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Kanigowski D, Urban-Ciecko J. Conditioning and pseudoconditioning differently change intrinsic excitability of inhibitory interneurons in the neocortex. Cereb Cortex 2024; 34:bhae109. [PMID: 38572735 PMCID: PMC10993172 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhae109] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2023] [Revised: 02/26/2024] [Accepted: 02/27/2024] [Indexed: 04/05/2024] Open
Abstract
Many studies indicate a broad role of various classes of GABAergic interneurons in the processes related to learning. However, little is known about how the learning process affects intrinsic excitability of specific classes of interneurons in the neocortex. To determine this, we employed a simple model of conditional learning in mice where vibrissae stimulation was used as a conditioned stimulus and a tail shock as an unconditioned one. In vitro whole-cell patch-clamp recordings showed an increase in intrinsic excitability of low-threshold spiking somatostatin-expressing interneurons (SST-INs) in layer 4 (L4) of the somatosensory (barrel) cortex after the conditioning paradigm. In contrast, pseudoconditioning reduced intrinsic excitability of SST-LTS, parvalbumin-expressing interneurons (PV-INs), and vasoactive intestinal polypeptide-expressing interneurons (VIP-INs) with accommodating pattern in L4 of the barrel cortex. In general, increased intrinsic excitability was accompanied by narrowing of action potentials (APs), whereas decreased intrinsic excitability coincided with AP broadening. Altogether, these results show that both conditioning and pseudoconditioning lead to plastic changes in intrinsic excitability of GABAergic interneurons in a cell-specific manner. In this way, changes in intrinsic excitability can be perceived as a common mechanism of learning-induced plasticity in the GABAergic system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dominik Kanigowski
- Laboratory of Electrophysiology, Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology PAS, 3 Pasteur Street, 02-093 Warsaw, Poland
| | - Joanna Urban-Ciecko
- Laboratory of Electrophysiology, Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology PAS, 3 Pasteur Street, 02-093 Warsaw, Poland
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2
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Ojala KE, Staib M, Gerster S, Ruff CC, Bach DR. Inhibiting Human Aversive Memory by Transcranial Theta-Burst Stimulation to the Primary Sensory Cortex. Biol Psychiatry 2022; 92:149-157. [PMID: 35410762 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2022.01.021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2021] [Revised: 01/14/2022] [Accepted: 01/26/2022] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Predicting adverse events from past experience is fundamental for many biological organisms. However, some individuals suffer from maladaptive memories that impair behavioral control and well-being, e.g., after psychological trauma. Inhibiting the formation and maintenance of such memories would have high clinical relevance. Previous preclinical research has focused on systemically administered pharmacological interventions, which cannot be targeted to specific neural circuits in humans. Here, we investigated the potential of noninvasive neural stimulation on the human sensory cortex in inhibiting aversive memory in a laboratory threat conditioning model. METHODS We build on an emerging nonhuman literature suggesting that primary sensory cortices may be crucially required for threat memory formation and consolidation. Immediately before conditioning innocuous somatosensory stimuli (conditioned stimuli [CS]) to aversive electric stimulation, healthy human participants received continuous theta-burst transcranial magnetic stimulation (cTBS) to individually localized primary somatosensory cortex in either the CS-contralateral (experimental) or CS-ipsilateral (control) hemisphere. We measured fear-potentiated startle to infer threat memory retention on the next day, as well as skin conductance and pupil size during learning. RESULTS After overnight consolidation, threat memory was attenuated in the experimental group compared with the control cTBS group. There was no evidence that this differed between simple and complex CS or that CS identification or initial learning were affected by cTBS. CONCLUSIONS Our results suggest that cTBS to the primary sensory cortex inhibits threat memory, likely by an impact on postlearning consolidation. We propose that noninvasive targeted stimulation of the sensory cortex may provide a new avenue for interfering with aversive memories in humans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karita E Ojala
- Computational Psychiatry Research, Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Psychiatric Hospital, University of Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland; Neuroscience Centre Zurich, University of Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland.
| | - Matthias Staib
- Computational Psychiatry Research, Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Psychiatric Hospital, University of Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland; Neuroscience Centre Zurich, University of Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Samuel Gerster
- Computational Psychiatry Research, Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Psychiatric Hospital, University of Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Christian C Ruff
- Neuroscience Centre Zurich, University of Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland; Zurich Center for Neuroeconomics, Department of Economics, University of Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Dominik R Bach
- Computational Psychiatry Research, Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Psychiatric Hospital, University of Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland; Neuroscience Centre Zurich, University of Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland; Wellcome Centre for Human Neuroimaging and Max-Planck UCL Centre for Computational Psychiatry and Ageing Research, University College London, London, United Kingdom.
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3
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Laliberté G, Othman R, Vaucher E. Mesoscopic Mapping of Stimulus-Selective Response Plasticity in the Visual Pathways Modulated by the Cholinergic System. Front Neural Circuits 2020; 14:38. [PMID: 32719589 PMCID: PMC7350895 DOI: 10.3389/fncir.2020.00038] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2020] [Accepted: 05/22/2020] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The cholinergic potentiation of visual conditioning enhances visual acuity and discrimination of the trained stimulus. To determine if this also induces long-term plastic changes on cortical maps and connectivity in the visual cortex and higher associative areas, mesoscopic calcium imaging was performed in head-fixed awake GCaMP6s adult mice before and after conditioning. The conditioned stimulus (0.03 cpd, 30°, 100% contrast, 1 Hz-drifting gratings) was presented 10 min daily for a week. Saline or Donepezil (DPZ, 0.3 mg/kg, s.c.), a cholinesterase inhibitor that potentiates cholinergic transmission, were injected prior to each conditioning session and compared to a sham-conditioned group. Cortical maps of resting state and evoked response to the monocular presentation of conditioned or non-conditioned stimulus (30°, 50 and 75% contrast; 90°, 50, 75, and 100% contrast) were established. Amplitude, duration, and latency of the peak response, as well as size of activation were measured in the primary visual cortex (V1), secondary visual areas (AL, A, AM, PM, LM, RL), retrosplenial cortex (RSC), and higher cortical areas. Visual stimulation increased calcium signaling in all primary and secondary visual areas, the RSC, but no other cortices. There were no significant effects of sham-conditioning or conditioning alone, but DPZ treatment during conditioning significantly decreased the integrated neuronal activity of superficial layers evoked by the conditioned stimulus in V1, AL, PM, and LM. The activity of downstream cortical areas was not changed. The size of the activated area was decreased in V1 and PM, and the signal-to-noise ratio was decreased in AL and PM. Interestingly, signal correlation was seen only between V1, the ventral visual pathway, and the RSC, and was decreased by DPZ administration. The resting state activity was slightly correlated and rarely affected by treatments, except between binocular and monocular V1 in both hemispheres. In conclusion, cholinergic potentiation of visual conditioning induced change in visual processing in the superficial cortical layers. This effect might be a key mechanism in the establishment of the fine cortical tuning in response to the conditioned visual stimulus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guillaume Laliberté
- Laboratoire de Neurobiologie de la Cognition Visuelle, École d'Optométrie, Université de Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada
| | - Rahmeh Othman
