Distributed amine modulation of graded chemical transmission in the pyloric network of the lobster stomatogastric ganglion

1995 ◽  
Vol 74 (1) ◽  
pp. 437-452 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. R. Johnson ◽  
J. H. Peck ◽  
R. M. Harris-Warrick
Keyword(s):  
Motor Pattern ◽  
Input Resistance ◽  
Synaptic Strength ◽  
Stomatogastric Ganglion ◽  
The Other ◽  
Chemical Synapse ◽  
Synaptic Organization ◽  
Resistance Change ◽  
Pyloric Network ◽  
Chemical Synapses

1. In the pyloric network of the lobster stomatogastric ganglion, graded synapses organize the network output. The amines dopamine (DA), serotonin, and octopamine each elicit a distinctive motor pattern from a quiescent pyloric network. We have examined the effects of these amines on the graded synaptic strengths between the six major types of neurons of this network to understand how amine modulation of synaptic strength contributes to the amine-induced motor patterns. Here we tested amine affects at 10 different graded chemical synapses of the pyloric network. We show that each amine has a statistically different spectrum of distributed effects across the network synapses. 2. Under our control conditions (isolated pairs of neurons, removal of modulatory input), most of the graded chemical synapses were weak and some synapses were nonfunctional. The output synapses of the ventricular dilator (VD) neuron were significantly stronger than the other synapses. 3. DA altered the synaptic strength of every graded chemical synapse. This amine strengthened the weak chemical output synapses of the anterior burster (AB), lateral pyloric (LP), and pyloric constrictor (PY) neurons and weakened (and in some cases abolished) the strong chemical output synapses of the VD neuron. The AB-->inferior cardiac neuron (IC) and PY-->IC graded chemical synapses were nonfunctional under our control conditions; DA activated these silent synapses. 4. Serotonin enhanced the AB's output chemical synapses but weakened all the other graded chemical synapses examined. Octopamine's effects were much weaker than those of the other two amines. It enhanced the AB-->LP synapse and the LP's output synapses and weakly strengthened the AB-->PY, VD-->LP, and VD-->PY synapses. 5. The amines alter the input resistance of many of the pyloric neurons, and this could contribute to the observed changes in synaptic strength by altering passive current flow between input and output sites in the cells. However, the input resistance changes were relatively small compared with the changes in synaptic strength and cannot alone account for the synaptic modulation. In some cases the sign of the input resistance change was inconsistent with the change in synaptic strength. Thus the amines appear to modify synaptic transmission directly in this system. 6. This study completes our description of amine effects on all the graded synapses of the pyloric network. We summarize our present and earlier work to show that modulators can reconfigure the entire synaptic organization of a neural network by acting at many distributed synaptic sites.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

scholarly journals Amine Modulation of Glutamate Responses From Pyloric Motor Neurons in Lobster Stomatogastric Ganglion

1997 ◽  
Vol 78 (6) ◽  
pp. 3210-3221 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bruce R. Johnson ◽  
Ronald M. Harris-Warrick
Keyword(s):  
Synaptic Transmission ◽  
Motor Neurons ◽  
Motor Pattern ◽  
Input Resistance ◽  
Synaptic Strength ◽  
Stomatogastric Ganglion ◽  
Ionic Conductance ◽  
Motor Patterns ◽  
Pyloric Network ◽  
Pyloric Dilator

