Charcon (L5+) Flashcards
What causes post-synaptic potentials?
The activation of the post-synaptic receptors via binding of neurotrasmitters (glutamate for ex)
What does Hebb’s postulate state?
Neurons that fire together, wire together
When axon of cell A excites cell B repeatedly, some growth process/metabolic changes take place in one or both cells such that A’s efficiency as one of the cells firing B is increased
What is Hebbian plasticity vs non-hebbian plasticity?
All synaptic connections are plastic!!
Some obey Hebb’s postulate → correlations between pre and post-synaptic activities underlie plasticity
Some don’t obber Hebb’s postulate
What protocol is commonly used to induce in the Scaffer collaterals synapsing onto CA1 cells in the hippocampus?
- Stimulate Scaffer collaterals (axons of CA3) and record from CA1 cells
- Give test pulses (1-2/min) for ~15min → measure EPSP amplitude in CA1 and normalize to 100%
- Give x Hz tetanus for ~D=15mins
- Go back to test pulses and measure EPSP
*Keep in mind that these stimuli are highly artificial
How is the tetanus measured?
T = 1/f = Hz
What is seen in CA1 cells in the case of 3Hz, 10Hz, 50Hz tetanus stimulation of the Schaffer collaterals with an electrode?
1Hz → LTD
10 Hz → No Long Term net change
50 Hz → LTP
*EPSP slope/magnitude/current can be measured
What are the main characteristics of NMDA receptors?
At rest, NMDAr blocked by Mg2+
When AP, Glutamate is released into the synaptice cleft → binds AMPAr and NMDAr
Depolarization initiated by AMPAr allowign entry of Na+ → postsynaptic depolarization → removal Mg2+ → entre of Na+/Ca2+ through NMDA receptors
NMDAr are (unlike AMPAr):
1) Voltage dependent
2) Ca permeable
Which experiment was done to prove that plasticity requires NMDA receptors?
- Block NMDAr with different concentrations of APV
- Apply tetanus protocol (1sec @ 100Hz, 3 times) → look at Long Term Plasticity
Results:
0 APV → LTP
15uM APV → LTD
50-100 uM APV → No net change (no long term potentiation) high enough concentration
*All these effects were reversible when media with APV was replaced by media without
Conclusion → NMDA receptors are required for plasticity induction
What experiment was done to prove that plasticity requires calcium?
Induction of Long Term Potentiation (protocol) in cells with different concentrations of EGTA
*EGTA is a Ca2+ chelator → binds to Ca2+ and prevents it to interact with other proteins inside the cells
Results:
0.5mM EGTA → LTP (Similar to standard conditions)
10mM EGTA → LTD
20mM EGTA → No LT plasticity
Conclusion → Calcium in the cell is required for plasticity induction
What are the cellular mechanism allowing for induction of Long Term Depression?
Moderate Ca entry in postsynaptic terminal → Ca interaction with high affinity Protein Phosphatase → Dephosphorylaiton of AMPAr → higher removal of AMPAr from the postsynaptic membrane → smaller EPSP
What cellular mechanism allows for induction of Long Term Potentiation?
Large amounts of Ca entry through NMDA receptors → interaction between Ca and Protein Kinase C and with Calmodulin kinase II → Substrate phosphorylation → Increased insertion of AMPAr in membrane → higher EPSP
*This mechanism over powers the Protein phosphatase/AMPAr removal mechanism at high Ca concentration, but does not have high enough affinity to be seen at lower Ca concentrations
What explains the equilibrium point at which no net change in long term palsticity is seen?
At a specific Ca concentration in the postsynaptic terminal, the rate removal of AMPAr by Protein Phosphatase is the same as the insertion by Kinase C/Calmodulin kinase II which does not change the # AMPAr → same Depolarization of the membrane (EPSP amplitude)
In summary, what is required for LTD vs LTP?
Both require Calcium entry via the NMDA receptor
LTD requires moderate NMDA activation/moderate calcium entry
LTD requires strong NMDA activation/high calcium elevation
How are place fields affected by the presence/absence of LTP?
Stability of place fields requires plasticity
In an envrionment in which there are no changes, place fields remain stable, but in the absence of LTP, they do not
Which experiment allows us to state that NMDAreceptors are required for spatial memory?
Setup:
Put mouse in a pond of water with a plateform underwater so the animal can’t see it, but has a cue card as external visual cue. remove the plateform and measure how much time the animal spends in each quadrant of that pond.
Ctrl animal spends significantly more time in the quadrant with the plateform
AP5 animal (AP5 blocks NMDA receptors) spends equal amount of time in all quadrants (no spatial memory)
What is the effect of selective KO of LTP on the formation of place fields?
Selective KO of LTPlasticity does NOT prevent the formation of place fields
Selective KO of LTO does prevent place field retention
→The relationship between plasticity and place fields if complex!
Explain the plasticity induced pairing protocol that allow to study Spike Timing Dependent Plasticity.