- Laboratoire de Neurobiologie de la Cognition Visuelle, École d'Optométrie, Université de Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada.,Départment de Pharmacologie et Physiologie, Faculté de Médecine, Université de Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada
| | - Elvire Vaucher
- Laboratoire de Neurobiologie de la Cognition Visuelle, École d'Optométrie, Université de Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada
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4
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Pagliaro AH, Arya P, Sharbaf Y, Gobes SMH. Hemispheric asymmetry of calbindin-positive neurons is associated with successful song imitation. Brain Res 2020; 1732:146679. [PMID: 31981678 PMCID: PMC7060817 DOI: 10.1016/j.brainres.2020.146679] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2019] [Revised: 12/21/2019] [Accepted: 01/20/2020] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Abstract
The plasticity that facilitates learning during critical (sensitive) periods in development is tightly regulated by inhibitory neurons. Song acquisition in birds is one example of a learning process that occurs during a sensitive period early in development. Sensory experience with a song 'tutor' during this sensitive period prunes excitatory and inhibitory synapses in the song production nucleus HVC (proper noun). Neurons in the caudomedial nidopallium (NCM), a secondary auditory region, lose their tutor song selectivity when gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) signaling is blocked. Given the importance of inhibition in the song learning process, we investigated whether individual differences in learning outcomes can be explained by the distribution of specific populations of (mostly) inhibitory neurons in HVC and NCM. We measured the densities of distinct neuronal populations (defined by their expression of the calcium-binding proteins calbindin, calretinin, and parvalbumin) in these two regions. We found that lateralization of calbindin-positive neurons was related to successful song learning: good learners were characterized by hemispheric asymmetry of calbindin-positive neurons in the medial NCM (fewer CB+ neurons in the left hemisphere), whereas poor learners did not show any asymmetry. In contrast, the density of all three neuronal populations in HVC did not differ between good and poor learners. These findings not only identify a specific (presumably) inhibitory cell type (calbindin-expressing neurons) that is related to song learning, but also emphasize the role of hemispheric asymmetry in auditory memory formation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexa H Pagliaro
- Neuroscience Department, Wellesley College, 106 Central Street, Wellesley, MA 02481-8203, United States
| | - Payal Arya
- Neuroscience Department, Wellesley College, 106 Central Street, Wellesley, MA 02481-8203, United States
| | - Yasmin Sharbaf
- Neuroscience Department, Wellesley College, 106 Central Street, Wellesley, MA 02481-8203, United States
| | - Sharon M H Gobes
- Neuroscience Department, Wellesley College, 106 Central Street, Wellesley, MA 02481-8203, United States.
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5
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Γ-Aminobutyric acid in adult brain: an update. Behav Brain Res 2019; 376:112224. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2019.112224] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/20/2019] [Revised: 09/09/2019] [Accepted: 09/09/2019] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
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6
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Repeated Neck Restraint Stress Bidirectionally Modulates Excitatory Transmission in the Dentate Gyrus and Performance in a Hippocampus-dependent Memory Task. Neuroscience 2018; 379:32-44. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2018.03.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2017] [Revised: 02/26/2018] [Accepted: 03/07/2018] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
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7
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Rozycka A, Liguz-Lecznar M. The space where aging acts: focus on the GABAergic synapse. Aging Cell 2017; 16:634-643. [PMID: 28497576 PMCID: PMC5506442 DOI: 10.1111/acel.12605] [Citation(s) in RCA: 93] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 04/02/2017] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
As it was established that aging is not associated with massive neuronal loss, as was believed in the mid‐20th Century, scientific interest has addressed the influence of aging on particular neuronal subpopulations and their synaptic contacts, which constitute the substrate for neural plasticity. Inhibitory neurons represent the most complex and diverse group of neurons, showing distinct molecular and physiological characteristics and possessing a compelling ability to control the physiology of neural circuits. This review focuses on the aging of GABAergic neurons and synapses. Understanding how aging affects synapses of particular neuronal subpopulations may help explain the heterogeneity of aging‐related effects. We reviewed the literature concerning the effects of aging on the numbers of GABAergic neurons and synapses as well as aging‐related alterations in their presynaptic and postsynaptic components. Finally, we discussed the influence of those changes on the plasticity of the GABAergic system, highlighting our results concerning aging in mouse somatosensory cortex and linking them to plasticity impairments and brain disorders. We posit that aging‐induced impairments of the GABAergic system lead to an inhibitory/excitatory imbalance, thereby decreasing neuron's ability to respond with plastic changes to environmental and cellular challenges, leaving the brain more vulnerable to cognitive decline and damage by synaptopathic diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aleksandra Rozycka
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Neurobiology; Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology; Polish Academy of Sciences; 3 Pasteur Street Warsaw 02-093 Poland
| | - Monika Liguz-Lecznar
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Neurobiology; Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology; Polish Academy of Sciences; 3 Pasteur Street Warsaw 02-093 Poland
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8
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Neurochemical correlates of functional plasticity in the mature cortex of the brain of rodents. Behav Brain Res 2017; 331:102-114. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2017.05.034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2017] [Revised: 05/05/2017] [Accepted: 05/10/2017] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
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9
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Lebida K, Mozrzymas JW. Spike Timing-Dependent Plasticity in the Mouse Barrel Cortex Is Strongly Modulated by Sensory Learning and Depends on Activity of Matrix Metalloproteinase 9. Mol Neurobiol 2016; 54:6723-6736. [PMID: 27744572 PMCID: PMC5622912 DOI: 10.1007/s12035-016-0174-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/09/2016] [Accepted: 09/28/2016] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Experience and learning in adult primary somatosensory cortex are known to affect neuronal circuits by modifying both excitatory and inhibitory transmission. Synaptic plasticity phenomena provide a key substrate for cognitive processes, but precise description of the cellular and molecular correlates of learning is hampered by multiplicity of these mechanisms in various projections and in different types of neurons. Herein, we investigated the impact of associative learning on neuronal plasticity in distinct types of postsynaptic neurons by checking the impact of classical conditioning (pairing whisker stroking with tail shock) on the spike timing-dependent plasticity (t-LTP and t-LTD) in the layer IV to II/III vertical pathway of the mouse barrel cortex. Learning in this paradigm practically prevented t-LTP measured in pyramidal neurons but had no effect on t-LTD. Since classical conditioning is known to affect inhibition in the barrel cortex, we examined its effect on tonic GABAergic currents and found a strong downregulation of these currents in the layer II/III interneurons but not in pyramidal cells. Matrix metalloproteinases emerged as crucial players in synaptic plasticity and learning. We report that the blockade of MMP-9 (but not MMP-3) abolished t-LTP having no effect on t-LTD. Moreover, associative learning resulted in an upregulation of gelatinolytic activity within the "trained" barrel. We conclude that LTP induced by spike timing-dependent plasticity (STDP) paradigm is strongly correlated with associative learning and critically depends on the activity of MMP-9.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katarzyna Lebida
- Laboratory of Neuroscience, Department of Biophysics, Wroclaw Medical University, Chalubinskiego 3a, 50-368, Wroclaw, Poland.
