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Synaptic plasticity

A new partnership

Nature Reviews Neuroscience volume 12, page 5 (2011)Cite this article

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Chavez et al. focused on excitatory synapses between medial perforant path neurons and dentate granule cells in the hippocampal formation. LTD induced at these synapses was blocked by application of TRPV1 antagonists in rodent slice preparations and was absent in slices from Trpv1−/− mice, indicating that LTD is TRPV1 dependent.

Next, the authors studied the involvement of metabotropic glutamate receptors (mGluRs) in this effect, as these are known to activate TRPV1 via phospholipase C (PLC). Inhibiting mGluR5 or PLC, but not mGluR1, blocked the induction of TRPV1-dependent LTD. Postsynaptic Ca2+ also seems to be involved in TRPV1-dependent LTD, as LTD was abolished by chelating intracellular Ca2+, by blocking L-type Ca2+ channels or by depleting intracellular Ca2+ stores. In addition, inhibitors of calcineurin or dynamin — two Ca2+-dependent proteins that facilitate endocytosis of AMPARs (α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazole propionic acid receptors) — prevented LTD. The authors therefore proposed that elevated Ca2+ levels might cause LTD by increasing AMPAR internalization.

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ORIGINAL RESEARCH PAPERS

  1. Chavez, A. E. et al. TRPV1 activation by endogenous anandamide triggers postsynaptic long-term depression in dentate gyrus. Nature Neurosci. 13, 1511–1518 (2010)

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. Grueter, B. A. et al. Postsynaptic TRPV1 triggers cell type-specific long-term depression in the nucleus accumbens. Nature Neurosci. 13, 1519–1525 (2010)

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

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  1. Katie Kingwell
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Kingwell, K. A new partnership. Nat Rev Neurosci 12, 5 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrn2972

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