Johnson, Bruce R. and Ronald M. Harris-Warrick. Amine modulation of glutamate responses from pyloric motor neurons in lobster stomatogastric ganglion. J. Neurophysiol. 78: 3210–3221, 1997. The amines dopamine (DA), serotonin (5-HT), and octopamine (Oct) each elicit a distinctive motor pattern from a quiescent pyloric network in the lobster stomatogastric ganglion (STG). We previously have demonstrated that these amines alter the synaptic strength at multiple, distributed sites within the pyloric network that could contribute to the amine-induced motor patterns. Here, we examined the postsynaptic contribution to these changes in synaptic strength by determining how the amines modify responses of pyloric motor neurons to glutamate (Glu), one of the network transmitters, applied iontophoretically into the STG neuropil. Dopamine reduced the Glu responses of the pyloric dilator (PD), ventricular dilator (VD), and inferior cardiac (IC) neurons and enhanced the Glu responses of the lateral pyloric (LP) and pyloric constrictor (PY) neurons. The only effect of 5-HT was to reduce the Glu response of the VD neuron. Oct enhanced the Glu responses of the LP and PY neurons but did not affect the PD, VD, and IC responses. We also examined amine effects on the depolarizing responses to iontophoresed acetylcholine (ACh) in the PD and VD and found that they paralleled the amine effects on Glu responses in these neurons. This suggests that amine modulation of PD and VD responses to Glu and ACh may be explained by general changes in the ionic conductance of these neurons. We compare our results with our earlier work describing amine effects on synaptic strength and input resistance to show that amines act at both pre- and postsynaptic sites to modify graded synaptic transmission in the pyloric network.

scholarly journals Neuromodulator-evoked synaptic metaplasticity within a central pattern generator network

2012 ◽  
Vol 108 (10) ◽  
pp. 2846-2856 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark D. Kvarta ◽  
Ronald M. Harris-Warrick ◽  
Bruce R. Johnson
Keyword(s):  
Central Pattern Generator ◽  
Spiny Lobster ◽  
Motor Pattern ◽  
Synaptic Depression ◽  
Pattern Generator ◽  
Chemical Synapse ◽  
Pyloric Network ◽  
Pyloric Dilator ◽  
Synaptic Dynamics ◽  
Chemical Synapses

Synapses show short-term activity-dependent dynamics that alter the strength of neuronal interactions. This synaptic plasticity can be tuned by neuromodulation as a form of metaplasticity. We examined neuromodulator-induced metaplasticity at a graded chemical synapse in a model central pattern generator (CPG), the pyloric network of the spiny lobster stomatogastric ganglion. Dopamine, serotonin, and octopamine each produce a unique motor pattern from the pyloric network, partially through their modulation of synaptic strength in the network. We characterized synaptic depression and its amine modulation at the graded synapse from the pyloric dilator neuron to the lateral pyloric neuron (PD→LP synapse), driving the PD neuron with both long square pulses and trains of realistic waveforms over a range of presynaptic voltages. We found that the three amines can differentially affect the amplitude of graded synaptic transmission independently of the synaptic dynamics. Low concentrations of dopamine had weak and variable effects on the strength of the graded inhibitory postsynaptic potentials (gIPSPs) but reliably accelerated the onset of synaptic depression and recovery from depression independently of gIPSP amplitude. Octopamine enhanced gIPSP amplitude but decreased the amount of synaptic depression; it slowed the onset of depression and accelerated its recovery during square pulse stimulation. Serotonin reduced gIPSP amplitude but increased the amount of synaptic depression and accelerated the onset of depression. These results suggest that amine-induced metaplasticity at graded chemical synapses can alter the parameters of synaptic dynamics in multiple and independent ways.

Dopamine Modulates Graded and Spike-Evoked Synaptic Inhibition Independently at Single Synapses in Pyloric Network of Lobster

1998 ◽  
Vol 79 (4) ◽  
pp. 2063-2069 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amir Ayali ◽  
Bruce R. Johnson ◽  
Ronald M. Harris-Warrick
Keyword(s):  
Action Potential ◽  
Spiny Lobster ◽  
Motor Pattern ◽  
Input Resistance ◽  
Stomatogastric Ganglion ◽  
Synaptic Inhibition ◽  
Panulirus Interruptus ◽  
Pyloric Network ◽  
Bath Application ◽  
Postsynaptic Cell

