scholarly journals Comparative Electrotonic Analysis of Three Classes of Rat Hippocampal Neurons

1997 ◽  
Vol 78 (2) ◽  
pp. 703-720 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicholas T. Carnevale ◽  
Kenneth Y. Tsai ◽  
Brenda J. Claiborne ◽  
Thomas H. Brown
Keyword(s):  
Hippocampal Neurons ◽  
Time Course ◽  
Granule Cells ◽  
Mossy Fiber ◽  
Large Diameter ◽  
Pyramidal Cells ◽  
Voltage Gradient ◽  
Signal Loss ◽  
Low Frequencies ◽  
Dendritic Fields

Carnevale, Nicholas T., Kenneth Y. Tsai, Brenda J. Claiborne, and Thomas H. Brown. Comparative electrotonic analysis of three classes of rat hippocampal neurons. J. Neurophysiol. 78: 703–720, 1997. We present a comparative analysis of electrotonus in the three classes of principal neurons in rat hippocampus: pyramidal cells of the CA1 and CA3c fields of the hippocampus proper, and granule cells of the dentate gyrus. This analysis used the electrotonic transform, which combines anatomic and biophysical data to map neuronal anatomy into electrotonic space, where physical distance between points is replaced by the logarithm of voltage attenuation (log A). The transforms were rendered as “neuromorphic figures” by redrawing the cell with branch lengths proportional to log A along each branch. We also used plots of log A versus anatomic distance from the soma; these reveal features that are otherwise less apparent and facilitate comparisons between dendritic fields of different cells. Transforms were always larger for voltage spreading toward the soma ( V in) than away from it ( V out). Most of the electrotonic length in V out transforms was along proximal large diameter branches where signal loss for somatofugal voltage spread is greatest. In V in transforms, more of the length was in thin distal branches, indicating a steep voltage gradient for signals propagating toward the soma. All transforms lengthened substantially with increasing frequency. CA1 neurons were electrotonically significantly larger than CA3c neurons. Their V out transforms displayed one primary apical dendrite, which bifurcated in some cases, whereas CA3c cell transforms exhibited multiple apical branches. In both cell classes, basilar dendrite V out transforms were small, indicating that somatic potentials reached their distal ends with little attenuation. However, for somatopetal voltage spread, attenuation along the basilar and apical dendrites was comparable, so the V in transforms of these dendritic fields were nearly equal in extent. Granule cells were physically and electrotonically most compact. Their V out transforms at 0 Hz were very small, indicating near isopotentiality at DC and low frequencies. These transforms resembled those of the basilar dendrites of CA1 and CA3c pyramidal cells. This raises the possibility of similar functional or computational roles for these dendritic fields. Interpreting the anatomic distribution of thorny excrescences on CA3 pyramidal neurons with this approach indicates that synaptic currents generated by some mossy fiber inputs may be recorded accurately by a somatic patch clamp, providing that strict criteria on their time course are satisfied. Similar accuracy may not be achievable in somatic recordings of Schaffer collateral synapses onto CA1 pyramidal cells in light of the anatomic and biophysical properties of these neurons and the spatial distribution of synapses.

scholarly journals Separable actions of acetylcholine and noradrenaline on neuronal ensemble formation in hippocampal CA3 circuits

2021 ◽  
Vol 17 (10) ◽  
pp. e1009435
Author(s):  
Luke Y. Prince ◽  
Travis Bacon ◽  
Rachel Humphries ◽  
Krasimira Tsaneva-Atanasova ◽  
Claudia Clopath ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Granule Cells ◽  
Mossy Fiber ◽  
Pyramidal Cells ◽  
Recurrent Network ◽  
Memory Storage ◽  
Neuronal Ensembles ◽  
Hippocampal Ca3 ◽  
Ca3 Pyramidal Cells ◽  
Episodic Memories ◽  
Mossy Fiber Pathway

