scholarly journals Premature changes in neuronal excitability account for hippocampal network impairment and autistic-like behavior in neonatal BTBR T+tf/J mice

2016 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Giada Cellot ◽  
Laura Maggi ◽  
Maria Amalia Di Castro ◽  
Myriam Catalano ◽  
Rosanna Migliore ◽  
...  

Abstract Coherent network oscillations (GDPs), generated in the immature hippocampus by the synergistic action of GABA and glutamate, both depolarizing and excitatory, play a key role in the construction of neuronal circuits. In particular, GDPs-associated calcium transients act as coincident detectors for enhancing synaptic efficacy at emerging GABAergic and glutamatergic synapses. Here, we show that, immediately after birth, in the CA3 hippocampal region of the BTBR T+tf/J mouse, an animal model of idiopathic autism, GDPs are severely impaired. This effect was associated with an increased GABAergic neurotransmission and a reduced neuronal excitability. In spite its depolarizing action on CA3 pyramidal cells (in single channel experiments E GABA was positive to E m ), GABA exerted at the network level an inhibitory effect as demonstrated by isoguvacine-induced reduction of neuronal firing. We implemented a computational model in which experimental findings could be interpreted as the result of two competing effects: a reduction of the intrinsic excitability of CA3 principal cells and a reduction of the shunting activity in GABAergic interneurons projecting to principal cells. It is therefore likely that premature changes in neuronal excitability within selective hippocampal circuits of BTBR mice lead to GDPs dysfunction and behavioral deficits reminiscent of those found in autistic patients.

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paola Malerba ◽  
Matt W. Jones ◽  
Maxim A. Bazhenov

AbstractDuring non-REM sleep, memory consolidation is driven by a dialogue between hippocampus and cortex involving the reactivation of specific neural activity sequences (‘replay’). In the hippocampus, replay occurs during sharp-wave ripples (SWRs), short bouts of excitatory activity in area CA3 which induce high frequency oscillations in the inhibitory interneurons of area CA1. Despite growing evidence for the functional importance of replay, its neural mechanisms remain poorly understood. Here, we develop a novel theoretical model of hippocampal spiking during SWRs. In our model, noise-induced activation of CA3 pyramidal cells triggered an excitatory cascade capable of inducing local ripple events in CA1. Ripples occurred stochastically, with Schaffer Collaterals driving their coordination, so that localized sharp waves in CA3 produced consistently localized CA1 ripples. In agreement with experimental data, the majority of pyramidal cells in the model showed low reactivation probabilities across SWRs. We found, however, that a subpopulation of pyramidal cells had high reactivation probabilities, which derived from fine-tuning of the network connectivity. In particular, the excitatory inputs along synaptic pathway(s) converging onto cells and cell pairs controlled emergent single cell and cell pair reactivation, with inhibitory inputs and intrinsic cell excitability playing differential roles in CA3 vs. CA1. Our model predicts (1) that the hippocampal network structure driving the emergence of SWR is also able to generate and modulate reactivation, (2) inhibition plays a particularly prominent role in CA3 reactivation and (3) CA1 sequence reactivation is reliant on CA3-CA1 interactions rather than an intrinsic CA1 process.


2017 ◽  
Vol 28 (3) ◽  
pp. 307-334 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mojdeh Navidhamidi ◽  
Maedeh Ghasemi ◽  
Nasrin Mehranfard

AbstractThe hippocampus exhibits a wide range of epilepsy-related abnormalities and is situated in the mesial temporal lobe, where limbic seizures begin. These abnormalities could affect membrane excitability and lead to overstimulation of neurons. Multiple overlapping processes refer to neural homeostatic responses develop in neurons that work together to restore neuronal firing rates to control levels. Nevertheless, homeostatic mechanisms are unable to restore normal neuronal excitability, and the epileptic hippocampus becomes hyperexcitable or hypoexcitable. Studies show that there is hyperexcitability even before starting recurrent spontaneous seizures, suggesting although hippocampal hyperexcitability may contribute to epileptogenesis, it alone is insufficient to produce epileptic seizures. This supports the concept that the hippocampus is not the only substrate for limbic seizure onset, and a broader hyperexcitable limbic structure may contribute to temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) seizures. Nevertheless, seizures also occur in conditions where the hippocampus shows a hypoexcitable phenotype. Since TLE seizures most often originate in the hippocampus, it could therefore be assumed that both hippocampal hypoexcitability and hyperexcitability are undesirable states that make the epileptic hippocampal network less stable and may, under certain conditions, trigger seizures.


