scholarly journals Developmental regulation of the late phase of long-term potentiation (L-LTP) and metaplasticity in hippocampal area CA1 of the rat

2012 ◽  
Vol 107 (3) ◽  
pp. 902-912 ◽  
Author(s):  
Guan Cao ◽  
Kristen M. Harris

Long-term potentiation (LTP) is a form of synaptic plasticity thought to underlie memory; thus knowing its developmental profile is fundamental to understanding function. Like memory, LTP has multiple phases with distinct timing and mechanisms. The late phase of LTP (L-LTP), lasting longer than 3 h, is protein synthesis dependent and involves changes in the structure and content of dendritic spines, the major sites of excitatory synapses. In previous work, tetanic stimulation first produced L-LTP at postnatal day 15 (P15) in area CA1 of rat hippocampus. Here we used a more robust induction paradigm involving theta-burst stimulation (TBS) in acute slices and found the developmental onset of L-LTP to be 3 days earlier at P12. In contrast, at P8–11, TBS only reversed the synaptic depression that occurs from test-pulse stimulation in developing (P8–15) hippocampus. A second bout of TBS delivered 30–180 min later produced L-LTP at P10–11 but not at P8–9 and enhanced L-LTP at P12–15. Both the developmental onset and the enhanced L-LTP produced by repeated bouts of TBS were blocked by the N-methyl-d-aspartate receptor antagonist dl-2-amino-5-phosphonovaleric acid. Thus the developmental onset age is P12 for L-LTP induced by the more robust and perhaps more naturalistic TBS induction paradigm. Metaplasticity produced by repeated bouts of TBS is developmentally regulated, advancing the capacity for L-LTP from P12 to P10, but not to younger ages. Together these findings provide a new basis from which to investigate mechanisms that regulate the developmental onset of this important form of synaptic plasticity.

2019 ◽  
Vol 400 (9) ◽  
pp. 1129-1139 ◽  
Author(s):  
Iryna Hlushchenko ◽  
Pirta Hotulainen

Abstract Synaptic plasticity underlies central brain functions, such as learning. Ca2+ signaling is involved in both strengthening and weakening of synapses, but it is still unclear how one signal molecule can induce two opposite outcomes. By identifying molecules, which can distinguish between signaling leading to weakening or strengthening, we can improve our understanding of how synaptic plasticity is regulated. Here, we tested gelsolin’s response to the induction of chemical long-term potentiation (cLTP) or long-term depression (cLTD) in cultured rat hippocampal neurons. We show that gelsolin relocates from the dendritic shaft to dendritic spines upon cLTD induction while it did not show any relocalization upon cLTP induction. Dendritic spines are small actin-rich protrusions on dendrites, where LTD/LTP-responsive excitatory synapses are located. We propose that the LTD-induced modest – but relatively long-lasting – elevation of Ca2+ concentration increases the affinity of gelsolin to F-actin. As F-actin is enriched in dendritic spines, it is probable that increased affinity to F-actin induces the relocalization of gelsolin.


2013 ◽  
Vol 109 (1) ◽  
pp. 68-76 ◽  
Author(s):  
Charles A. Hoeffer ◽  
Emanuela Santini ◽  
Tao Ma ◽  
Elizabeth C. Arnold ◽  
Ashley M. Whelan ◽  
...  

Persistent forms of synaptic plasticity are widely thought to require the synthesis of new proteins. This feature of long-lasting forms of plasticity largely has been demonstrated using inhibitors of general protein synthesis, such as either anisomycin or emetine. However, these drugs, which inhibit elongation, cannot address detailed questions about the regulation of translation initiation, where the majority of translational control occurs. Moreover, general protein synthesis inhibitors cannot distinguish between cap-dependent and cap-independent modes of translation initiation. In the present study, we took advantage of two novel compounds, 4EGI-1 and hippuristanol, each of which targets a different component of the eukaryotic initiation factor (eIF)4F initiation complex, and investigated their effects on long-term potentiation (LTP) at CA3-CA1 synapses in the hippocampus. We found that 4EGI-1 and hippuristanol both attenuated long-lasting late-phase LTP induced by two different stimulation paradigms. We also found that 4EGI-1 and hippuristanol each were capable of blocking the expression of newly synthesized proteins immediately after the induction of late-phase LTP. These new pharmacological tools allow for a more precise dissection of the role played by translational control pathways in synaptic plasticity and demonstrate the importance of multiple aspects of eIF4F in processes underlying hippocampal LTP, laying the foundation for future studies investigating the role of eIF4F in hippocampus-dependent memory processes.