Ayali, Amir, Bruce R. Johnson, and Ronald M. Harris-Warrick. Dopamine modulates graded and spike-evoked synaptic inhibition independently at single synapses in pyloric network of lobster. J. Neurophysiol. 79: 2063–2069, 1998. Bath application of dopamine (DA) modifies the rhythmic motor pattern generated by the pyloric network in the stomatogastric ganglion of the spiny lobster, Panulirus interruptus. Synaptic transmission between network members is an important target of DA action. All pyloric neurons employ both graded transmitter release and action-potential–mediated synaptic inhibition. DA was previously shown to alter the graded synaptic strength of every pyloric synapse. In this study, we compared DA's effects on action-potential–mediated and graded synaptic inhibition at output synapses of the lateral pyloric (LP) neuron. At each synapse the postsynaptic cell tested was isolated from other descending and pyloric synaptic inputs. DA caused a reduction in the size of the LP spike-evoked inhibitory postsynaptic potentials (IPSPs) in the pyloric dilator (PD) neuron. The change in IPSP size was significantly and linearly correlated with DA-induced reduction in the input resistance of the postsynaptic PD neuron. In contrast, graded inhibition, tested in the same preparations after superfusing the stomatogastric ganglion (STG) with tetrodotoxin (TTX), was consistently enhanced by DA. DA shifted the amplitude of spike-evoked IPSPs in the same direction as the alteration of the postsynaptic cell input resistance at two additional synapses tested: DA weakened the LP spike-mediated inhibition of the ventricular dilator (VD) and reduced the VD input resistance, while strengthening the LP → pyloric constrictor (PY) synapse and increasing PY input resistance. As previously reported, graded inhibition was enhanced at these two LP output synapses. We conclude that DA can differentially modulate the spike-evoked and graded components of synapses between members of a central pattern generator network. At the synapses we studied, actions on the presynaptic cell predominate in the modulation of graded transmission, whereas effects on postsynaptic cells predominate in the regulation of spike-evoked IPSPs.

Temperature sensitivity of graded synaptic transmission in the lobster stomatogastric ganglion

1991 ◽  
Vol 156 (1) ◽  
pp. 267-285 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. R. Johnson ◽  
J. H. Peck ◽  
R. M. Harris-Warrick
Keyword(s):  
Temperature Sensitivity ◽  
Spiny Lobster ◽  
Linear Part ◽  
Electrical Coupling ◽  
Input Resistance ◽  
Synaptic Strength ◽  
Stomatogastric Ganglion ◽  
Differential Sensitivity ◽  
Output Curve ◽  
Synaptic Action

We examined the temperature sensitivity of graded chemical synaptic strength within the pyloric circuit of the spiny lobster stomatogastric ganglion. Cooling from 20.4 degrees C to 11.3 degrees C reduced the graded synaptic potential (GSP) amplitude at all six pyloric synapses tested. Cooling appeared to reduce the slope of the linear part of the input-output curve at three of these synapses, and did not significantly alter the threshold for transmitter release at any synapses. Pairs of neurons with a presynaptic pyloric dilator (PD) cell showed reductions in graded synaptic strength at 16.5 degrees C but those with presynaptic lateral pyloric (LP) or ventral dilator (VD) cells did not. A generalized decrease in input resistance is not responsible for the reduced GSP amplitude upon cooling, as determined by input resistance, action potential amplitude and electrical coupling measurements. We conclude that cooling reduces graded chemical strength by a direct synaptic action. Since the PD and VD cells use the same transmitter and act on some of the same postsynaptic cells, their differential sensitivity to cooling further suggests a presynaptic site of action. The temperature range used in our experiments encompasses the range that the animal normally encounters in nature. Thus, the relative importance of graded synaptic interactions in generating the pyloric motor rhythm may vary with transient changes in temperature.

