Interrelated modification of excitatory and inhibitory synaptic connections in the olivary-cerebellar neuronal network

The model of simultaneous interrelated modification in the efficacy of synaptic inputs to different neurons of the olivary-cerebellar network is developed. The model is based on the following features of the network: simultaneous activation of the input layer (granule) cells and the output layer (deep cerebellar nuclei) cells by mossy fibers; simultaneous activation of Purkinje cells and cerebellar cells of the input and output layers by climbing fibers and their collaterals; the existence of local feedback excitatory, inhibitory, and disinhibitory circuits. The rise (decrease) of posttetanic Ca2+ concentration in reference to the level produced by previous stimulation causes the decrease (increase) in cGMP-dependent protein kinase G activity, and increase (decrease) inprotein phosphatase 1 activity. Subsequent dephosphorylation (phosphorylation) of ionotropic receptors results in simultaneous LTD (LTP) of the excitatory input together with the LTP (LTD) of the inhibitory input to the same neuron. The character of interrelated modifications of synapses at different cerebellar levels strongly depends on the olivary cell activity. In the presence (absence) of the signal from the inferior olive LTD (LTP) of the output cerebellar signal can be induced.     

BCL-xL regulates synaptic plasticity

Mitochondria are the predominant organelle within many presynaptic terminals. During times of high synaptic activity, they affect intracellular calcium homeostasis and provide the energy needed for synaptic vesicle recycling and for the continued operation of membrane ion pumps. Recent discoveries have altered our ideas about the role of mitochondria in the synapse. Mitochondrial localization, morphology, and docking at synaptic sites may indeed alter the kinetics of transmitter release and calcium homeostasis in the presynaptic terminal. In addition, the mitochondrial ion channel BCL-xL, known as a protector against programmed cell death, regulates mitochondrial membrane conductance and bioenergetics in the synapse and can thereby alter synaptic transmitter release and the recycling of pools of synaptic vesicles. BCL-xL, therefore, not only affects the life and death of the cell soma, but its actions in the synapse may underlie the regulation of basic synaptic processes that subtend learning, memory and synaptic development.     

Homeostatic synaptic plasticity: local and global mechanisms for stabilizing neuronal function

Neural circuits must maintain stable function in the face of many plastic challenges, including changes in synapse number and strength, during learning and development. Recent work has shown that these destabilizing influences are counterbalanced by homeostatic plasticity mechanisms that act to stabilize neuronal and circuit activity. One such mechanism is synaptic scaling, which allows neurons to detect changes in their own firing rates through a set of calcium-dependent sensors that then regulate receptor trafficking to increase or decrease the accumulation of glutamate receptors at synaptic sites. Additional homeostatic mechanisms may allow local changes in synaptic activation to generate local synaptic adaptations, and network-wide changes in activity to generate network-wide adjustments in the balance between excitation and inhibition. The signaling pathways underlying these various forms of homeostatic plasticity are currently under intense scrutiny, and although dozens of molecular pathways have now been implicated in homeostatic plasticity, a clear picture of how homeostatic feedback is structured at the molecular level has not yet emerged. On a functional level, neuronal networks likely use this complex set of regulatory mechanisms to achieve homeostasis over a wide range of temporal and spatial scales.     

Information characteristics of neuronal and synaptic plasticity

Informational losses in neuronal nets(NN) with plastic elements were estimated. These losses are related with 1) transition from "complicated" decoding when from the modification state of such elements information of the whole set of recorded elements is extracted to "simple" decoding natural of NN functioning when information is extracted independently for individual events; 2) uncertainty concerning NN structure, if at decoding in one of the modification states the neuron reactivity totally or the weight of plastic synapse equals zero. After the transition from complicated to simple decoding these losses for gradual plasticity are so great that NN with such plasticity has no advantages in informational capacity as compared to the binary one. These losses are absent for plasticity of Olbus type. They are relatively high for neuronal plasticity of Hebb type. For Hebb synapses their value essentially depends on the net parameters.     