| | - Jerzy W Mozrzymas
- Laboratory of Neuroscience, Department of Biophysics, Wroclaw Medical University, Chalubinskiego 3a, 50-368, Wroclaw, Poland.,Department of Animal Molecular Physiology, Institute of Experimental Biology, Wroclaw University, Wroclaw, Poland
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10
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Liguz-Lecznar M, Urban-Ciecko J, Kossut M. Somatostatin and Somatostatin-Containing Neurons in Shaping Neuronal Activity and Plasticity. Front Neural Circuits 2016; 10:48. [PMID: 27445703 PMCID: PMC4927943 DOI: 10.3389/fncir.2016.00048] [Citation(s) in RCA: 74] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/08/2016] [Accepted: 06/20/2016] [Indexed: 01/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Since its discovery over four decades ago, somatostatin (SOM) receives growing scientific and clinical interest. Being localized in the nervous system in a subset of interneurons somatostatin acts as a neurotransmitter or neuromodulator and its role in the fine-tuning of neuronal activity and involvement in synaptic plasticity and memory formation are widely recognized in the recent literature. Combining transgenic animals with electrophysiological, anatomical and molecular methods allowed to characterize several subpopulations of somatostatin-containing interneurons possessing specific anatomical and physiological features engaged in controlling the output of cortical excitatory neurons. Special characteristic and connectivity of somatostatin-containing neurons set them up as significant players in shaping activity and plasticity of the nervous system. However, somatostatin is not just a marker of particular interneuronal subpopulation. Somatostatin itself acts pre- and postsynaptically, modulating excitability and neuronal responses. In the present review, we combine the knowledge regarding somatostatin and somatostatin-containing interneurons, trying to incorporate it into the current view concerning the role of the somatostatinergic system in cortical plasticity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Monika Liguz-Lecznar
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Neurobiology, Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology Warsaw, Poland
| | - Joanna Urban-Ciecko
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Neurobiology, Nencki Institute of Experimental BiologyWarsaw, Poland; Department of Biological Sciences and Center for the Neural Basis of Cognition, Carnegie Mellon UniversityPittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Malgorzata Kossut
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Neurobiology, Nencki Institute of Experimental BiologyWarsaw, Poland; Department of Psychology, University of Social Sciences and Humanities (SWPS)Warsaw, Poland
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11
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Scheyltjens I, Arckens L. The Current Status of Somatostatin-Interneurons in Inhibitory Control of Brain Function and Plasticity. Neural Plast 2016; 2016:8723623. [PMID: 27403348 PMCID: PMC4923604 DOI: 10.1155/2016/8723623] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2016] [Accepted: 05/12/2016] [Indexed: 12/05/2022] Open
Abstract
The mammalian neocortex contains many distinct inhibitory neuronal populations to balance excitatory neurotransmission. A correct excitation/inhibition equilibrium is crucial for normal brain development, functioning, and controlling lifelong cortical plasticity. Knowledge about how the inhibitory network contributes to brain plasticity however remains incomplete. Somatostatin- (SST-) interneurons constitute a large neocortical subpopulation of interneurons, next to parvalbumin- (PV-) and vasoactive intestinal peptide- (VIP-) interneurons. Unlike the extensively studied PV-interneurons, acknowledged as key components in guiding ocular dominance plasticity, the contribution of SST-interneurons is less understood. Nevertheless, SST-interneurons are ideally situated within cortical networks to integrate unimodal or cross-modal sensory information processing and therefore likely to be important mediators of experience-dependent plasticity. The lack of knowledge on SST-interneurons partially relates to the wide variety of distinct subpopulations present in the sensory neocortex. This review informs on those SST-subpopulations hitherto described based on anatomical, molecular, or electrophysiological characteristics and whose functional roles can be attributed based on specific cortical wiring patterns. A possible role for these subpopulations in experience-dependent plasticity will be discussed, emphasizing on learning-induced plasticity and on unimodal and cross-modal plasticity upon sensory loss. This knowledge will ultimately contribute to guide brain plasticity into well-defined directions to restore sensory function and promote lifelong learning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Isabelle Scheyltjens
- Laboratory of Neuroplasticity and Neuroproteomics, KU Leuven, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Lutgarde Arckens
- Laboratory of Neuroplasticity and Neuroproteomics, KU Leuven, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
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12
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Liguz-Lecznar M, Lehner M, Kaliszewska A, Zakrzewska R, Sobolewska A, Kossut M. Altered glutamate/GABA equilibrium in aged mice cortex influences cortical plasticity. Brain Struct Funct 2016; 220:1681-93. [PMID: 24659256 DOI: 10.1007/s00429-014-0752-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/2013] [Accepted: 03/07/2014] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Age-related molecular changes in the synapse can cause plasticity decline. We found an impairment of experience-dependent cortical plasticity is induced by short lasting sensory conditioning in aged mice. However, extending the training procedure from 3 to 7 days triggered plasticity in the aged cortex of the same range as in young mice. Additionally, GABAergic markers (GABA, GAD67, VGAT) in young and aged groups that showed the plastic changes were upregulated. This effect was absent in the aged group with impaired plasticity, while the expression of Vglut1 increased in all trained groups. This may reflect the inefficiency of inhibitory mechanisms in the aging brain used to control increased excitation after training and to shape proper signal to noise ratio, which is essential for appropriate stimuli processing. HPLC analysis showed that the glutamate/GABA ratio was significantly reduced in aged animals due to a significant decrease in glutamate level. We also observed a decreased expression of several presynaptic markers involved in excitatory (vesicular glutamate transporter-vglut2) and inhibitory (glutamic acid decarboxylase-GAD67, vesicular GABA transporter VGAT) transmission in the aged barrel cortex. These changes may weaken the plasticity potential of neurons and impede the experience-dependent reorganization of cortical connections. We suggest that the imbalance toward inhibition resulting from a decrease of glutamate content in the aging cerebral cortex, together with GABAergic system ineffectiveness in upregulating GABA level after sensory training, contributes to the impairment of learning-dependent cortical plasticity.
