scholarly journals Neuropeptide S: a novel regulator of pain-related amygdala plasticity and behaviors

2013 ◽  
Vol 110 (8) ◽  
pp. 1765-1781 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wenjie Ren ◽  
Takaki Kiritoshi ◽  
Stéphanie Grégoire ◽  
Guangchen Ji ◽  
Remo Guerrini ◽  
...  

Amygdala plasticity is an important contributor to the emotional-affective dimension of pain. Recently discovered neuropeptide S (NPS) has anxiolytic properties through actions in the amygdala. Behavioral data also suggest antinociceptive effects of centrally acting NPS, but site and mechanism of action remain to be determined. This is the first electrophysiological analysis of pain-related NPS effects in the brain. We combined whole cell patch-clamp recordings in brain slices and behavioral assays to test the hypothesis that NPS activates synaptic inhibition of amygdala output to suppress pain behavior in an arthritis pain model. Recordings of neurons in the laterocapsular division of the central nucleus (CeLC), which serves pain-related amygdala output functions, show that NPS inhibited the enhanced excitatory drive [monosynaptic excitatory postsynaptic currents (EPSCs)] from the basolateral amygdala (BLA) in the pain state. As shown by miniature EPSC analysis, the inhibitory effect of NPS did not involve direct postsynaptic action on CeLC neurons but rather a presynaptic, action potential-dependent network mechanism. Indeed, NPS increased external capsule (EC)-driven synaptic inhibition of CeLC neurons through PKA-dependent facilitatory postsynaptic action on a cluster of inhibitory intercalated (ITC) cells. NPS had no effect on BLA neurons. High-frequency stimulation (HFS) of excitatory EC inputs to ITC cells also inhibited synaptic activation of CeLC neurons, providing further evidence that ITC activation can control amygdala output. The cellular mechanisms by which EC-driven synaptic inhibition controls CeLC output remain to be determined. Administration of NPS into ITC, but not CeLC, also inhibited vocalizations and anxiety-like behavior in arthritic rats. A selective NPS receptor antagonist ([d-Cys(tBu)5]NPS) blocked electrophysiological and behavioral effects of NPS. Thus NPS is a novel tool to control amygdala output and pain-related affective behaviors through a direct action on inhibitory ITC cells.

2020 ◽  
Vol 14 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martin Clark

Afferents from the nucleus accumbens (NAc) are a major source of input into the ventral pallidum (VP). Research reveals that these afferents are GABAergic, however, stimulation of these afferents induces both excitatory and inhibitory responses within the VP. These are likely to be partially mediated by enkephalin and substance P (SP), which are also released by these afferents, and are known to modulate VP neurons. However, less is known about the potentially differential effects stimulation of these afferents has on subpopulations of neurons within the VP and the cellular mechanisms by which they exert their effects. The current study aimed to research this further using brain slices containing the VP, stimulation of the NAc afferents, and multi-electrode array (MEA) recordings of their VP targets. Stimulation of the NAc afferents induced a pause in the tonic firing in 58% of the neurons studied in the VP, while 42% were not affected. Measures used to reveal the electrophysiological difference between these groups found no significant differences in firing frequency, coefficient of variation, and spike half-width. There were however significant differences in the pause duration between neurons in the dorsal and ventral VP, with stimulation of NAc afferents producing a significantly longer pause (0.48 ± 0.06 s) in tonic firing in dorsal VP neurons, compared to neurons in the ventral VP (0.21 ± 0.09 s). Pauses in the tonic firing of VP neurons, as a result of NAc afferent stimulation, were found to be largely mediated by GABAA receptors, as the application of picrotoxin significantly reduced their duration. Opioid agonists and antagonists were found to have no significant effects on the pause in tonic activity induced by NAc afferent stimulation. However, NK-1 receptor antagonists caused significant decreases in the pause duration, suggesting that SP may contribute to the inhibitory effect of NAc afferent stimulation via activation of NK-1 receptors.


2006 ◽  
Vol 96 (2) ◽  
pp. 613-621 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karl J. Iremonger ◽  
Trent R. Anderson ◽  
Bin Hu ◽  
Zelma H. T. Kiss

Axonal excitation has been proposed as a key mechanism in therapeutic brain stimulation. In this study we examined how high-frequency stimulation (HFS) of subcortical white matter tracts projecting to motor cortex affects downstream postsynaptic responses in cortical neurons. Whole cell recordings were performed in the primary motor cortex (M1) and ventral thalamus of rat brain slices. In M1, neurons showed only an initial depolarization in response to HFS, after which the membrane potential returned to prestimulation levels. The prolonged suppression of excitation during stimulation was neither associated with GABAergic inhibition nor complete action potential failure in stimulated axons. Instead we found that HFS caused a depression of excitatory synaptic currents in postsynaptic neurons that was specific to the stimulated subcortical input. These data are consistent with the hypothesis that axonal HFS produces a functional deafferentation of postsynaptic targets likely from depletion of neurotransmitter.