Focal adhesion kinase regulates neuronal growth, synaptic plasticity and hippocampus-dependent spatial learning and memory

The focal adhesion kinase (FAK) is a non-receptor tyrosine kinase abundantly expressed in the mammalian brain and highly enriched in neuronal growth cones. Inhibitory and facilitatory activities of FAK on neuronal growth have been reported and its role in neuritic outgrowth remains controversial. Unlike other tyrosine kinases, such as the neurotrophin receptors regulating neuronal growth and plasticity, the relevance of FAK for learning and memory in vivo has not been clearly defined yet. A comprehensive study aimed at determining the role of FAK in neuronal growth, neurotransmitter release and synaptic plasticity in hippocampal neurons and in hippocampus-dependent learning and memory was therefore undertaken using the mouse model. Gain- and loss-of-function experiments indicated that FAK is a critical regulator of hippocampal cell morphology. FAK mediated neurotrophin-induced neuritic outgrowth and FAK inhibition affected both miniature excitatory postsynaptic potentials and activity-dependent hippocampal long-term potentiation prompting us to explore the possible role of FAK in spatial learning and memory in vivo. Our data indicate that FAK has a growth-promoting effect, is importantly involved in the regulation of the synaptic function and mediates in vivo hippocampus-dependent spatial learning and memory.     

The Neuroplastin adhesion molecules: key regulators of neuronal plasticity and synaptic function

The Neuroplastins Np65 and Np55 are neuronal and synapse‐enriched immunoglobulin superfamily molecules that play important roles in a number of key neuronal and synaptic functions including, for Np65, cell adhesion. In this review we focus on the physiological roles of the Neuroplastins in promoting neurite outgrowth, regulating the structure and function of both inhibitory and excitatory synapses in brain, and in neuronal and synaptic plasticity. We discuss the underlying molecular and cellular mechanisms by which the Neuroplastins exert their physiological effects and how these are dependent upon the structural features of Np65 and Np55, which enable them to bind to a diverse range of protein partners. In turn this enables the Neuroplastins to interact with a number of key neuronal signalling cascades. These include: binding to and activation of the fibroblast growth factor receptor; Np65 trans‐homophilic binding leading to activation of p38 MAPK and internalization of glutamate (GluR1) receptor subunits; acting as accessory proteins for monocarboxylate transporters, thus affecting neuronal energy supply, and binding to GABA_A α1, 2 and 5 subunits, thus regulating the composition and localization of GABA_A receptors. An emerging theme is the role of the Neuroplastins in regulating the trafficking and subcellular localization of specific binding partners. We also discuss the involvement of Neuroplastins in a number of pathophysiological conditions, including ischaemia, schizophrenia and breast cancer and the role of a single nucleotide polymorphism in the human Neuroplastin (NPTN) gene locus in impairment of cortical development and cognitive functions.

     

Seipin regulates excitatory synaptic transmission in cortical neurons

Heterozygosity for missense mutations in Seipin, namely N88S and S90L, leads to a broad spectrum of motor neuropathy, while a number of loss‐of‐function mutations in Seipin are associated with the Berardinelli–Seip congenital generalized lipodystrophy type 2 (CGL2, BSCL2), a condition that is characterized by severe lipoatrophy, insulin resistance, and intellectual impairment. The mechanisms by which Seipin mutations lead to motor neuropathy, lipodystrophy, and insulin resistance, and the role Seipin plays in central nervous system (CNS) remain unknown. The goal of this study is to understand the functions of Seipin in the CNS using a loss‐of‐function approach, i.e. by knockdown (KD) of Seipin gene expression. Excitatory post‐synaptic currents (EPSCs) were impaired in Seipin‐KD neurons, while the inhibitory post‐synaptic currents (IPSCs) remained unaffected. Expression of a shRNA‐resistant human Seipin rescued the impairment of EPSC produced by Seipin KD. Furthermore, α‐amino‐3‐hydroxy‐5‐methyl‐4‐isoxazolepropionic acid (AMPA)‐induced whole‐cell currents were significantly reduced in Seipin KD neurons, which could be rescued by expression of a shRNA‐resistant human Seipin. Fluorescent imaging and biochemical studies revealed reduced level of surface AMPA receptors, while no obvious ultrastructural changes in the pre‐synapse were found. These data suggest that Seipin regulates excitatory synaptic function through a post‐synaptic mechanism.     