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Kula J, Blasiak A, Czerw A, Tylko G, Sowa J, Hess G. Short-term repeated corticosterone administration enhances glutamatergic but not GABAergic transmission in the rat motor cortex. Pflugers Arch 2015; 468:679-91. [PMID: 26696244 PMCID: PMC4792354 DOI: 10.1007/s00424-015-1773-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2015] [Revised: 11/22/2015] [Accepted: 12/13/2015] [Indexed: 01/26/2023]
Abstract
It has been demonstrated that stress impairs performance of skilled reaching and walking tasks in rats due to the action of glucocorticoids involved in the stress response. Skilled reaching and walking are controlled by the primary motor cortex (M1); however, it is not known whether stress-related impairments in skilled motor tasks are related to functional and/or structural alterations within the M1. We studied the effects of single and repeated injections of corticosterone (twice daily for 7 days) on spontaneous excitatory and inhibitory postsynaptic currents (sEPSCs and sIPSCs) recorded from layer II/III pyramidal neurons in ex vivo slices of the M1, prepared 2 days after the last administration of the hormone. We also measured the density of dendritic spines on pyramidal cells and the protein levels of selected subunits of AMPA, NMDA, and GABAA receptors after repeated corticosterone administration. Repeatedly administered corticosterone induced an increase in the frequency but not in the amplitude of sEPSCs, while a single administration had no effect on the recorded excitatory currents. The frequency and amplitude of sIPSCs as well as the excitability of pyramidal cells were changed neither after single nor after repeated corticosterone administration. Treatment with corticosterone for 7 days did not modify the density of dendritic spines on pyramidal neurons. Corticosterone influenced neither the protein levels of GluA1, GluA2, GluN1, GluN2A, and GluN2B subunits of glutamate receptors nor those of α1, β2, and γ2 subunits of the GABAA receptor. The increase in sEPSCs frequency induced by repeated corticosterone administration faded out within 7 days. These data indicate that prolonged administration of exogenous corticosterone selectively and reversibly enhances glutamatergic, but not GABAergic transmission in the rat motor cortex. Our results suggest that corticosterone treatment results in an enhancement of spontaneous glutamate release from presynaptic terminals in the M1 and thereby uncovers a potential mechanism underlying stress-induced motor functions impairment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joanna Kula
- Institute of Zoology, Jagiellonian University, Gronostajowa 9, 30-387, Krakow, Poland
| | - Anna Blasiak
- Institute of Zoology, Jagiellonian University, Gronostajowa 9, 30-387, Krakow, Poland
| | - Anna Czerw
- Institute of Zoology, Jagiellonian University, Gronostajowa 9, 30-387, Krakow, Poland
| | - Grzegorz Tylko
- Institute of Zoology, Jagiellonian University, Gronostajowa 9, 30-387, Krakow, Poland
| | - Joanna Sowa
- Department of Physiology, Institute of Pharmacology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Smetna 12, 31-343, Krakow, Poland
| | - Grzegorz Hess
- Institute of Zoology, Jagiellonian University, Gronostajowa 9, 30-387, Krakow, Poland. .,Department of Physiology, Institute of Pharmacology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Smetna 12, 31-343, Krakow, Poland.
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14
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Posluszny A, Liguz-Lecznar M, Turzynska D, Zakrzewska R, Bielecki M, Kossut M. Learning-Dependent Plasticity of the Barrel Cortex Is Impaired by Restricting GABA-Ergic Transmission. PLoS One 2015; 10:e0144415. [PMID: 26641862 PMCID: PMC4671550 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0144415] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2015] [Accepted: 11/18/2015] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Experience-induced plastic changes in the cerebral cortex are accompanied by alterations in excitatory and inhibitory transmission. Increased excitatory drive, necessary for plasticity, precedes the occurrence of plastic change, while decreased inhibitory signaling often facilitates plasticity. However, an increase of inhibitory interactions was noted in some instances of experience-dependent changes. We previously reported an increase in the number of inhibitory markers in the barrel cortex of mice after fear conditioning engaging vibrissae, observed concurrently with enlargement of the cortical representational area of the row of vibrissae receiving conditioned stimulus (CS). We also observed that an increase of GABA level accompanied the conditioning. Here, to find whether unaltered GABAergic signaling is necessary for learning-dependent rewiring in the murine barrel cortex, we locally decreased GABA production in the barrel cortex or reduced transmission through GABAA receptors (GABAARs) at the time of the conditioning. Injections of 3-mercaptopropionic acid (3-MPA), an inhibitor of glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD), into the barrel cortex prevented learning-induced enlargement of the conditioned vibrissae representation. A similar effect was observed after injection of gabazine, an antagonist of GABAARs. At the behavioral level, consistent conditioned response (cessation of head movements in response to CS) was impaired. These results show that appropriate functioning of the GABAergic system is required for both manifestation of functional cortical representation plasticity and for the development of a conditioned response.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Posluszny
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Neurobiology, Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Monika Liguz-Lecznar
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Neurobiology, Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Danuta Turzynska
- Department of Neurochemistry, Institute of Psychiatry and Neurology, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Renata Zakrzewska
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Neurobiology, Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Maksymilian Bielecki
- Department of Psychology, SWPS University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Malgorzata Kossut
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Neurobiology, Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology, Warsaw, Poland
- Department of Psychology, SWPS University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Warsaw, Poland
- * E-mail:
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Kusek M, Sowa J, Kamińska K, Gołembiowska K, Tokarski K, Hess G. 5-HT7 receptor modulates GABAergic transmission in the rat dorsal raphe nucleus and controls cortical release of serotonin. Front Cell Neurosci 2015; 9:324. [PMID: 26347612 PMCID: PMC4539517 DOI: 10.3389/fncel.2015.00324] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/29/2015] [Accepted: 08/05/2015] [Indexed: 01/17/2023] Open
Abstract
The 5-HT7 receptor is one of the several serotonin (5-HT) receptor subtypes that are expressed in the dorsal raphe nucleus (DRN). Some earlier findings suggested that 5-HT7 receptors in the DRN were localized on GABAergic interneurons modulating the activity of 5-HT projection neurons. The aim of the present study was to find out how the 5-HT7 receptor modulates the GABAergic synaptic input to putative 5-HT DRN neurons, and whether blockade of the 5-HT7 receptor would affect the release of 5-HT in the target structure. Male Wistar rats with microdialysis probes implanted in the prefrontal cortex (PFC) received injections of the 5-HT7 receptor antagonist (2R)-1-[(3-hydroxyphenyl)sulfonyl]-2-[2-(4-methyl-1-piperidinyl)ethyl]pyrrolidine hydrochloride (SB 269970), which induced an increase in the levels of 5-HT and its metabolite, 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5-HIAA) in the PFC. In another set of experiments whole-cell recordings from presumed projection neurons were carried out using DRN slices. SB 269970 application resulted in depolarization and in an increase in the firing frequency of the cells. In order to activate 5-HT7 receptors, 5-carboxamidotryptamine (5-CT) was applied in the presence of N-[2-[4-(2-methoxyphenyl)-1piperazinyl]ethyl]-N-2-pyridinylcyclohexanecarboxamide (WAY100635). Hyperpolarization of cells and a decrease in the firing frequency were observed after activation of the 5-HT7 receptor. Blockade of 5-HT7 receptors caused a decrease in the mean frequency of spontaneous inhibitory postsynaptic currents (sIPSCs), while its activation induced an increase. The mechanism of these effects appears to involve tonically-active 5-HT7 receptors modulating firing and/or GABA release from inhibitory interneurons which regulate the activity of DRN serotonergic projection neurons.