In the hippocampus, episodic memories are thought to be encoded by the formation of ensembles of synaptically coupled CA3 pyramidal cells driven by sparse but powerful mossy fiber inputs from dentate gyrus granule cells. The neuromodulators acetylcholine and noradrenaline are separately proposed as saliency signals that dictate memory encoding but it is not known if they represent distinct signals with separate mechanisms. Here, we show experimentally that acetylcholine, and to a lesser extent noradrenaline, suppress feed-forward inhibition and enhance Excitatory–Inhibitory ratio in the mossy fiber pathway but CA3 recurrent network properties are only altered by acetylcholine. We explore the implications of these findings on CA3 ensemble formation using a hierarchy of models. In reconstructions of CA3 pyramidal cells, mossy fiber pathway disinhibition facilitates postsynaptic dendritic depolarization known to be required for synaptic plasticity at CA3-CA3 recurrent synapses. We further show in a spiking neural network model of CA3 how acetylcholine-specific network alterations can drive rapid overlapping ensemble formation. Thus, through these distinct sets of mechanisms, acetylcholine and noradrenaline facilitate the formation of neuronal ensembles in CA3 that encode salient episodic memories in the hippocampus but acetylcholine selectively enhances the density of memory storage.

scholarly journals Are Altered Excitatory Synapses Found in Neuronal Migration Disorders?

2005 ◽  
Vol 5 (5) ◽  
pp. 171-173
Author(s):  
F. Edward Dudek
Keyword(s):  
Nmda Receptor ◽  
Knockout Mice ◽  
Neuronal Migration ◽  
Granule Cells ◽  
Seizure Activity ◽  
Mossy Fiber ◽  
Pyramidal Cells ◽  
Synaptic Response ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
Neuronal Migration Disorders

Physiological and Morphological Characterization of Dentate Granule Cells in the p35 Knock-out Mouse Hippocampus: Evidence for an Epileptic Circuit Patel LS, Wenzel HJ, Schwartzkroin PA J Neurosci 2004;24:9005–9014 There is a high correlation between pediatric epilepsies and neuronal migration disorders. What remains unclear is whether intrinsic features of the individual dysplastic cells give rise to heightened seizure susceptibility, or whether these dysplastic cells contribute to seizure activity by establishing abnormal circuits that alter the balance of inhibition and excitation. Mice lacking a functional p35 gene provide an ideal model in which to address these questions, because these knockout animals not only exhibit aberrant neuronal migration but also demonstrate spontaneous seizures. Extracellular field recordings from hippocampal slices, characterizing the input–output relation in the dentate, revealed little difference between wild-type and knockout mice under both normal and elevated extracellular potassium conditions. However, in the presence of the GABAA antagonist bicuculline, p35 knockout slices, but not wild-type slices, exhibited prolonged depolarizations in response to stimulation of the perforant path. No significant differences were found in the intrinsic properties of dentate granule cells (i.e., input resistance, time constant, action-potential generation) from wild-type versus knockout mice. However, antidromic activation (mossy fiber stimulation) evoked an excitatory synaptic response in more than 65% of granule cells from p35 knockout slices that was never observed in wild-type slices. Ultrastructural analyses identified morphological substrates for this aberrant excitation: recurrent axon collaterals, abnormal basal dendrites, and mossy fiber terminals forming synapses onto the spines of neighboring granule cells. These studies suggest that granule cells in p35 knockout mice contribute to seizure activity by forming an abnormal excitatory feedback circuit. Prolonged NMDA-mediated Synaptic Response, Altered Ifenprodil Sensitivity, and Generation of Epileptiform-like Events in a Malformed Hippocampus of Rats Exposed to Methylazoxymethanol in Utero Calcagnotto ME, Baraban SC J Neurophysiol 2005 [Epub ahead of print] Cortical malformations are often associated with refractory epilepsy and cognitive deficit. Clinical and experimental studies have demonstrated an important role for glutamate-mediated synaptic transmission in these conditions. With whole-cell voltage-clamp techniques, we examined evoked glutamate-mediated excitatory postsynaptic currents (eEPSCs) and responses to exogenously applied glutamate on hippocampal heterotopic cells in an animal model of malformation (i.e., rats exposed to methylazoxymethanol [MAM] in utero). Analysis of eEPSCs revealed that the late N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor–mediated eEPSC component was significantly increased on heterotopic cells compared with age-matched normotopic pyramidal cells. At a holding potential of +40 mV, heterotopic cells also exhibited eEPSCs with a slower decay-time constant. No differences in the α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazole propionic acid (AMPA) component of eEPSCs were detected. In 23% of heterotopic pyramidal cells, electrical stimulation evoked prolonged burstlike responses. Focal application of glutamate (10 m M) targeted to different sites near the heterotopia also evoked epileptiform-like bursts on heterotopic cells. Ifenprodil (10 μM), an NR2B subunit antagonist, only slightly reduced the NMDA receptor–mediated component and amplitude of eEPSCs on heterotopic cells (MAM) but significantly decreased the late component and peak amplitude of eEPSCs in normotopic cells (Control). Our data demonstrate a functional alteration in the NMDA-mediated component of excitatory synaptic transmission in heterotopic cells and suggest that this alteration may be attributable, at least in part, to changes in composition and function of the NMDAR subunit. Changes in NMDA-receptor function may directly contribute to the hyperexcitability and cognitive deficits reported in animal models and patients with brain malformations.