Linking neuronal ensembles by associative synaptic plasticity

Synchronized activity in ensembles of neurons recruited by excitatory afferents is thought to contribute to the coding information in the brain. However, the mechanisms by which neuronal ensembles are generated and modified are not known. Here we show that in rat hippocampal slices associative synaptic plasticity enables ensembles of neurons to change by incorporating neurons belonging to different ensembles. Associative synaptic plasticity redistributes the composition of different ensembles recruited by distinct inputs such as to specifically increase the similarity between the ensembles. These results show that in the hippocampus, the ensemble of neurons recruited by a given afferent projection is fluid and can be rapidly and persistently modified to specifically include neurons from different ensembles. This linking of ensembles may contribute to the formation of associative memories.     

Study of neuronal gain in a conductance-based leaky integrate-and-fire neuron model with balanced excitatory and inhibitory synaptic input

Neurons receive a continual stream of excitatory and inhibitory synaptic inputs. A conductance-based neuron model is used to investigate how the balanced component of this input modulates the amplitude of neuronal responses. The output spiking rate is well described by a formula involving three parameters: the mean and variance of the membrane potential and the effective membrane time constant _Q. This expression shows that, for sufficiently small _Q, the level of balanced excitatory-inhibitory input has a nonlinear modulatory effect on the neuronal gain.     

Choline Transporter regulates olfactory habituation via a neuronal triad of excitatory,inhibitory and mushroom body neurons

Choline is an essential component of Acetylcholine (ACh) biosynthesis pathway which requires high-affinity Choline transporter (ChT) for its uptake into the presynaptic terminals of cholinergic neurons. Previously, we had reported a predominant expression of ChT in memory processing and storing region of the Drosophila brain called mushroom bodies (MBs). It is unknown how ChT contributes to the functional principles of MB operation. Here, we demonstrate the role of ChT in Habituation, a non-associative form of learning. Odour driven habituation traces are laid down in ChT dependent manner in antennal lobes (AL), projection neurons (PNs), and MBs. We observed that reduced habituation due to knock-down of ChT in MBs causes hypersensitivity towards odour, suggesting that ChT also regulates incoming stimulus suppression. Importantly, we show for the first time that ChT is not unique to cholinergic neurons but is also required in inhibitory GABAergic neurons to drive habituation behaviour. Our results support a model in which ChT regulates both habituation and incoming stimuli through multiple circuit loci via an interplay between excitatory and inhibitory neurons. Strikingly, the lack of ChT in MBs shows characteristics similar to the major reported features of Autism spectrum disorders (ASD), including attenuated habituation, sensory hypersensitivity as well as defective GABAergic signalling. Our data establish the role of ChT in habituation and suggest that its dysfunction may contribute to neuropsychiatric disorders like ASD.     

Activity-dependent plasticity of synaptic efficacy at inhibitory junctions

Despite a considerable amount of investigation on long-term potentiation, the question of whether this process occurs at inhibitory synapses has remained controversial until studies of these junctions have been achieved in the Mauthner cell of Teleosts. In this preparation, inhibitory long-term potentiation similar to that occurring at hippocampal excitatory synapses has been demonstrated.     