Neuroreport ◽  
1998 ◽  
Vol 9 (5) ◽  
pp. 847-850 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sean Commins ◽  
John Gigg ◽  
Michael Anderson ◽  
Shane M. OʼMara

1998 ◽  
Vol 79 (1) ◽  
pp. 334-341 ◽  
Author(s):  
Subbakrishna Shankar ◽  
Timothy J. Teyler ◽  
Norman Robbins

Shankar, Subbakrishna, Timothy J. Teyler, and Norman Robbins. Aging differentially alters forms of long-term potentiation in rat hippocampal area CA1. J. Neurophysiol. 79: 334–341, 1998. Long-term potentiation (LTP) of the Schaffer collateral/commissural inputs to CA1 in the hippocampus was shown to consist of N-methyl-d-aspartate receptor (NMDAR) and voltage-dependent calcium channel (VDCC) dependent forms. In this study, the relative contributions of these two forms of LTP in in vitro hippocampal slices from young (2 mo) and old (24 mo) Fischer 344 rats were examined. Excitatory postsynaptic potentials (EPSP) were recorded extracellularly from stratum radiatum before and after a tetanic stimulus consisting of four 200-Hz, 0.5-s trains given 5 s apart. Under control conditions, a compound LTP consisting of both forms was induced and was similar, in both time course and magnitude, in young and old animals. NMDAR-dependent LTP (nmdaLTP), isolated by the application of 10 μM nifedipine (a voltage-dependent calcium channel blocker), was significantly reduced in magnitude in aged animals. The VDCC dependent form (vdccLTP), isolated by the application of 50 μM d,l-2-amino-5-phosphonvalerate (APV), was significantly larger in aged animals. Although both LTP forms reached stable values 40–60 min posttetanus in young animals, in aged animals vdccLTP increased and nmdaLTP decreased during this time. In both young and old animals, the sum of the two isolated LTP forms approximated the magnitude of the compound LTP, and application of APV and nifedipine or genestein (a tyrosine kinase inhibitor) together blocked potentiation. These results suggest that aging causes a shift in synaptic plasticity from NMDAR-dependent mechanisms to VDCC-dependent mechanisms. The data are consistent with previous findings of increased L-type calcium current and decreased NMDAR number in aged CA1 cells and may help explain age-related deficits in learning and memory.


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.


1998 ◽  
Vol 80 (1) ◽  
pp. 452-457 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eric Klann

Klann, Eric. Cell-permeable scavengers of superoxide prevent long-term potentiation in hippocampal area CA1. J. Neurophysiol. 80: 452–457, 1998. Long-term potentiation (LTP) in hippocampal area CA1 is generally dependent on N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) receptor activation. Reactive oxygen species (ROS), including superoxide, are produced in response to NMDA receptor activation in a number of brain regions, including the hipppocampus. In this study, two cell-permeable manganese porphyrin compounds that mimic superoxide dismutase (SOD) were used to determine whether production of superoxide is required for the induction of LTP in area CA1 of rat hippocampal slices. Incubation of hippocampal slices with either Mn(III) tetrakis (4-benzoic acid) porphyrin (MnTBAP) or Mn(III) tetrakis (1-methyl-4-pyridyl) porphyrin (MnTMPyP) prevented the induction of LTP. Incubation of slices with either light-inactivated MnTBAP or light-inactivated MnTMPyP had no effect on induction of LTP. Neither MnTBAP nor MnTMPyP was able to reverse preestablished LTP. These observations suggest that production of superoxide occurs in response to LTP-inducing stimulation and that superoxide is necessary for the induction of LTP.


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