scholarly journals Acetylcholine disinhibits hippocampal circuits to enable rapid formation of overlapping memory ensembles

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luke Y. Prince ◽  
Krasimira Tsaneva-Atanasova ◽  
Claudia Clopath ◽  
Jack R. Mellor
Keyword(s):  
Granule Cells ◽  
Mossy Fiber ◽  
Pyramidal Cells ◽  
Cholinergic Receptor ◽  
Receptor Activation ◽  
Cellular Excitability ◽  
Rapid Formation ◽  
Ca3 Pyramidal Cells ◽  
Episodic Memories ◽  
Spiking Neural Network Model

AbstractIn the hippocampus, episodic memories are thought to be encoded by the formation of ensembles of synaptically coupled CA3 pyramidal cells driven by sparse but powerful mossy fiber inputs from dentate gyrus granule cells. Acetylcholine is proposed as the salient signal that determines which memories are encoded but its actions on mossy fiber transmission are largely unknown. Here, we show experimentally that cholinergic receptor activation suppresses feedforward inhibition and enhances excitatory-inhibitory ratio. In reconstructions of CA3 pyramidal cells, this disinhibition enables postsynaptic dendritic depolarization required for synaptic plasticity at CA3-CA3 recurrent synapses. We further show in a spiking neural network model of CA3 how a combination of disinhibited mossy fiber activity, enhanced cellular excitability and reduced recurrent synapse strength can drive rapid overlapping ensemble formation. Thus, we propose a coordinated set of mechanisms by which acetylcholine release enables the selective encoding of salient high-density episodic memories in the hippocampus.

Characteristics of local excitatory circuits studied with glutamate microapplication in the CA3 area of rat hippocampal slices

1988 ◽  
Vol 59 (1) ◽  
pp. 90-109 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. P. Christian ◽  
F. E. Dudek
Keyword(s):  
Granule Cells ◽  
Mossy Fiber ◽  
Hippocampal Slices ◽  
Pyramidal Cells ◽  
Firing Frequency ◽  
Block Transmission ◽  
Inhibitory Circuits ◽  
Axon Terminals ◽  
Stratum Pyramidale ◽  
Ca3 Pyramidal Cells