The cortico-basal ganglia-thalamocortical circuit with synaptic plasticity. I. Modification rules for excitatory and inhibitory synapses in the striatum

It is pointed out that Ca(2+)-dependent modification rules for NMDA-dependent (NMDA-independent) synaptic plasticity in the striatum are similar to those in the neocortex and hippocampus (cerebellum). A unitary postsynaptic mechanism of synaptic modification is proposed. It is based on the assumption that, in diverse central nervous system structures, long-term potentiation/depression (LTP/LTD) of excitatory transmission (depression/potentiation of inhibitory transmission, LTDi/LTPi) is the result of an increasing/decreasing the number of phosphorylated AMPA and NMDA (GABA(A)) receptors. According to the suggested mechanism, Ca(2+)/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II and protein kinase C, whose activity is positively correlated with Ca(2+) enlargement, together with cAMP-dependent protein kinase A (cGMP-dependent protein kinase G, whose activity is negatively correlated with Ca(2+) rise) mainly phosphorylate ionotropic striatal receptors, if NMDA channels are opened (closed). Therefore, the positive/negative post-tetanic Ca(2+) shift in relation to a previous Ca(2+) rise must cause NMDA-dependent LTP+LTDi/LTD+LTPi or NMDA-independent LTD+LTPi/LTP+LTDi. Dopamine D(1)/D(2) or adenosine A(2A)/A(1) receptor activation must facilitate LTP+LTDi/LTD+LTPi due to an augmenting/lowering PKA activity. Activation of muscarinic M(1)/M(4) receptors must enhance LTP+LTDi/LTD+LTPi as a consequence of an increase/decrease in the activity of protein kinase C/A. The proposed mechanism is in agreement with known experimental data.     

Balancing feed-forward excitation and inhibition via Hebbian inhibitory synaptic plasticity

It has been suggested that excitatory and inhibitory inputs to cortical cells are balanced, and that this balance is important for the highly irregular firing observed in the cortex. There are two hypotheses as to the origin of this balance. One assumes that it results from a stable solution of the recurrent neuronal dynamics. This model can account for a balance of steady state excitation and inhibition without fine tuning of parameters, but not for transient inputs. The second hypothesis suggests that the feed forward excitatory and inhibitory inputs to a postsynaptic cell are already balanced. This latter hypothesis thus does account for the balance of transient inputs. However, it remains unclear what mechanism underlies the fine tuning required for balancing feed forward excitatory and inhibitory inputs. Here we investigated whether inhibitory synaptic plasticity is responsible for the balance of transient feed forward excitation and inhibition. We address this issue in the framework of a model characterizing the stochastic dynamics of temporally anti-symmetric Hebbian spike timing dependent plasticity of feed forward excitatory and inhibitory synaptic inputs to a single post-synaptic cell. Our analysis shows that inhibitory Hebbian plasticity generates 'negative feedback' that balances excitation and inhibition, which contrasts with the 'positive feedback' of excitatory Hebbian synaptic plasticity. As a result, this balance may increase the sensitivity of the learning dynamics to the correlation structure of the excitatory inputs.     

Neuroligin 1 regulates spines and synaptic plasticity via LIMK1/cofilin-mediated actin reorganization

Neuroligin (NLG) 1 is important for synapse development and function, but the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. It is known that at least some aspects of NLG1 function are independent of the presynaptic neurexin, suggesting that the C-terminal domain (CTD) of NLG1 may be sufficient for synaptic regulation. In addition, NLG1 is subjected to activity-dependent proteolytic cleavage, generating a cytosolic CTD fragment, but the significance of this process remains unknown. In this study, we show that the CTD of NLG1 is sufficient to (a) enhance spine and synapse number, (b) modulate synaptic plasticity, and (c) exert these effects via its interaction with spine-associated Rap guanosine triphosphatase–activating protein and subsequent activation of LIM-domain protein kinase 1/cofilin–mediated actin reorganization. Our results provide a novel postsynaptic mechanism by which NLG1 regulates synapse development and function.