but not the volatile anesthetics inhibit the specific high-affinity 3H-GABA uptake process in vitro in striatal nerve terminals. However, this action was observed at clinically relevant concentrations only for propofol and etomidate. In contrast, the depolarization-evoked 3H-GABA release was not affected by anesthetics. Together, these data suggest that inhibition of GABA uptake, which results in synaptic GABA accumulation, might contribute to propofol and etomidate anesthesia.


2020 ◽  
Vol 37 ◽  
Author(s):  
Erika D. Eggers ◽  
Teresia A. Carreon

Abstract Diabetic retinopathy is now well understood as a neurovascular disease. Significant deficits early in diabetes are found in the inner retina that consists of bipolar cells that receive inputs from rod and cone photoreceptors, ganglion cells that receive inputs from bipolar cells, and amacrine cells that modulate these connections. These functional deficits can be measured in vivo in diabetic humans and animal models using the electroretinogram (ERG) and behavioral visual testing. Early effects of diabetes on both the human and animal model ERGs are changes to the oscillatory potentials that suggest dysfunctional communication between amacrine cells and bipolar cells as well as ERG measures that suggest ganglion cell dysfunction. These are coupled with changes in contrast sensitivity that suggest inner retinal changes. Mechanistic in vitro neuronal studies have suggested that these inner retinal changes are due to decreased inhibition in the retina, potentially due to decreased gamma aminobutyric acid (GABA) release, increased glutamate release, and increased excitation of retinal ganglion cells. Inner retinal deficits in dopamine levels have also been observed that can be reversed to limit inner retinal damage. Inner retinal targets present a promising new avenue for therapies for early-stage diabetic eye disease.


1992 ◽  
Vol 67 (1) ◽  
pp. 227-235 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. S. Otis ◽  
I. Mody

1. Whole-cell patch-clamp techniques were used to record from dentate gyrus granule cells in adult rat brain slices when N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) and non-NMDA type glutamate receptors were blocked by D-2-amino-5-phosphonovaleric acid (D-AP5) and 6-cyano-7-nitroquinoxaline-2,3-dione (CNQX), respectively. Spontaneous inhibitory postsynaptic currents (sIPSCs), each presumably due to vesicular release of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), selectively activated GABAA-type receptors. None of the individual sIPSCs showed a slow-onset potassium current characteristic of GABAB receptor activation. 2. In contrast, stimulation in the molecular layer with a bipolar stimulating electrode or bath application of the convulsant drug 4-aminopyridine (4-AP, 10-30 microM) elicited fast GABAA IPSCs followed by slower outward currents that were sensitive to the selective GABAB antagonist CGP 35348 (0.1-1 mM) and that reversed polarity near the potassium equilibrium potential. 3. CGP 35348 (0.5-1 mM) or the GABAB agonist (-)baclofen (1 microM) had no significant effect on the frequency or average amplitude of sIPSCs. However, either bath application of (-)baclofen (1 microM) or a preceding conditioning stimulus caused large reductions in the amplitude of stimulus-evoked IPSCs, suggesting a strong GABAB-mediated presynaptic inhibition of stimulus-evoked GABA release. 4. We conclude that under normal conditions spontaneous transmitter release does not activate GABAB receptors in dentate gyrus slices. These findings are consistent with either of two general possibilities. Separate groups of interneurons with different basal firing rates may selectively form GABAA and GABAB synapses.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)


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