Author(s):  
Shekib Ahmad Jami ◽  
Scott Cameron ◽  
Jonathan M Wong ◽  
Emily R Daly ◽  
A. Kimberly McAllister ◽  
...  

There is substantial evidence that both NMDA receptor (NMDAR) hypofunction and dysfunction of GABAergic neurotransmission contribute to schizophrenia, though the relationship between these pathophysiological processes remains largely unknown. While models using cell-type-specific genetic deletion of NMDARs have been informative, they display overly pronounced phenotypes extending beyond those of schizophrenia. Here, we used the serine racemase knockout (SRKO) mice, a model of reduced NMDAR activity rather than complete receptor elimination, to examine the link between NMDAR hypofunction and decreased GABAergic inhibition. The SRKO mice, in which there is a >90% reduction in the NMDAR co-agonist d-serine, exhibit many of the neurochemical and behavioral abnormalities observed in schizophrenia. We found a significant reduction in inhibitory synapses onto CA1 pyramidal neurons in the SRKO mice. This reduction increases the excitation/inhibition balance resulting in enhanced synaptically-driven neuronal excitability without changes in intrinsic excitability. Consistently, significant reductions in inhibitory synapse density in CA1 were observed by immunohistochemistry. We further show, using a single-neuron genetic deletion approach, that the loss of GABAergic synapses onto pyramidal neurons observed in the SRKO mice is driven in a cell-autonomous manner following the deletion of SR in individual CA1 pyramidal cells. These results support a model whereby NMDAR hypofunction in pyramidal cells disrupts GABAergic synapses leading to disrupted feedback inhibition and impaired neuronal synchrony.


2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Fernando R. Fernandez ◽  
Mircea C. Iftinca ◽  
Gerald W. Zamponi ◽  
Ray W. Turner

AbstractT-type calcium channels are important regulators of neuronal excitability. The mammalian brain expresses three T-type channel isoforms (Cav3.1, Cav3.2 and Cav3.3) with distinct biophysical properties that are critically regulated by temperature. Here, we test the effects of how temperature affects spike output in a reduced firing neuron model expressing specific Cav3 channel isoforms. The modeling data revealed only a minimal effect on baseline spontaneous firing near rest, but a dramatic increase in rebound burst discharge frequency for Cav3.1 compared to Cav3.2 or Cav3.3 due to differences in window current or activation/recovery time constants. The reduced response by Cav3.2 could optimize its activity where it is expressed in peripheral tissues more subject to temperature variations than Cav3.1 or Cav3.3 channels expressed prominently in the brain. These tests thus reveal that aspects of neuronal firing behavior are critically dependent on both temperature and T-type calcium channel subtype.


2013 ◽  
Vol 305 (9) ◽  
pp. F1365-F1373 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ling Yu ◽  
Otor Al-Khalili ◽  
Billie Jeanne Duke ◽  
James D. Stockand ◽  
Douglas C. Eaton ◽  
...  