1. Local neuronal circuits in CA3 of hippocampal slices were studied by recording excitatory and inhibitory postsynaptic potentials (EPSPs and IPSPs) intracellularly during glutamate microapplication in CA3. Control experiments validated this approach by providing evidence that glutamate microdrops stimulated neurons but not axons-of-passage or axon terminals in CA3. 2. Glutamate microdrops (10-20 mM, 10-20 microns diam) increased the firing frequency of extracellularly recorded dentate granule cells for 5–10 s when applied to their somata but not when applied to their mossy fiber axons and terminals in the hilus and in CA3. 3. Glutamate microapplications to granule cell somata, but not to mossy fiber axons, also increased the frequency of intracellularly recorded EPSPs in CA3 pyramidal cells for 5-10 s. This provided a second line of evidence that glutamate did not cause firing in mossy fiber axons synapsing in CA3. 4. In slices where the CA3 region was surgically separated from the dentate gyrus and CA2, glutamate microdrops placed in the CA3 stratum pyramidale within 400 microns of intracellularly recorded pyramidal cells increased the frequency of EPSPs and IPSPs. Tetrodotoxin (1 microgram/ml) blocked these increases in PSP frequency, indicating that they did not result from glutamate-induced depolarization and associated transmitter release from presynaptic terminals. Increases in PSP frequency were interpreted to reflect glutamate activations of CA3 neurons with local synaptic connections to recorded cells. 5. Low concentrations of picrotoxin (PTX, 5-10 microM) blocked glutamate-induced increases in IPSP frequency and often revealed increases in EPSP frequency where they were not previously observed. This suggests that recurrent inhibitory circuits normally mask or block transmission through recurrent excitatory pathways in CA3. 6. In five experiments following PTX treatment (7.5–10 microM), large and prolonged (up to 2 min) increases in EPSP frequency were observed in CA3 pyramidal cells to glutamate microapplications in CA3. Rhythmic epileptiform bursts eventually occurred in two of these cases, suggesting that the protracted increases in EPSP frequency represent a form of reverberating excitation during a transition from normal to epileptic states. 7. Sixteen CA3 pyramidal cells were recorded in PTX (5-10 microM) during glutamate microapplications at 200 and 400 microns on each side of the recording site. The most consistent glutamate-induced increases in EPSP frequency occurred to microapplications 200 microns from recording sites on the hilar side.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Cocultures of GFP+-granule cells with GFP−-pyramidal cells and interneurons for the study of mossy fiber neurotransmission with paired recordings

Hippocampus ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 23 (4) ◽  
pp. 247-252 ◽  
Author(s):  
Beatriz Osorio ◽  
Uriel León ◽  
Emilio J. Galván ◽  
Rafael Gutiérrez
Keyword(s):  
Granule Cells ◽  
Mossy Fiber ◽  
Pyramidal Cells

scholarly journals Pattern separation of spiketrains in hippocampal neurons

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Antoine D. Madar ◽  
Laura A. Ewell ◽  
Mathew V. Jones
Keyword(s):  
Hippocampal Neurons ◽  
Granule Cells ◽  
Brain Slices ◽  
Computational Modelling ◽  
Pyramidal Cells ◽  
Theoretical Work ◽  
Pattern Separation ◽  
Neural Noise ◽  
Direct Demonstration ◽  
Hippocampal Networks

AbstractPattern separation is a process that minimizes overlap between patterns of neuronal activity representing similar experiences. Theoretical work suggests that the dentate gyrus (DG) performs this role for memory processing but a direct demonstration is lacking. One limitation is the difficulty to measure DG inputs and outputs simultaneously. To rigorously assess pattern separation by DG circuitry, we used mouse brain slices to stimulate DG afferents and simultaneously record DG granule cells (GCs) and interneurons. Output spiketrains of GCs are more dissimilar than their input spiketrains, demonstrating for the first time temporal pattern separation at the level of single neurons in the DG. Pattern separation is larger in GCs than in fast-spiking interneurons and hilar mossy cells, and is amplified in CA3 pyramidal cells. Analysis of the neural noise and computational modelling suggest that this form of pattern separation is not explained by simple randomness and arises from specific presynaptic dynamics. Overall, by reframing the concept of pattern separation in dynamic terms and by connecting it to the physiology of different types of neurons, our study offers a new window of understanding in how hippocampal networks might support episodic memory.

Cerebellar On-Beam and Lateral Inhibition: Two Functionally Distinct Circuits

2000 ◽  
Vol 83 (4) ◽  
pp. 1932-1940 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dana Cohen ◽  
Yosef Yarom
Keyword(s):  
Cerebellar Cortex ◽  
Stimulus Intensity ◽  
Lateral Inhibition ◽  
Time Course ◽  
Granule Cells ◽  
Functional Organization ◽  
Mossy Fiber ◽  
Molecular Layer ◽  
Cell Inhibition ◽  
Voltage Sensitive Dyes