Aminergic modulation in lobster stomatogastric ganglion. II. Target neurons of dopamine, octopamine, and serotonin within the pyloric circuit

1986 ◽  
Vol 55 (5) ◽  
pp. 866-881 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. E. Flamm ◽  
R. M. Harris-Warrick
Keyword(s):  
Neural Circuit ◽  
Lucifer Yellow ◽  
Spiny Lobster ◽  
Motor Pattern ◽  
Preceding Paper ◽  
Cell Types ◽  
Stomatogastric Ganglion ◽  
Synaptic Organization ◽  
Potential Oscillations ◽  
Panulirus Interruptus

In the preceding paper, we describe how dopamine, octopamine, and serotonin modulate the neural circuit generating a well-described motor pattern, the pyloric rhythm of the stomatogastric ganglion in the spiny lobster, Panulirus interruptus. In this paper, we identify the neurons within the pyloric circuit that are directly affected by each amine. We accomplished this by isolating each pyloric neuron from all known synaptic input, using a combination of Lucifer yellow photoinactivation of presynaptic neurons and pharmacological blockade by pyloric neurotransmitters. Dopamine, octopamine, and serotonin were bath applied to the preparation, and the responses of synaptically isolated neurons were recorded. Each amine had a unique constellation of effects on the neurons of the pyloric circuit. Almost every neuron in the circuit was directly affected by each amine. Dopamine and octopamine modulated every neuron, whereas serotonin affected four of the six cell types. Each amine had multiple effects among pyloric neurons including the induction of endogenous rhythmic bursting activity, initiation or enhancement of tonic firing activity, and inhibition accompanied by hyperpolarization. All three amines induced rhythmic bursting in one neuron (the AB neuron), but the form of the underlying slow-wave membrane-potential oscillations was different with octopamine than with dopamine and serotonin. Our knowledge of the effects of each amine on each pyloric neuron, combined with the extensive knowledge of the synaptic organization of the pyloric circuit, has allowed us to explain qualitatively the major aspects of the unique variants of the pyloric motor rhythm that each amine produces in the synaptically intact circuit.

RPCH Modulation of a Multi-Oscillator Network: Effects on the Pyloric Network of the Spiny Lobster

2001 ◽  
Vol 85 (4) ◽  
pp. 1424-1435 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patsy S. Dickinson ◽  
Jane Hauptman ◽  
John Hetling ◽  
Anand Mahadevan
Keyword(s):  
Network Effects ◽  
Spiny Lobster ◽  
Motor Pattern ◽  
Stomatogastric Ganglion ◽  
Synaptic Connections ◽  
Gastric Mill ◽  
Red Pigment ◽  
Pyloric Network ◽  
Postinhibitory Rebound ◽  
Oscillator Network

The neuropeptide red pigment concentrating hormone (RPCH), which we have previously shown to activate the cardiac sac motor pattern and lead to a conjoint gastric mill-cardiac sac pattern in the spiny lobster Panulirus, also activates and modulates the pyloric pattern. Like the activity of gastric mill neurons in RPCH, the pattern of activity in the pyloric neurons is considerably more complex than that seen in control saline. This reflects the influence of the cardiac sac motor pattern, and particularly the upstream inferior ventricular (IV) neurons, on many of the pyloric neurons. RPCH intensifies this interaction by increasing the strength of the synaptic connections between the IV neurons and their targets in the stomatogastric ganglion. At the same time, RPCH enhances postinhibitory rebound in the lateral pyloric (LP) neuron. Taken together, these factors largely explain the complex pyloric pattern recorded in RPCH in Panulirus.

scholarly journals ONSET OF PHASE SYNCHRONIZATION IN NEURONS WITH CHEMICAL SYNAPSE

2007 ◽  
Vol 17 (10) ◽  
pp. 3545-3549 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. PEREIRA ◽  
M. S. BAPTISTA ◽  
J. KURTHS ◽  
M. B. REYES
Keyword(s):  
Phase Synchronization ◽  
Large Range ◽  
Synaptic Strength ◽  
Chemical Synapse ◽  
Complete Synchronization ◽  
Neuronal Dynamics ◽  
Periodic State ◽  
Chemical Synapses

We study the onset of synchronous states in realistic chaotic neurons coupled by mutually inhibitory chemical synapses. For the realistic parameters, namely the synaptic strength and the intrinsic current, this synapse introduces noncoherences in the neuronal dynamics, yet allowing for chaotic phase synchronization in a large range of parameters. As we increase the synaptic strength, the neurons reach a periodic state, and no chaotic complete synchronization is found.