2007 ◽  
Vol 97 (3) ◽  
pp. 1887-1902 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yitzhak Schiller ◽  
Yael Bankirer

Approximately 30% of epilepsy patients suffer from drug-resistant epilepsy. Direct electrical stimulation of the epileptogenic zone is a potential new treatment modality for this devastating disease. In this study, we investigated the effect of two electrical stimulation paradigms, sustained low-frequency stimulation and short trains of high-frequency stimulation, on epileptiform discharges in neocortical brain slices treated with either bicuculline or magnesium-free extracellular solution. Sustained low-frequency stimulation (5–30 min of 0.1- to 5-Hz stimulation) prevented both interictal-like discharges and seizure-like events in an intensity-, frequency-, and distance-dependent manner. Short trains of high-frequency stimulation (1–5 s of 25- to 200-Hz stimulation) prematurely terminated seizure-like events in a frequency-, intensity-, and duration-dependent manner. Roughly one half the seizures terminated within the 100-Hz stimulation train ( P < 0.01 compared with control), whereas the remaining seizures were significantly shortened by 53 ± 21% ( P < 0.01). Regarding the cellular mechanisms underlying the antiepileptic effects of electrical stimulation, both low- and high-frequency stimulation markedly depressed excitatory postsynaptic potentials (EPSPs). The EPSP amplitude decreased by 75 ± 3% after 10-min, 1-Hz stimulation and by 86 ± 6% after 1-s, 100-Hz stimulation. Moreover, partial pharmacological blockade of ionotropic glutamate receptors was sufficient to suppress epileptiform discharges and enhance the antiepileptic effects of stimulation. In conclusion, this study showed that both low- and high-frequency electrical stimulation possessed antiepileptic effects in the neocortex in vitro, established the parameters determining the antiepileptic efficacy of both stimulation paradigms, and suggested that the antiepileptic effects of stimulation were mediated mostly by short-term synaptic depression of excitatory neurotransmission.


1991 ◽  
Vol 6 (3) ◽  
pp. 249-255 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. Netchitailo ◽  
A. Larcher ◽  
F. Leboulenger ◽  
M. Feuilloley ◽  
D. Philibert ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT To investigate a possible direct action of glucocorticoids on adrenal steroidogenesis, the effect of corticosterone on the conversion of pregnenolone into various metabolites by frog adrenal tissue was examined. Frog interrenal slices were incubated with [3H]pregnenolone (1 mCi/ml) and the various labelled metabolites analysed by reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatography. With the methanol gradient used, five identified steroids were resolved: progesterone, 11-deoxycorticosterone, corticosterone, 18-hydroxycorticosterone and aldosterone. Corticosterone (10 μg/ml) induced a 45–80% decrease in all steroids synthesized from [3H]pregnenolone. In contrast, the glucocorticoid agonist dexamethasone did not reduce the rate of conversion of pregnenolone into its metabolites. In addition, the inhibitory effect of corticosterone was not reversed by the specific glucocorticoid antagonist RU 43044. These results show that corticosterone exerts a direct inhibitory effect on adrenal steroid secretion. In addition, our data indicate that the ultra-short regulation induced by corticosterone is not mediated through glucocorticoid receptors.


1983 ◽  
Vol 245 (2) ◽  
pp. F263-F271
Author(s):  
R. P. Lang ◽  
N. Yanagawa ◽  
E. P. Nord ◽  
L. Sakhrani ◽  
S. H. Lee ◽  
...  

The observation that NAD inhibits sodium-dependent phosphate (P) uptake by the luminal brush border membrane (BBM) of the proximal tubule prompted us to examine the specificity and mechanism of this process. Addition of 10(-5) M NAD to the perfusate of isolated perfused rabbit proximal straight tubules inhibited lumen-to-bath P flux by approximately 50%. ADP-ribose had an identical effect, whereas nicotinamide had no effect. ADP and 5'-AMP (10(-5) M) also inhibited P flux. Na-dependent uptake of 32P by rabbit BBM vesicles was inhibited by 0.1-0.3 mM NAD, ADP-ribose, ADP, ATP, 5'-AMP, and GDP, which were preincubated with the vesicles for 30 min. The kinetics of inhibition showed an apparent increase in the Km for P but no change in Vmax. These findings are consistent with "competitive inhibition." The nucleotides inhibited P uptake even when BBM alkaline phosphatase was inhibited by 96% with 10 mM theophylline. Evidence of nonspecific phosphatase activity was present, since incubation of BBM with 0.1 mM solution of nucleotides for 30 min resulted in an elevation of free P in the medium of approximately 0.15-0.22 mM. Correction of 32P specific activity for this change resulted in values for Km and Vmax that were not significantly different from control. The "competitive inhibition" could thus be ascribed to an isotope-dilution effect. There was no evidence to suggest that NAD caused ADP-ribosylation of the luminal membrane. These studies indicate that adenine and guanine nucleotides do not inhibit P transport by a direct action on the luminal membrane of the proximal tubule but do inhibit lumen-to-bath P flux in isolated perfused proximal tubules at concentrations of 10(-5) M. Since there is no direct inhibitory effect of these compounds at the level of the BBM, it is possible that they inhibit P transport by altering some event subsequent to the transfer of P across the luminal membrane.