Optical imaging of voltage-sensitive dyes in an isolated cerebellum preparation was used to study the spatiotemporal functional organization of the inhibitory systems in the cerebellar cortex. Responses to surface stimulation of the cortex reveal two physiologically distinct inhibitory systems, which we refer to as lateral and on-beam inhibition following classical terminology. Lateral inhibition occurs throughout the area responding to a stimulus, whereas on-beam inhibition is confined to the area directly excited by parallel fibers. The time course of the lateral inhibition is twice as long as that of the on-beam inhibition. Both inhibitory responses increase with stimulus intensity, but the lateral inhibition has a lower threshold, and it saturates at lower stimulus intensity. The amplitude of the on-beam inhibition is linearly related to the excitation at the same location, whereas that of the lateral inhibition is linearly related to the excitation at the center of the beam. Repetitive stimulation is required to activate on-beam inhibition, whereas the same stimulus paradigm reveals prolonged depression of the lateral inhibition. We conclude that lateral inhibition reflects the activation of molecular layer interneurons, and its major role is to increase the excitability of the activated area by disinhibition. The on-beam inhibition most likely reflects Golgi cell inhibition of granule cells. However, Purkinje cell collateral inhibition of Golgi cells cannot be excluded. Both possibilities suggest that the role of the on-beam inhibition is to efficiently modulate, in time and space, the mossy fiber input to the cerebellar cortex.

Recurrent Excitatory Connectivity in the Dentate Gyrus of Kindled and Kainic Acid–Treated Rats

2000 ◽  
Vol 83 (2) ◽  
pp. 693-704 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Lynch ◽  
Thomas Sutula
Keyword(s):  
Dentate Gyrus ◽  
Kainic Acid ◽  
Granule Cell ◽  
Time Course ◽  
Granule Cells ◽  
Mossy Fiber ◽  
Hippocampal Slices ◽  
Granule Cell Layer ◽  
Perforant Path ◽  
Inhibitory Circuits

Repeated seizures induce mossy fiber axon sprouting, which reorganizes synaptic connectivity in the dentate gyrus. To examine the possibility that sprouted mossy fiber axons may form recurrent excitatory circuits, connectivity between granule cells in the dentate gyrus was examined in transverse hippocampal slices from normal rats and epileptic rats that experienced seizures induced by kindling and kainic acid. The experiments were designed to functionally assess seizure-induced development of recurrent circuitry by exploiting information available about the time course of seizure-induced synaptic reorganization in the kindling model and detailed anatomic characterization of sprouted fibers in the kainic acid model. When recurrent inhibitory circuits were blocked by the GABAAreceptor antagonist bicuculline, focal application of glutamate microdrops at locations in the granule cell layer remote from the recorded granule cell evoked trains of excitatory postsynaptic potentials (EPSPs) and population burst discharges in epileptic rats, which were never observed in slices from normal rats. The EPSPs and burst discharges were blocked by bath application of 1 μM tetrodotoxin and were therefore dependent on network-driven synaptic events. Excitatory connections were detected between blades of the dentate gyrus in hippocampal slices from rats that experienced kainic acid–induced status epilepticus. Trains of EPSPs and burst discharges were also evoked in granule cells from kindled rats obtained after ≥1 wk of kindled seizures, but were not evoked in slices examined 24 h after a single afterdischarge, before the development of sprouting. Excitatory connectivity between blades of the dentate gyrus was also assessed in slices deafferented by transection of the perforant path, and bathed in artificial cerebrospinal fluid (ACSF) containing bicuculline to block GABAA receptor–dependent recurrent inhibitory circuits and 10 mM [Ca2+]o to suppress polysynaptic activity. Low-intensity electrical stimulation of the infrapyramidal blade under these conditions failed to evoke a response in suprapyramidal granule cells from normal rats ( n = 15), but in slices from epileptic rats evoked an EPSP at a short latency (2.59 ± 0.36 ms) in 5 of 18 suprapyramidal granule cells. The results are consistent with formation of monosynaptic excitatory connections between blades of the dentate gyrus. Recurrent excitatory circuits developed in the dentate gyrus of epileptic rats in a time course that corresponded to the development of mossy fiber sprouting and demonstrated patterns of functional connectivity corresponding to anatomic features of the sprouted mossy fiber pathway.

scholarly journals Activation of extrasynaptic kainate receptors drives hilar mossy cell activity