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Affiliation(s)
- Magdalena Kusek
- Department of Physiology, Institute of Pharmacology, Polish Academy of Sciences Krakow, Poland
| | - Joanna Sowa
- Department of Physiology, Institute of Pharmacology, Polish Academy of Sciences Krakow, Poland
| | - Katarzyna Kamińska
- Department of Pharmacology, Institute of Pharmacology, Polish Academy of Sciences Krakow, Poland
| | - Krystyna Gołembiowska
- Department of Pharmacology, Institute of Pharmacology, Polish Academy of Sciences Krakow, Poland
| | - Krzysztof Tokarski
- Department of Physiology, Institute of Pharmacology, Polish Academy of Sciences Krakow, Poland
| | - Grzegorz Hess
- Department of Physiology, Institute of Pharmacology, Polish Academy of Sciences Krakow, Poland ; Institute of Zoology, Jagiellonian University Krakow, Poland
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16
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Abstract
Auditory learning is associated with an enhanced representation of acoustic cues in primary auditory cortex, and modulation of inhibitory strength is causally involved in learning. If this inhibitory plasticity is associated with task learning and improvement, its expression should emerge and persist until task proficiency is achieved. We tested this idea by measuring changes to cortical inhibitory synaptic transmission as adult gerbils progressed through the process of associative learning and perceptual improvement. Using either of two procedures, aversive or appetitive conditioning, animals were trained to detect amplitude-modulated noise and then tested daily. Following each training session, a thalamocortical brain slice was generated, and inhibitory synaptic properties were recorded from layer 2/3 pyramidal neurons. Initial associative learning was accompanied by a profound reduction in the amplitude of spontaneous IPSCs (sIPSCs). However, sIPSC amplitude returned to control levels when animals reached asymptotic behavioral performance. In contrast, paired-pulse ratios decreased in trained animals as well as in control animals that experienced unpaired conditioned and unconditioned stimuli. This latter observation suggests that inhibitory release properties are modified during behavioral conditioning, even when an association between the sound and reinforcement cannot occur. These results suggest that associative learning is accompanied by a reduction of postsynaptic inhibitory strength that persists for several days during learning and perceptual improvement.
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Npas4 expression in two experimental models of the barrel cortex plasticity. Neural Plast 2015; 2015:175701. [PMID: 25785202 PMCID: PMC4345254 DOI: 10.1155/2015/175701] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/25/2014] [Accepted: 01/29/2015] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Npas4 has recently been identified as an important factor in brain plasticity, particularly in mechanisms of inhibitory control. Little is known about Npas4 expression in terms of cortical plasticity. In the present study expressions of Npas4 and the archetypal immediate early gene (IEG) c-Fos were investigated in the barrel cortex of mice after sensory deprivation (sparing one row of whiskers for 7 days) or sensory conditioning (pairing stimulation of one row of whiskers with aversive stimulus). Laser microdissection of individual barrel rows allowed for analysis of IEGs expression precisely in deprived and nondeprived barrels (in deprivation study) or stimulated and nonstimulated barrels (in conditioning study). Cortex activation by sensory conditioning was found to upregulate the expression of both Npas4 and c-Fos. Reorganization of cortical circuits triggered by removal of selected rows of whiskers strongly affected c-Fos but not Npas4 expression. We hypothesize that increased inhibitory synaptogenesis observed previously after conditioning may be mediated by Npas4 expression.
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18
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Siucinska E, Hamed A, Jasinska M. Increases in the numerical density of GAT-1 positive puncta in the barrel cortex of adult mice after fear conditioning. PLoS One 2014; 9:e110493. [PMID: 25333489 PMCID: PMC4204871 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0110493] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/12/2014] [Accepted: 09/19/2014] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Three days of fear conditioning that combines tactile stimulation of a row of facial vibrissae (conditioned stimulus, CS) with a tail shock (unconditioned stimulus, UCS) expands the representation of “trained” vibrissae, which can be demonstrated by labeling with 2-deoxyglucose in layer IV of the barrel cortex. We have also shown that functional reorganization of the primary somatosensory cortex (S1) increases GABAergic markers in the hollows of “trained” barrels of the adult mouse. This study investigated how whisker-shock conditioning (CS+UCS) affected the expression of puncta of a high-affinity GABA plasma membrane transporter GAT-1 in the barrel cortex of mice 24 h after associative learning paradigm. We found that whisker-shock conditioning (CS+UCS) led to increase expression of neuronal and astroglial GAT-1 puncta in the “trained” row compared to controls: Pseudoconditioned, CS-only, UCS-only and Naïve animals. These findings suggest that fear conditioning specifically induces activation of systems regulating cellular levels of the inhibitory neurotransmitter GABA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ewa Siucinska
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Neurobiology, Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology, Warsaw, Poland
- * E-mail:
| | - Adam Hamed
- Department of Neurochemistry, Institute of Psychiatry and Neurology, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Malgorzata Jasinska
- Department of Histology, Jagiellonian University Medical College, Krakow, Poland
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19
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Ren HM, Ren J, Liu W. Recognition and control of the progression of age-related hearing loss. Rejuvenation Res 2014; 16:475-86. [PMID: 23915327 DOI: 10.1089/rej.2013.1435] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Recent breakthroughs have provided notable insights into both the pathogenesis and therapeutic strategies for age-related hearing loss (ARHL). Simultaneously, these breakthroughs enhance our knowledge about this neurodegenerative disease and raise the question of whether the disorder is preventable or even treatable. Discoveries relating to ARHL have revealed a unique link between ARHL and the underlying pathologies. Therefore, we need to better understand the pathogenesis or the mechanism of ARHL and learn how to take full advantage of various therapeutic strategies to prevent the progression of ARHL.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hong Miao Ren
- Department of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, the Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University , Changsha, Hunan, P.R. China
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20
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Cybulska-Klosowicz A, Posluszny A, Nowak K, Siucinska E, Kossut M, Liguz-Lecznar M. Interneurons containing somatostatin are affected by learning-induced cortical plasticity. Neuroscience 2013; 254:18-25. [PMID: 24055404 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2013.09.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/08/2013] [Revised: 08/15/2013] [Accepted: 09/09/2013] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Abstract
The maintenance of neural circuit stability is a dynamic process that requires the plasticity of many cellular and synaptic components. By changing the excitatory/inhibitory balance, inhibitory GABAergic plasticity can regulate excitability, and contribute to neural circuit function and refinement in learning and memory. Increased inhibitory GABAergic neurotransmission has been shown in brain structures involved in the learning process. Previously, we showed that classical conditioning in which tactile stimulation of one row of vibrissae (conditioned stimulus, CS) was paired with a tail shock (unconditioned stimulus, UCS) in adult mice results in the increased density of GABAergic interneurons and increased expression of glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD)-67 in barrels of the "trained" row cortical representation. In inhibitory neurons of the rat cortex GAD co-localizes with several proteins and peptides. We found previously that the density of the parvalbumin (GAD+/Prv+)-containing subpopulation is not changed after conditioning. In the present study, we examined GABAergic somatostatin (Som)-, calbindin (CB)- and calretinin (CR)-positive interneurons in the cortical representation of "trained" vibrissae after training. Cells showing double immunostaining for GAD/Som, GAD/CR and GAD/CB were counted in the barrels representing vibrissae activated during the training and in control, untouched rows. We found a substantial increase of GAD/Som-containing cells in the trained row representation. No changes in the density of GAD/CR or GAD/CB neurons were observed. These results suggest that Som-containing interneurons are involved in learning-induced changes in the inhibitory cortical network.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Cybulska-Klosowicz
- Laboratory of Neuroplasticity, Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology, 3 Pasteur Street, 02-093 Warsaw, Poland.