- Stimulating electrode in the axons of the Schaffer collaterals = Presynaptic signal
- Recording electrode in the CA1 pyramidal cell can inject current to depolarize the membrane to simulate postsynaptic signal
According to Hebb’s postulate:
Pre spike before post → Strengthening (LTP)
Post spike before pre → Weakening (LTD)
*This relationship is time dependent/spike timing dependent → if the 2 spiking actvities are farther appart, the effect on plasticity decreases
How can Spike Timind Dependent Plasticity (STDP) explain the elongation/shift of the place fields in the experiment with the rat running in a straight line 15x?
Neurons situated before the CA1 fire before the CA1 (post) → potentiation
*Further spikes longer before, so less potentiation than just before
Neurons after CA1 fire after → depression
*These cells would still fire, but the spiking is so weak that it might no be enough to generate AP in the CA1 cell
What are the different requirement for plasticity and memory retention in CA1 pyramidal cells?
Plasticity in CA1 requires NMDA receptor + Ca2+
Memory retention requires NMDA receptors (Shown by plateform in a pawn exp. with ctrl and AP5mice)
What animal model did Kendel use for its studies on learning and plasticity? Why?
Aplysia Californica
→ Simple invertebrate, slow moving gastropod mollusk
→ Very few neurons ~20,000 (compared to avg person ~ 10^11 neurons)
Has reproducible behaviour in response to unitary stimuli → Gill withdrawal reflex, you don’t have to train the animal
When you touch the Siphon, the animal will withdraw its gill
What happens in aplysia when Siphon is repeatidly touched?
What happens when we then give a tail shock?
Over multiple stimulation of the siphon, Gill movement amplitude decreases → habituation
After tail shock, when we stimulate the siphon, Gill movement comes back to original amplitude of withdrawal and even more (dishabituation / potentiation)
Conclusions:
1. A. Californica habituates to repeated harmless stimuli
2. Harmful stimuli negates this habituation
→ Nice 1:1 relationship between habituation and change in behaviour
What is the neural anatomy of Aplysia like?
From head → tail:
1. Buccal ganglion (mouth)
2. Cerebral ganglion (brain)
3. Pleural ganglion
4. Pedal ganglion (involved in motor control)
5. Abdominal ganglion (Gill withdrawal, LE sensory neuron + L7)
*Pedal ganglion can be dissected and put in a dish for spiking and recording
What neural circuit is recorded from in Aplysia?
Ganglions have huge cells (~1mm diameter sooma) which allows to label and record from specific cells/same cells from animal to animal
Spiphon → LE (sensory neuron/pre) → L7 (motor neuron/post) → Gill
*Reproducible with different animals
Tail has sensory neuron in it too → modulatory interneuron → presynaptic terminal of the siphon’s sensory neurons (not onto motor neuron directly)
How can we see the habituation behaviour as neural activity?
With repeated Sensory neuron AP → reduction in motor neuron EPSP (mV)
Also see dishabituation after tail shock
How can plasticity in aplysia be qualified?
Non-associative / Non-hebbian
→ there is no association between pre and post activity
What occurs are the cellular level when habituation is seen in aplysia, in response to repeated siphon stimulus?
Everything happens in the presynaptic side (non-associative memory)
Repated stimulation leads to weaker post-synaptic responses in motor neurons (post)
- Lower number of available synaptic vesicles underlies short-term habituation
- Lower number of synaptic connections between sensory and motor neurons underliers long-term habituation
How is short-term vs long-term sensitization done in aplysia?
Few tail shocks → short-term sensitization (ex: 1 single tail shock → sensitization ~ 150% for 1h)
Many tail shocks → long-term sensitization (ex: multiple trains over multiple days → increase au 900% over 7 days)
What general neural mechanism underlies sensitization in aplysia in the context of a tail shock?
Interneuron from tail releases serotonin onto presynaptic terminal of the siphon sensory neuron → increase in the motor neuron EPSP (post, but due to a change in pre only)
Sensitization is governed by synaptic facilitation mediated by serotonin (5HT)
Explain the neural mechanism underlying short-term facilitation by serotonin.
*PRESEYNAPTIC MECHANISM
1. Facilitatory interneuron releases serotonin onto the presynaptic terminal of a sensory neuron
2. Serotonin binds to G-protein coupled Serotonin receptor (metabotropic = activates signaling pathways, doesn’t change ion entry) → activates G protein
3. Active G protein → cAMP production by adenylyl cyclase
4. cAMP activated Protein kinase A → different effects (catalytic and regulatory subunits)
- Allows opening of K+ channel → K+ ions flow out of the cell → greater depolarization of the presynaptic terminal by Na+??
- Increeased probability of opening of Ca2+ channels for Ca2+ entry
- More Ca2+ in the presynaptic terminal increases the probability of exocytosis of the glutamate vesicles into the synaptic cleft
→ more glutamate can bind to the postsynpatic motor neuron receptors
Explain the neural mechanism underlying long-term facilitation by serotonin.
- Facilitatory interneurons release glutamate onto the presynaptic terminal of the siphon sensory neuron
… - cAMP signaling goes back to the nucleus
- Increses expression of Ubiquitin hydrolase
- Causes increase in # of new synapses/synaptic connections + increase # of presynaptic vesicles (pool of vesicles)
*All plasticity in aplysia is due to a change in the amount of glutamate being released by presymaptic side