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Czarina C Ramos ◽  
Stefano Lutzu ◽  
Miwako Yamasaki ◽  
Yuchio Yanagawa ◽  
Masahiko Watanabe ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Neuronal Development ◽  
Granule Cells ◽  
Mossy Fiber ◽  
Novelty Detection ◽  
Hippocampal Slices ◽  
Cell Activity ◽  
Pyramidal Cells ◽  
Kainate Receptors ◽  
Inward Currents ◽  
Ambient Glutamate

Mossy cells (MCs) of the dentate gyrus (DG) are key components of an excitatory associative circuit established by reciprocal connections with dentate granule cells (GCs). MCs are implicated in place field encoding, pattern separation and novelty detection, as well as in brain disorders such as temporal lobe epilepsy and depression. Despite their functional relevance, little is known about the determinants that control MC activity. Here, we examined whether MCs express functional kainate receptors (KARs), a subtype of glutamate receptors involved in neuronal development, synaptic transmission and epilepsy. Using mouse hippocampal slices, we found that bath application of submicromolar and micromolar concentrations of the KAR agonist kainic acid induced inward currents and robust MC firing. These effects were abolished in GluK2 KO mice, indicating the presence of functional GluK2-containing KARs in MCs. In contrast to CA3 pyramidal cells, which are structurally and functionally similar to MCs, and express synaptic KARs at mossy fiber (MF) inputs (i.e., GC axons), we found no evidence for KAR-mediated transmission at MF-MC synapses, indicating that most KARs at MCs are extrasynaptic. Immunofluorescence and immunoelectron microscopy analyses confirmed the extrasynaptic localization of GluK2-15 containing KARs in MCs. Finally, blocking glutamate transporters, a manipulation that increases extracellular levels of endogenous glutamate, was sufficient to induce KAR-mediated inward currents in MCs, suggesting that MC-KARs can be activated by increases in ambient glutamate. Our findings provide the first direct evidence of functional extrasynaptic KARs at a critical excitatory neuron of the hippocampus.

Presynaptic Inhibition of Excitatory Afferents to Hilar Mossy Cells

2007 ◽  
Vol 97 (6) ◽  
pp. 4036-4047 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ben Nahir ◽  
Chinki Bhatia ◽  
Charles J. Frazier
Keyword(s):  
Granule Cells ◽  
Mossy Fiber ◽  
Pyramidal Cells ◽  
Muscarinic Acetylcholine Receptors ◽  
Memory Storage ◽  
Cholinergic Agonists ◽  
Mossy Cells ◽  
Excitatory Network ◽  
Ambient Gaba ◽  
Ca3 Pyramidal Cells

The hippocampus contains one very strong recurrent excitatory network formed by associational connections between CA3 pyramidal cells and another that depends largely on a disynaptic excitatory pathway between dentate granule cells. The recurrent excitatory network in CA3 has long been considered a possible location of autoassociative memory storage, whereas changes in the level and arrangement of recurrent excitation between granule cells are strongly implicated in epileptogenesis. Hilar mossy cells are likely to receive collateral input from CA3 pyramidal cells and they are key intermediaries (by mossy fiber inputs) in the recurrent excitatory network between granule cells. The current study uses minimal stimulation techniques in an in vitro preparation of the rat dentate gyrus to examine presynaptic modulation of both mossy fiber and non-mossy fiber inputs to hilar mossy cells. We report that both mossy fiber and non-mossy fiber inputs to hilar mossy cells express presynaptic γ-aminobutyric acid type B (GABAB) receptors that are subject to tonic inhibition by ambient GABA. We further find that only non-mossy fiber inputs express presynaptic muscarinic acetylcholine receptors, but that bath application of cholinergic agonists produces action potential–dependent increases in ambient GABA that can indirectly inhibit mossy fiber inputs. Finally, we demonstrate that mossy cells express high-affinity postsynaptic GABAA receptors that are also capable of detecting changes in ambient GABA produced by cholinergic agonists. Our results are among the first to directly characterize these important collateral inputs to hilar mossy cells and may help facilitate informed comparison between primary and collateral projections in two major excitatory pathways.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document