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21
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Jasinska M, Siucinska E, Jasek E, Litwin JA, Pyza E, Kossut M. Fear learning increases the number of polyribosomes associated with excitatory and inhibitory synapses in the barrel cortex. PLoS One 2013; 8:e54301. [PMID: 23457448 PMCID: PMC3573062 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0054301] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/25/2012] [Accepted: 12/10/2012] [Indexed: 01/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Associative fear learning, resulting from whisker stimulation paired with application of a mild electric shock to the tail in a classical conditioning paradigm, changes the motor behavior of mice and modifies the cortical functional representation of sensory receptors involved in the conditioning. It also induces the formation of new inhibitory synapses on double-synapse spines of the cognate barrel hollows. We studied density and distribution of polyribosomes, the putative structural markers of enhanced synaptic activation, following conditioning. By analyzing serial sections of the barrel cortex by electron microscopy and stereology, we found that the density of polyribosomes was significantly increased in dendrites of the barrel activated during conditioning. The results revealed fear learning-induced increase in the density of polyribosomes associated with both excitatory and inhibitory synapses located on dendritic spines (in both single- and double-synapse spines) and only with the inhibitory synapses located on dendritic shafts. This effect was accompanied by a significant increase in the postsynaptic density area of the excitatory synapses on single-synapse spines and of the inhibitory synapses on double-synapse spines containing polyribosomes. The present results show that associative fear learning not only induces inhibitory synaptogenesis, as demonstrated in the previous studies, but also stimulates local protein synthesis and produces modifications of the synapses that indicate their potentiation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Malgorzata Jasinska
- Department of Histology, Jagiellonian University Medical College, Krakow, Poland
| | - Ewa Siucinska
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Neurobiology, Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Ewa Jasek
- Department of Histology, Jagiellonian University Medical College, Krakow, Poland
| | - Jan A. Litwin
- Department of Histology, Jagiellonian University Medical College, Krakow, Poland
| | - Elzbieta Pyza
- Department of Cell Biology and Imaging, Institute of Zoology, Jagiellonian University, Krakow, Poland
| | - Malgorzata Kossut
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Neurobiology, Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology, Warsaw, Poland
- Warsaw School of Social Psychology, Warsaw, Poland
- * E-mail:
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22
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Wabno J, Hess G. Repeated administration of imipramine modifies GABAergic transmission in rat frontal cortex. J Neural Transm (Vienna) 2012. [PMID: 23180303 PMCID: PMC3631518 DOI: 10.1007/s00702-012-0919-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
Alterations in the functions of brain gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) inhibitory system and a distortion in the balance between excitatory and inhibitory synaptic transmission have been hypothesized to be possible causes of mood disorders. Experimental evidence points to modifications of GABAergic transmission as a result of prolonged treatment with antidepressant drugs, however, the influence of the tricyclic antidepressant imipramine on inhibitory synaptic transmission in the rat cerebral cortex has not yet been investigated. Therefore, in the present study the effects of single and repeated administration of imipramine were evaluated ex vivo in slices of the rat frontal cortex using electrophysiological approach. In slices prepared 2 days after the last drug administration from animals receiving imipramine for 14 days (dose 10 mg/kg p.o., twice daily) the mean frequency of spontaneous inhibitory postsynaptic currents (sIPSCs) recorded from layer II/III pyramidal neurons was decreased, while the mean amplitude of sIPSCs was increased. These effects were absent in slices obtained from rats which received imipramine once. Application of N,N′-dibenzhydrylethane-1,2-diamine dihydrochloride (AMN 082), a selective mGluR7 allosteric agonist, to the slice incubation medium resulted in a decrease in the mean frequency of sIPSCs in preparations obtained from repeated imipramine-treated animals, in contrast to slices originating from control rats where no AMN 082-induced effects were observed. Repeated imipramine treatment reduced protein density levels of the three tested GABAA receptor subunits: α1, β2 and γ2. These data indicate that repeated treatment of normal rats with imipramine results in a modification of the release mechanism of GABA from presynaptic terminals and its modulation by mGluR7 receptors as well as in an alteration in GABAA receptor subunit protein levels in the rat cerebral cortex.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joanna Wabno
- Department of Physiology, Institute of Pharmacology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Smetna 12, 31-343 Kraków, Poland
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23
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Thompson JV, Jeanne JM, Gentner TQ. Local inhibition modulates learning-dependent song encoding in the songbird auditory cortex. J Neurophysiol 2012; 109:721-33. [PMID: 23155175 DOI: 10.1152/jn.00262.2012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Changes in inhibition during development are well documented, but the role of inhibition in adult learning-related plasticity is not understood. In songbirds, vocal recognition learning alters the neural representation of songs across the auditory forebrain, including the caudomedial nidopallium (NCM), a region analogous to mammalian secondary auditory cortices. Here, we block local inhibition with the iontophoretic application of gabazine, while simultaneously measuring song-evoked spiking activity in NCM of European starlings trained to recognize sets of conspecific songs. We find that local inhibition differentially suppresses the responses to learned and unfamiliar songs and enhances spike-rate differences between learned categories of songs. These learning-dependent response patterns emerge, in part, through inhibitory modulation of selectivity for song components and the masking of responses to specific acoustic features without altering spectrotemporal tuning. The results describe a novel form of inhibitory modulation of the encoding of learned categories and demonstrate that inhibition plays a central role in shaping the responses of neurons to learned, natural signals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jason V Thompson
- Neurosciences Graduate Program, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
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24
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Bobula B, Wabno J, Hess G. Imipramine counteracts corticosterone-induced enhancement of glutamatergic transmission and impairment of long-term potentiation in the rat frontal cortex. Pharmacol Rep 2012; 63:1404-12. [PMID: 22358088 DOI: 10.1016/s1734-1140(11)70704-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2011] [Revised: 10/20/2011] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
The effects of corticosterone administration lasting for 7 and 21 days were studied ex vivo in rat frontal cortex slices prepared 48 h after the last dose of the hormone. In slices originating from corticosterone-treated animals, the amplitude of extracellular field potentials recorded in cortical layer II/III was increased. Corticosterone administration also resulted in an increase of the mean frequency, but not the mean amplitude, of spontaneous excitatory postsynaptic currents (sEPSCs) in layer II/III pyramidal neurons. These effects were accompanied by a reduced magnitude of long-term potentiation (LTP) of field potentials. In a separate set of experiments, rats were treated with corticosterone for 21 days and additionally with a tricyclic antidepressant, imipramine, beginning on the eighth day of corticosterone administration. In this experimental group, the amplitude of field potentials, the mean frequency of sEPSCs and the magnitude of LTP were not different from the control, indicating that corticosterone-induced modifications of basal glutamatergic transmission and synaptic plasticity were reversed by the antidepressant.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bartosz Bobula
