strychnine and cyclothiazide

Hypothalamic hypocretin/orexin (hcrt/orx) neurons promote arousal and reward seeking, while reduction in their activity has been linked to narcolepsy, obesity and depression. However, the mechanisms influencing the activity of hcrt/orx networks in situ are not fully understood. Here we show that glycine, a neurotransmitter best known for its actions in the brainstem and spinal cord, elicits dose dependent postsynaptic Cl⁻ currents in hcrt/orx cells in acute mouse brain slices. The effect was blocked by the glycine receptor (GLyR) antagonist strychnine and mimicked by the GlyR agonist alanine. Postsynaptic GlyRs on hcrt/orx cells remained functional during both early postnatal and adult periods, and gramicidin-perforated patch-clamp recordings revealed that they progressively switch from excitatory to inhibitory during the first two postnatal weeks. The pharmacological profile of the glycine response suggested that developed hcrt/orx neurons contain α/β-heteromeric GlyRs that lack α2-subunits, whereas α2-subunits, whereas α2-subunits are present in early postnatal hcrt/orx neurons. All postsynaptic currents (PSCs) in developed hcrt/orx cells were blocked by inhibitors of GABA and glutamate receptors, with no evidence of GlyR-mediated PSCs. However, the frequency but not amplitude of miniature PSCs was reduced by strychnine and increased by glycine in ~50% of hcrt/orx neurons. Together, these results provide the first evidence for functional GlyRs in identified hcrt/orx circuits and suggest that the activity of developed hcrt/orx cells is regulated by two GlyR pools: inhibitory extrasynaptic GlyRs located on all hcrt/orx cells and excitatory GlyRs located on presynaptic terminals contacting some hcrt/orx cells.

Topics: 6-Cyano-7-nitroquinoxaline-2,3-dione; Aging; Alanine; Animals; Animals, Newborn; Benzothiadiazines; Chloride Channels; Electrophysiological Phenomena; GABA Antagonists; gamma-Aminobutyric Acid; Glutamic Acid; Glycine; Green Fluorescent Proteins; Hypothalamus; Intracellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins; Membrane Potentials; Mice; Mice, Transgenic; Neurons; Neuropeptides; Orexins; Patch-Clamp Techniques; Picrotoxin; Pyridazines; Receptors, GABA; Receptors, Glutamate; Receptors, Glycine; Strychnine; Synaptic Potentials

To further understand the excitatory effects of motoneurons on spinal network function, we investigated the entrainment of disinhibited rhythms by ventral root (VR) stimulation in the neonatal mouse spinal cord. A brief train of stimuli applied to a VR triggered bursting reliably in 31/32 experiments. The same roots that entrained disinhibited bursting could also produce locomotor-like activity with a similar probability when the network was not disinhibited. The ability of VR stimulation to entrain the rhythm persisted in nicotinic and muscarinic cholinergic antagonists but was blocked by the AMPAR antagonist NBQX. Bath application of the type I mGluR1 receptor antagonist CPCCOEt reduced the ability of both dorsal root and VR stimulation to entrain the disinhibited rhythm and abolished the ability of either type of stimulation to evoke locomotor-like activity. Calcium imaging through the lateral aspect of the cord revealed that VR stimulation and spontaneously occurring bursts were accompanied by a wave of activity that originated ventrally and propagated dorsally. Imaging the cut transverse face of L(5) revealed that the earliest VR-evoked optical activity began ventrolaterally. The optical activity accompanying spontaneous bursts could originate ventrolaterally, ventromedially, or throughout the mediolateral extent of the ventral horn or very occasionally dorsally. Collectively, our data indicate that VR stimulation can entrain disinhibited spinal network activity and trigger locomotor-like activity through a mechanism dependent on activation of both ionotropic and metabotropic glutamate receptors. The effects of entrainment appear to be mediated by a ventrolaterally located network that is also active during spontaneously occurring bursts.

