Summary
Intracellular and extracellular recordings from striatal neurons maintained in brain slices have shown that the activation of corticostriatal terminals produces excitatory postsynaptic potentials (EPSPs) mediated by the release of excitatory amino acids. Tetanic stimulation of cortical fibers induces long-term depression (LTD) of corticostriatal transmission. Membrane depolarization during the tetanus was required to produce LTD. LTD was not blocked by AVP indicating that the activation of NMDA receptors is not required for this event. LTD was blocked either by intracellular application of calcium (Ca2+)-chelators or by bath application of the Ca2+ channel blocker nifedipine suggesting that a rise in intracellular Ca2+ levels is necessary for the generation of striatal LTD. LTD was also blocked by inhibitors of Ca2+-dependent protein kinases. The role of metabotropic glutamate receptors (mGluRs) and of dopamine (DA) receptors in the formation of this form of synaptic plasticity was studied by utilizing different pharmacological and physiological approaches. When NMDA receptors were deinactivated by removing magnesium (Mg2+) from the external medium, the same tetanic stimulation which in control condition produced LTD, under this condition caused long-term potentiation (LTP) of synaptic transmission. LTP was fully blocked by NMDA-receptor antagonists. Our findings show that in the striatum it is possible to induce both LTD and LTP of excitatory synaptic transmission. These forms of synaptic plasticity may play a role in motor memory.
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© 1995 Springer-Verlag Tokyo
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Calabresi, P., Pisani, A., Mercuri, N.B., Gattoni, G., Tolu, M., Bernardi, G. (1995). Long-Term Changes of Corticostriatal Synaptic Transmission: Possible Implication for Motor Memory. In: Kimura, M., Graybiel, A.M. (eds) Functions of the Cortico-Basal Ganglia Loop. Springer, Tokyo. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-4-431-68547-0_6
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-4-431-68547-0_6
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