Slow active potentials and bursting motor patterns in pyloric network of the lobster, Panulirus interruptus

1982 ◽  
Vol 48 (4) ◽  
pp. 914-937 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. F. Russell ◽  
D. K. Hartline
Keyword(s):  
Motor Pattern ◽  
Membrane Properties ◽  
Plateau Potentials ◽  
Motor Patterns ◽  
Potential Oscillations ◽  
Panulirus Interruptus ◽  
Pyloric Network ◽  
Current Pulses ◽  
Voltage Dependent ◽  
High Level

1. Neurons in the central pattern generator for the "pyloric" motor rhythm of the lobster stomatogastric ganglion were investigated for the possible involvement of regenerative membrane properties in their membrane-potential oscillations and bursting output patterns. 2. Evidence was found that each class of pyloric-system neurons can possess a capability for generating prolonged regenerative depolarizations by a voltage-dependent membrane mechanism. Such responses have been termed plateau potentials. 3. Several tests were applied to determine whether a given cell possessed a plateau capability. First among these was the ability to trigger all-or-none bursts of nerve impulses by brief depolarizing current pulses and to terminate bursts in an all-or-none fashion with brief hyperpolarizing current pulses. Tests were made under conditions of a high level of activity in the pyloric generator, often in conjunction with the use of hyperpolarizing offsets to the cell under test to suppress ongoing bursting. 4. For each class, the network of synaptic interconnections among the pyloric-system neurons was shown to not be the cause of the regenerative responses observed. 5. Plateau potentials are viewed as a driving force for axon spiking during bursts and as interacting with the synaptic network in the formation of the pyloric motor pattern.

Dopamine Modulation of Calcium Currents in Pyloric Neurons of the Lobster Stomatogastric Ganglion

2003 ◽  
Vol 90 (2) ◽  
pp. 631-643 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bruce R. Johnson ◽  
Peter Kloppenburg ◽  
Ronald M. Harris-Warrick
Keyword(s):  
Calcium Channel ◽  
Transmitter Release ◽  
Stomatogastric Ganglion ◽  
Calcium Currents ◽  
Voltage Gated ◽  
Pyloric Network ◽  
Pyloric Dilator ◽  
Voltage Dependent ◽  
Inward Currents ◽  
Dopamine Modulation

We examined the dopamine (DA) modulation of calcium currents (ICa) that could contribute to the plasticity of the pyloric network in the lobster stomatogastric ganglion. Pyloric somata were voltage-clamped under conditions designed to block voltage-gated Na+, K+, and H currents. Depolarizing steps from –60 mV generated voltage-dependent, inward currents that appeared to originate in electrotonically distal, imperfectly clamped regions of the cell. These currents were blocked by Cd2+ and enhanced by Ba2+ but unaffected by Ni2+. Dopamine enhanced the peak ICa in the pyloric constrictor (PY), lateral pyloric (LP), and inferior cardiac (IC) neurons and reduced peak ICa in the ventricular dilator (VD), pyloric dilator (PD), and anterior burster (AB) neurons. All of these effects, except for the AB, are consistent with DA's excitation or inhibition of firing in the pyloric neurons. Enhancement of ICa in PY and LP neurons and reduction of ICa in VD and PD neurons are also consistent with DA-induced synaptic strength changes via modulation of presynaptic ICa. However, the reduction of ICa in AB suggests that DA's enhancement of AB transmitter release is not directly mediated through presynaptic ICa. ICa in PY and PD neurons was more sensitive to nifedipine block than in AB neurons. In addition, nifedipine blocked DA's effects on ICa in the PY and PD neurons but not in the AB neuron. Thus the contribution of specific calcium channel subtypes carrying the total ICa may vary between pyloric neuron classes, and DA may act on different calcium channel subtypes in the different pyloric neurons.

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