Epithelial Na+ channel (ENaC) activity, which determines the rate of renal Na+ reabsorption, can be regulated by G protein-coupled receptors. Regulation of ENaC by Gα-mediated downstream effectors has been studied extensively, but the effect of Gβγ dimers on ENaC is unclear. A6 cells endogenously contain high levels of Gβ1 but low levels of Gβ3, Gβ4, and Gβ5 were detected by Q-PCR. We tested Gγ2 combined individually with Gβ1 through Gβ5 expressed in A6 cells, after which we recorded single-channel ENaC activity. Among the five β and γ2 combinations, β1γ2 strongly inhibits ENaC activity by reducing both ENaC channel number ( N) and open probability ( Po) compared with control cells. In contrast, the other four β-isoforms combined with γ2 have no significant effect on ENaC activity. By using various inhibitors to probe Gβ1γ2 effects on ENaC regulation, we found that Gβ1γ2-mediated ENaC inhibition involved activation of phospholipase C-β and its enzymatic products that induce protein kinase C and ERK1/2 signaling pathways.


2000 ◽  
Vol 39 (12) ◽  
pp. 2288-2301 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicola Berretta ◽  
Aleksej V Rossokhin ◽  
Alexander M Kasyanov ◽  
Maxim V Sokolov ◽  
Enrico Cherubini ◽  
...  

2007 ◽  
Vol 98 (4) ◽  
pp. 2324-2336 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adriano Augusto Cattani ◽  
Valérie Delphine Bonfardin ◽  
Alfonso Represa ◽  
Yehezkel Ben-Ari ◽  
Laurent Aniksztejn

Cell-surface glutamate transporters are essential for the proper function of early cortical networks because their dysfunction induces seizures in the newborn rat in vivo. We have now analyzed the consequences of their inhibition by dl-TBOA on the activity of the developing CA1 rat hippocampal network in vitro. dl-TBOA generated a pattern of recurrent depolarization with an onset and decay of several seconds' duration in interneurons and pyramidal cells. These slow network oscillations (SNOs) were mostly mediated by γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) in pyramidal cells and by GABA and N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) receptors in interneurons. However, in both cell types SNOs were blocked by NMDA receptor antagonists, suggesting that their generation requires a glutamatergic drive. Moreover, in interneurons, SNOs were still generated after the blockade of NMDA-mediated synaptic currents with MK-801, suggesting that SNOs are expressed by the activation of extrasynaptic NMDA receptors. Long-lasting bath application of glutamate or NMDA failed to induce SNOs, indicating that they are generated by periodic but not sustained activation of NMDA receptors. In addition, SNOs were observed in interneurons recorded in slices with or without the strata pyramidale and oriens, suggesting that the glutamatergic drive may originate from the radiatum and pyramidale strata. We propose that in the absence of an efficient transport of glutamate, the transmitter diffuses in the extracellular space to activate extrasynaptic NMDA receptors preferentially present on interneurons that in turn activate other interneurons and pyramidal cells. This periodic neuronal coactivation may contribute to the generation of seizures when glutamate transport dysfunction is present.


2014 ◽  
Vol 5 ◽  
pp. JCM.S13738 ◽  
Author(s):  
Satoru Sakuma ◽  
Daisuke Tokuhara ◽  
Hiroshi Otsubo ◽  
Tsunekazu Yamano ◽  
Haruo Shintaku

Background The time course of cytokine dynamics after seizure remains controversial. Here we evaluated the changes in the levels and sites of interleukin (IL)-1β expression over time in the hippocampus after seizure. Methods Status epilepticus (SE) was induced in adult Wistar rats by means of intraperitoneal injection of kainic acid (KA). Subsequently, the time courses of cellular localization and IL-1β concentration in the hippocampus were evaluated by means of immunohistochemical and quantitative assays. Results On day 1 after SE, CA3 pyramidal cells showed degeneration and increased IL-1β expression. In the chronic phase (>7 days after SE), glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP)–-positive reactive astrocytes–-appeared in CA1 and became IL-1β immunoreactive. Their IL-1β immunoreactivity increased in proportion to the progressive hypertrophy of astrocytes that led to gliosis. Quantitative analysis showed that hippocampal IL-1β concentration progressively increased during the acute and chronic phases. Conclusion IL-1β affects the hippocampus after SE. In the acute phase, the main cells expressing IL-1β were CA3 pyramidal cells. In the chronic phase, the main cells expressing IL-1β were reactive astrocytes in CA1.


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