2001 ◽  
Vol 86 (5) ◽  
pp. 2405-2412 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ki-Wug Sung ◽  
Sukwoo Choi ◽  
David M. Lovinger

Activation of metabotropic glutamate receptors (mGluRs), which are coupled to G proteins, has important roles in certain forms of synaptic plasticity including corticostriatal long-term depression (LTD). In the present study, extracellular field potential and whole cell voltage-clamp recording techniques were used to investigate the effect of mGluR antagonists with different subtype specificity on high-frequency stimulation (HFS)-induced LTD of synaptic transmission in the striatum of brain slices obtained from 15-to 25-day-old rats. Induction of LTD was prevented during exposure to the nonselective mGluR antagonist (RS)-α-methyl-4-carboxyphenylglycine (500 μM). The group I mGluR-selective antagonists ( S)-4-carboxy-phenylglycine (50 μM) and (RS)-1-aminoindan-1,5-dicarboxylic acid (100 μM) prevented induction of LTD when applied before and during HFS. The mGluR1-selective antagonist 7-(Hydroxyimino) cyclopropa[b]chromen-1a-carboxylate ethyl ester (80 μM) also blocked LTD induction. Unexpectedly, the mGluR5-selective antagonist 2-methyl-6-(phenylethyl)-pyridine (10 μM) also prevented LTD induction. The group II mGluR antagonist LY307452 (10 μM) did not block LTD induction at corticostriatal synapses, but LY307452 was able to block transient synaptic depression induced by the group II agonist LY314593. None of the antagonists had any effect on basal synaptic transmission at the concentrations used, and mGluR antagonists did not reverse LTD when applied beginning 20 min after HFS. These results suggest that both group I mGluR subtypes contribute to the induction of LTD at corticostriatal synapses.


2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (13) ◽  
pp. 4703
Author(s):  
Logan J. Voss ◽  
Jamie W. Sleigh

Regulation of synaptically located ionotropic receptors is thought to be the main mechanism by which anaesthetics cause unconsciousness. An alternative explanation, which has received much less attention, is that of primary anaesthetic disruption of brain metabolism via suppression of mitochondrial proteins. In this pilot study in mouse cortical slices, we investigated the effect of disrupting cellular metabolism on tissue oxygen handling and cortical population seizure-like event (SLE) activity, using the mitochondrial complex I inhibitor rotenone, and compared this to the effects of the general anaesthetics sevoflurane, propofol and ketamine. Rotenone caused an increase in tissue oxygen (98 mmHg to 157 mmHg (p < 0.01)) before any measurable change in SLE activity. Thereafter, tissue oxygen continued to increase and was accompanied by a significant and prolonged reduction in SLE root mean square (RMS) activity (baseline RMS of 1.7 to 0.7 µV, p < 0.001) and SLE frequency (baseline 4.2 to 0.4 events/min, p = 0.001). This temporal sequence of effects was replicated by all three anaesthetic drugs. In conclusion, anaesthetics with differing synaptic receptor mechanisms all effect changes in tissue oxygen handling and cortical network activity, consistent with a common inhibitory effect on mitochondrial function. The temporal sequence suggests that the observed synaptic depression—as seen in anaesthesia—may be secondary to a reduction in cellular metabolic capacity.


2011 ◽  
Vol 26 (S2) ◽  
pp. 906-906 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Dzitoyeva ◽  
H. Chen ◽  
R. Manev ◽  
H. Manev

IntroductionSecond generation antipsychotic drugs (SGADs) including olanzapine trigger adverse metabolic alterations possibly by a direct action on adipocytes.Objectives and aimsThe system of the inflammatory 5-lipoxygenase (5-LOX) and its activating protein (FLAP) have been implicated in lipid dysfunction in obesity. We investigated whether this system could participate in the adipogenic action of olanzapine.MethodsExperiments were performed in 3T3-L1 adipocytes in vitro. Cells were treated with olanzapine and a FLAP inhibitor MK-886. Their lipid content, 5-LOX and FLAP mRNA content, and FLAP protein content were measured.ResultsOlanzapine treatment did not affect the cell content of 5-LOX mRNA; however, it decreased FLAP mRNA content at day five but not 24 hours after olanzapine addition. The inhibitory effect of olanzapine on FLAP expression was confirmed by quantitative Western blot assays. In the absence of a FLAP inhibitor, low concentrations of olanzapine (0.5 and 5 μM) increased lipid content only by about 13% (compared to about a 56% increase induced by 50 μM olanzapine) whereas in the presence of MK-886 these concentrations of olanzapine produced lipid increases comparable to the increase caused by 50 μM. In these experimental conditions, MK-886 alone did not alter the cell content of lipids.Conclusions5-LOX system may be involved in lipid dysfunction not only in conditions of obesity but possibly in SGAD-related metabolic alterations. The known polymorphism in the genes of the human 5-LOX system could play a role in setting a variable individual susceptibility to the metabolic side effects of SGADs.


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