Plasticity of GABAergic Synapses

Plasticity of GABAergic Synapses
Author: Andrea Barberis
Publisher: Frontiers Media SA
Total Pages: 177
Release: 2016-01-22
Genre: Learning
ISBN: 2889197328

Download Plasticity of GABAergic Synapses Book in PDF, Epub and Kindle

Learning and memory are believed to depend on plastic changes of neuronal circuits due to activity-dependent potentiation or depression of specific synapses. During the last two decades, plasticity of brain circuits was hypothesized to mainly rely on the flexibility of glutamatergic excitatory synapses, whereas inhibitory synapses were assumed relatively invariant, to ensure stable and reliable control of the neuronal network. As a consequence, while considerable efforts were made to clarify the main mechanisms underlying plasticity at excitatory synapses, the study of the cellular/molecular mechanisms of inhibitory plasticity has received much less attention. Nevertheless, an increasing body of evidence has revealed that inhibitory synapses undergo several types of plasticity at both pre- and postsynaptic levels. Given the crucial role of inhibitory interneurons in shaping network activities, such as generation of oscillations, selection of cell assemblies and signal integration, modifications of the inhibitory synaptic strength represents an extraordinary source of versatility for the fine control of brain states. This versatility also results from the rich diversity of GABAergic neurons in several brain areas, the specific role played by each inhibitory neuron subtype within a given circuit, and the heterogeneity of the properties and modulation of GABAergic synapses formed by specific interneuron classes. The molecular mechanisms underlying the potentiation or depression of inhibitory synapses are now beginning to be unraveled. At the presynaptic level, retrograde synaptic signaling was demonstrated to modulate GABA release, whereas postsynaptic forms of plasticity involve changes in the number/gating properties of GABAA receptors and/or shifts of chloride gradients. In addition, recent research indicates that GABAergic tonic inhibition can also be plastic, adding a further level of complexity to the control of the excitatory/inhibitory balance in the brain. The present Topic will focus on plasticity of GABAergic synapses, with special emphasis on the molecular mechanisms of plasticity induction and/or expression.

Extrasynaptic GABAA Receptors

Extrasynaptic GABAA Receptors
Author: Adam C. Errington
Publisher: Springer
Total Pages: 301
Release: 2014-09-22
Genre: Medical
ISBN: 149391426X

Download Extrasynaptic GABAA Receptors Book in PDF, Epub and Kindle

GABA is the principal inhibitory neurotransmitter in the CNS and acts via GABAA and GABAB receptors. Recently, a novel form of GABAA receptor-mediated inhibition, termed “tonic” inhibition, has been described. Whereas synaptic GABAA receptors underlie classical “phasic” GABAA receptor-mediated inhibition (inhibitory postsynaptic currents), tonic GABAA receptor-mediated inhibition results from the activation of extrasynaptic receptors by low concentrations of ambient GABA. Extrasynaptic GABAA receptors are composed of receptor subunits that convey biophysical properties ideally suited to the generation of persistent inhibition and are pharmacologically and functionally distinct from their synaptic counterparts. This book highlights ongoing work examining the properties of recombinant and native extrasynaptic GABAA receptors and their preferential targeting by endogenous and clinically relevant agents. In addition, it emphasizes the important role of extrasynaptic GABAA receptors in GABAergic inhibition throughout the CNS and identifies them as a major player in both physiological and pathophysiological processes.

Inhibitory Synaptic Plasticity

Inhibitory Synaptic Plasticity
Author: Melanie A. Woodin
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
Total Pages: 191
Release: 2010-11-02
Genre: Medical
ISBN: 1441969780

Download Inhibitory Synaptic Plasticity Book in PDF, Epub and Kindle

This volume will explore the most recent findings on cellular mechanisms of inhibitory plasticity and its functional role in shaping neuronal circuits, their rewiring in response to experience, drug addiction and in neuropathology. Inhibitory Synaptic Plasticity will be of particular interest to neuroscientists and neurophysiologists.

Plasticity of GABAergic Synapses in the Ventral Tegmental Area During Withdrawal from In Vivo Ethanol Administration

Plasticity of GABAergic Synapses in the Ventral Tegmental Area During Withdrawal from In Vivo Ethanol Administration
Author:
Publisher:
Total Pages: 0
Release: 2002
Genre:
ISBN:

Download Plasticity of GABAergic Synapses in the Ventral Tegmental Area During Withdrawal from In Vivo Ethanol Administration Book in PDF, Epub and Kindle

Ethanol consummatory behavior seems modulated through GAEAA receptors in the ventral tegmental area (VTA). Previous exposure to ethanol enhances ethanol self-administration, but the mechanisms underlying this phenomenon is poorly understood. The purpose of Specific aim 1 was to examine changes occurring at GABA synapses onto VTA DA neurons after a single in vivo exposure to ethanol, and we have accomplished it. We observed that a single in vivo exposure to ethanol both shifted paired-pulse facilitation (PPF) to paired pulse depression (PPD) and increased ethanol self-administration. An increased frequency of spontaneous miniature GABAA IPSCs (mIPSCs) was also observed in the ethanol-treated animals. Further, the shift to PPD in the ethanol treated mice depended upon activation of presynaptic GABAa receptors. Forskolin increased the amplitude of GABAA IPSCs and the frequency of mIPSCs in the saline- but not in the ethanol-treated mice. Conversely, a protein kinase A (PKA) inhibitor significantly decreased both frequency of spontaneous mIPSCs and amplitude of GABAA IPSCs in the ethanol-treated mice. Our results indicate that potentiation of GABAergic synapses, via a PKA-dependent mechanism, occurs in the VTA after a single in vivo ethanol exposure, and such a potentiation might be a key synaptic modification underlying increased ethanol intake.

Jasper's Basic Mechanisms of the Epilepsies

Jasper's Basic Mechanisms of the Epilepsies
Author: Jeffrey Noebels
Publisher: OUP USA
Total Pages: 1258
Release: 2012-06-29
Genre: Medical
ISBN: 0199746540

Download Jasper's Basic Mechanisms of the Epilepsies Book in PDF, Epub and Kindle

Jasper's Basic Mechanisms, Fourth Edition, is the newest most ambitious and now clinically relevant publishing project to build on the four-decade legacy of the Jasper's series. In keeping with the original goal of searching for "a better understanding of the epilepsies and rational methods of prevention and treatment.", the book represents an encyclopedic compendium neurobiological mechanisms of seizures, epileptogenesis, epilepsy genetics and comordid conditions. Of practical importance to the clinician, and new to this edition are disease mechanisms of genetic epilepsies and therapeutic approaches, ranging from novel antiepileptic drug targets to cell and gene therapies.

Cognitive Plasticity in Neurologic Disorders

Cognitive Plasticity in Neurologic Disorders
Author: Joseph I. Tracy
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
Total Pages: 433
Release: 2014-12-02
Genre: Medical
ISBN: 0199965242

Download Cognitive Plasticity in Neurologic Disorders Book in PDF, Epub and Kindle

This volume makes clear that the cognitive and behavioural symptoms of neurologic disorders and syndromes are dynamic and changing. Each chapter describes the neuroplastic processes at work in a particular condition, giving rise to these ongoing cognitive changes.