- Department of Physiology, Institute of Pharmacology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Smętna 12, PL 31-343 Kraków, Poland
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25
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Vinogradov S, Fisher M, de Villers-Sidani E. Cognitive training for impaired neural systems in neuropsychiatric illness. Neuropsychopharmacology 2012; 37:43-76. [PMID: 22048465 PMCID: PMC3238091 DOI: 10.1038/npp.2011.251] [Citation(s) in RCA: 238] [Impact Index Per Article: 19.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2011] [Revised: 09/21/2011] [Accepted: 09/21/2011] [Indexed: 01/17/2023]
Abstract
Neuropsychiatric illnesses are associated with dysfunction in distributed prefrontal neural systems that underlie perception, cognition, social interactions, emotion regulation, and motivation. The high degree of learning-dependent plasticity in these networks-combined with the availability of advanced computerized technology-suggests that we should be able to engineer very specific training programs that drive meaningful and enduring improvements in impaired neural systems relevant to neuropsychiatric illness. However, cognitive training approaches for mental and addictive disorders must take into account possible inherent limitations in the underlying brain 'learning machinery' due to pathophysiology, must grapple with the presence of complex overlearned maladaptive patterns of neural functioning, and must find a way to ally with developmental and psychosocial factors that influence response to illness and to treatment. In this review, we briefly examine the current state of knowledge from studies of cognitive remediation in psychiatry and we highlight open questions. We then present a systems neuroscience rationale for successful cognitive training for neuropsychiatric illnesses, one that emphasizes the distributed nature of neural assemblies that support cognitive and affective processing, as well as their plasticity. It is based on the notion that, during successful learning, the brain represents the relevant perceptual and cognitive/affective inputs and action outputs with disproportionately larger and more coordinated populations of neurons that are distributed (and that are interacting) across multiple levels of processing and throughout multiple brain regions. This approach allows us to address limitations found in earlier research and to introduce important principles for the design and evaluation of the next generation of cognitive training for impaired neural systems. We summarize work to date using such neuroscience-informed methods and indicate some of the exciting future directions of this field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sophia Vinogradov
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94122, USA.
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26
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Rosselet C, Fieschi M, Hugues S, Bureau I. Associative learning changes the organization of functional excitatory circuits targeting the supragranular layers of mouse barrel cortex. Front Neural Circuits 2011; 4:126. [PMID: 21267427 PMCID: PMC3024829 DOI: 10.3389/fncir.2010.00126] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2010] [Accepted: 12/29/2010] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
In primary sensory cortices, neuronal circuits change throughout life as a function of learning. During associative learning a neutral sensory stimulus acquires the emotional valence of an aversive event or a reward after repetitive contingent pairing. One important consequence is the enlargement of the representational area of the conditioned stimulus in the cortical map of its sensory modality. The details of this phenomenon at the circuit level are still largely unknown. Here, mice were trained in a differential conditioning paradigm where the deflections of one whisker row were paired with tail shocks and the deflections of two others were not. Changes occurring in excitatory circuits of barrel cortex were then examined in brain slices with laser scanning photostimulation mapping. We found that learning affected the projections targeting the supragranular layers in the columns of unpaired whiskers: Pyramidal cells located in layer (L) 3 received enhanced inputs from L5A cells located in their home column and new inputs from L2/3 and L4 cells located in the neighboring column of the paired whisker. In contrast, the excitatory projections impinging onto L2/3 cells in the column of the paired whisker were not altered. Together, these data reveal that associative learning alters the canonical columnar organization of functional ascending L4 projections and strengthens transcolumnar excitatory projections in barrel cortex. These phenomena could participate to the transformation of the whisker somatotopic map induced by associative learning.
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27
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Bekisz M, Garkun Y, Wabno J, Hess G, Wrobel A, Kossut M. Increased excitability of cortical neurons induced by associative learning: an ex vivo study. Eur J Neurosci 2010; 32:1715-25. [PMID: 20964731 DOI: 10.1111/j.1460-9568.2010.07453.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
In adult mice, classical conditioning in which whisker stimulation is paired with an electric shock to the tail results in a decrease in the frequency of head movements, induces expansion of the cortical representation of stimulated vibrissae and enhances inhibitory synaptic interactions within the 'trained' barrels. We investigated whether such a simple associative learning paradigm also induced changes in neuronal excitability. Using whole-cell recordings from ex vivo slices of the barrel cortex we found that layer IV excitatory cells located in the cortical representation of the 'trained' row of vibrissae had a higher frequency of spikes recorded at threshold potential than neurons from the 'untrained' row and than cells from control animals. Additionally, excitatory cells within the 'trained' barrels were characterized by increased gain of the input-output function, lower amplitudes of fast after-hyperpolarization and decreased effect of blocking of BK channels by iberiotoxin. These findings provide new insight into the possible mechanism for enhanced intrinsic excitability of layer IV excitatory neurons. In contrast, the fast spiking inhibitory cells recorded in the same barrels did not change their intrinsic excitability after the conditioning procedure. The increased excitability of excitatory neurons within the 'trained' barrels may represent the counterpart of homeostatic plasticity, which parallels enhanced synaptic inhibition described previously. Together, the two mechanisms would contribute to increase the input selectivity within the conditioned cortical network.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marek Bekisz
- Department of Neurophysiology, Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology, Warsaw, Poland
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28
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Recovery of functional and structural age-related changes in the rat primary auditory cortex with operant training. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2010; 107:13900-5. [PMID: 20643928 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1007885107] [Citation(s) in RCA: 173] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Cognitive decline is a virtually universal aspect of the aging process. However, its neurophysiological basis remains poorly understood. We describe here more than 20 age-related cortical processing deficits in the primary auditory cortex of aging versus young rats that appear to be strongly contributed to by altered cortical inhibition. Consistent with these changes, we recorded in old rats a decrease in parvalbumin-labeled inhibitory cortical neurons. Furthermore, old rats were slower to master a simple behavior, with learning progressions marked by more false-positive responses. We then examined the effect of intensive auditory training on the primary auditory cortex in these aged rats by using an oddball discrimination task. Following training, we found a nearly complete reversal of the majority of previously observed functional and structural cortical impairments. These findings suggest that age-related cognitive decline is a tightly regulated plastic process, and demonstrate that most of these age-related changes are, by their fundamental nature, reversible.