Topics: Action Potentials; Animals; Animals, Newborn; Benzothiadiazines; Bicuculline; Biophysics; Carbodiimides; Chromones; Electric Stimulation; Electroporation; Excitatory Amino Acid Antagonists; Functional Laterality; GABA Antagonists; Glycine Agents; In Vitro Techniques; Mice; Motor Neurons; Neural Inhibition; Neural Pathways; Organic Chemicals; Quinoxalines; Reaction Time; Spectrum Analysis; Spinal Cord; Spinal Nerve Roots; Strychnine; Time Factors

Glycine and GABA are the primary inhibitory neurotransmitters in the spinal cord and brain stem, with glycine exerting its physiological roles by activating strychnine-sensitive ionotropic receptors. Glycine receptors are also expressed in the brain, including the cortex and hippocampus, but their physiological roles and pharmacological properties are largely unknown. Here, we report the pharmacological properties of functional glycine receptors in acutely isolated rat CA3 neurons using conventional whole-cell patch clamp techniques. Both glycine and taurine, which are endogenous agonists of glycine receptors, elicited Cl(-) currents in a concentration-dependent manner. The glycine-induced current (I(Gly)) was inhibited by strychnine, picrotoxin or cyclothiazide in a concentration-dependent manner. At lower concentrations (0.01-1 microM), ICS-205,930 potentiated I(Gly), but at higher concentrations (>10 microM) it inhibited I(Gly). These pharmacological properties strongly suggest that CA3 neurons express functional strychnine-sensitive glycine receptors containing alpha2 subunits. Furthermore, at lower concentrations (1-30 microM), Zn(2+) potentiated I(Gly), but at higher concentrations (>100 microM) it inhibited I(Gly). Considering that Zn(2+) is synaptically co-released with glutamate from mossy fiber terminals that make excitatory synapses onto CA3 neurons, these results suggest that endogenous Zn(2+) modulation of these glycine receptors may have an important role in the excitability of CA3 neurons.

Topics: Animals; Benzothiadiazines; Hippocampus; In Vitro Techniques; Indoles; Rats; Rats, Wistar; Receptors, Glycine; Strychnine; Tropisetron; Zinc

Rod signals traverse several synapses en route to cone bipolar cells. In one pathway, rods communicate directly with cones via gap junctions. In a second pathway, signals flow rods-rod bipolars-AII amacrines-cone bipolars. The relative contribution of each pathway to retinal function is not well understood. Here we have examined this question from the perspective of the AII amacrine. AIIs form bidirectional electrical synapses with on cone bipolars. Consequently, as on cone bipolars are activated by outer plexiform inputs, they too should contribute to the AII response. Rod bipolar inputs to AIIs were blocked by AMPA receptor antagonists, revealing a smaller, non-AMPA component of the light response. This small residual response did not reverse between -70 and +70 mV and was blocked by carbenoxolone, suggesting that the current arose in on cone bipolars and was transmitted to AIIs via gap junctions. The residual component was evident for stimuli 2 log units below cone threshold and was prolonged for bright stimuli, demonstrating that it was rod driven. Because the rod bipolar-AII pathway was blocked, the rod-driven residual current likely was generated via the rod-cone pathway activation of on cone bipolars. Thus for a large range of intensities, rod signals reach the inner retina by both rod bipolar-AII and rod-cone coupling pathways.

Topics: Amacrine Cells; Animals; Benzodiazepines; Benzothiadiazines; Diagnostic Imaging; Dose-Response Relationship, Radiation; Electric Stimulation; Excitatory Amino Acid Antagonists; Excitatory Postsynaptic Potentials; Female; Fluorescein; GABA Antagonists; Glycine Agents; In Vitro Techniques; Light; Male; Membrane Potentials; Models, Biological; Neurons; Patch-Clamp Techniques; Picrotoxin; Quinoxalines; Rabbits; Retina; Retinal Rod Photoreceptor Cells; Strychnine; Synapses; Synaptic Transmission; Visual Pathways