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29
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Urban-Ciecko J, Kossut M, Mozrzymas JW. Sensory learning differentially affects GABAergic tonic currents in excitatory neurons and fast spiking interneurons in layer 4 of mouse barrel cortex. J Neurophysiol 2010; 104:746-54. [PMID: 20573973 DOI: 10.1152/jn.00988.2009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Pairing tactile stimulation of whiskers with a tail shock is known to result in expansion of cortical representation of stimulated vibrissae and in the increase in synaptic GABAergic transmission. However, the impact of such sensory learning in classical conditioning paradigm on GABAergic tonic currents has not been addressed. To this end, we performed whole cell patch-clamp slice recordings of tonic currents from neurons (excitatory regular spiking, regular spiking nonpyramidal, and fast spiking interneurons) of layer 4 of the barrel cortex from naive and trained mice. Interestingly, endogenous tonic GABAergic currents measured from the excitatory neurons in the cortical representation of "trained" vibrissae were larger than in the "naïve" or pseudoconditioned ones. On the contrary, sensory learning markedly reduced tonic currents in the fast spiking interneurons but not in regular spiking nonpyramidal neurons. Changes of tonic currents were accompanied by changes in the input resistances-decrease in regular spiking and increase in fast spiking neurons, respectively. Applications of nipecotic acid, a GABA uptake blocker, enhanced the tonic currents, but the impact of the sensory learning remained qualitatively the same as in the case of the tonic currents. Similar to endogenous tonic currents, sensory learning enhanced currents induced by THIP (superagonist for delta subunit-containing GABA(A) receptors) in regular spiking neurons, whereas the opposite was observed for the fast spiking interneurons. In conclusion, our data show that the sensory learning strongly affects the GABAergic tonic currents in a cell-specific manner and suggest that the underlying mechanism involves regulation of expression of delta subunit-containing GABA(A) receptors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joanna Urban-Ciecko
- Laboratory of Neuroscience, Department of Biophysics, Wroclaw Medical University, Wroclaw, Poland.
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30
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Abstract
The structure of neurons changes during development and in response to injury or alteration in sensory experience. Changes occur in the number, shape, and dimensions of dendritic spines together with their synapses. However, precise data on these changes in response to learning are sparse. Here, we show using quantitative transmission electron microscopy that a simple form of learning involving mystacial vibrissae results in approximately 70% increase in the density of inhibitory synapses on spines of neurons located in layer IV barrels that represent the stimulated vibrissae. The spines contain one asymmetrical (excitatory) and one symmetrical (inhibitory) synapse (double-synapse spines), and their density increases threefold as a result of learning with no apparent change in the density of asymmetrical synapses. This effect seems to be specific for learning because pseudoconditioning (in which the conditioned and unconditioned stimuli are delivered at random) does not lead to the enhancement of symmetrical synapses but instead results in an upregulation of asymmetrical synapses on spines. Symmetrical synapses of cells located in barrels receiving the conditioned stimulus also show a greater concentration of GABA in their presynaptic terminals. These results indicate that the immediate effect of classical conditioning in the "conditioned" barrels is rapid, pronounced, and inhibitory.
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31
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Liguz-Lecznar M, Siucinska E, Zakrzewska R, Kossut M. Impairment of experience-dependent cortical plasticity in aged mice. Neurobiol Aging 2009; 32:1896-905. [PMID: 20005597 DOI: 10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2009.11.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/16/2009] [Revised: 11/10/2009] [Accepted: 11/13/2009] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
This study addresses the relationship between aging and experience-dependent plasticity in the mouse somatosensory cortex. Plasticity in the cortical representation of vibrissae (whiskers) was investigated in young (3 months), mature (14 months) and old (2 years) mice using [14C]2-deoxyglucose (2-DG) autoradiography. Plastic changes were evoked using two experimental paradigms. The deprivation-based protocol included unilateral deprivation of all but one row of whiskers for a week. In the conditioning protocol the animals were subjected to classical conditioning, where tactile stimulation of one row of whiskers was paired with an aversive stimulus. Both procedures evoked functional plasticity in the young group, expressed as a widening of the functional cortical representation of the spared or conditioned row. Aging had a differential effect on these two forms of plasticity. Conditioning-related plasticity was more vulnerable to aging: the plastic change was not detectable in mature animals, even though they acquired the behavioral response. Deprivation-induced plasticity also declined with age, but some effects were persistent in the oldest animals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Monika Liguz-Lecznar
- Dept. of Molecular and Cellular Neurobiology, Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology, 3 Pasteur Street, 02-093 Warsaw, Poland.
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Nowicka D, Soulsby S, Skangiel-Kramska J, Glazewski S. Parvalbumin-containing neurons, perineuronal nets and experience-dependent plasticity in murine barrel cortex. Eur J Neurosci 2009; 30:2053-63. [PMID: 20128844 DOI: 10.1111/j.1460-9568.2009.06996.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 76] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
The ability to undergo experience-dependent plasticity in the neocortex is often limited to early development, but also to particular cortical loci and specific experience. In layers II-IV of the barrel cortex, plasticity evoked by removing all but one vibrissae (univibrissa rearing) does not have a time limit except for layer IV barrels, where it can only be induced during the first postnatal week. In contrast, deprivation of every second vibrissa (chessboard deprivation) removes time limits for plasticity. The mechanism permitting plasticity in response to chessboard deprivation and halting it in reply to univibrissa rearing is unknown. Condensation of chondroitin sulfate proteoglycans into perineuronal nets and an increase in intracortical inhibition mediated by parvalbumin-containing interneurons are implicated in closing the critical period for ocular dominance plasticity. These factors could also be involved in setting up the critical period in barrels in a way that depends on a particular sensory experience. We therefore examined changes in density of parvalbumin-containing cells and perineuronal nets during development of mouse barrel cortex and after brief univibrissa and chessboard experience in adolescence. We observed a progressive increase in the density of the two markers across cortical layers between postnatal day 10 and 20, which was especially pronounced in the barrels. Univibrissa rearing, but not chessboard deprivation, increased the density of perineuronal nets and parvalbumin-containing cells in the deprived barrels, but only those that immediately neighbour the undeprived barrel. These data suggest the involvement of both tested factors in closing the critical period in barrels in an experience-dependent manner.
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Liguz-Lecznar M, Waleszczyk WJ, Zakrzewska R, Skangiel-Kramska J, Kossut M. Associative pairing involving monocular stimulation selectively mobilizes a subclass of GABAergic interneurons in the mouse visual cortex. J Comp Neurol 2009; 516:482-92. [DOI: 10.1002/cne.22129] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
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