hippocampal synaptic plasticity

Disinhibitory and neuromodulatory regulation of hippocampal synaptic plasticity

The CA1 pyramidal neurons are embedded in an intricate local circuitry that contains a variety of interneurons. The roles these interneurons play in the regulation of the excitatory synaptic plasticity remains largely understudied. Recent experiments showed that repeated cholinergic activation of 𝛼7 nACh receptors expressed in oriens-lacunosum-moleculare (OLM𝛼2) interneurons could induce LTP in SC-CA1 synapses. We used a biophysically realistic computational model to examine mechanistically how cholinergic activation of OLMa2 interneurons increases SC to CA1 transmission. Our results suggest that, when properly timed, activation of OLMa2 interneurons cancels the feedforward inhibition onto CA1 pyramidal cells by inhibiting fast-spiking interneurons that synapse on the same dendritic compartment as the SC, i.e., by disinhibiting the pyramidal cell dendritic compartment. Our work further describes the pairing of disinhibition with SC stimulation as a general mechanism for the induction of synaptic plasticity. We found that locally-reduced GABA release (disinhibition) paired with SC stimulation could lead to increased NMDAR activation and intracellular calcium concentration sufficient to upregulate AMPAR permeability and potentiate the excitatory synapse. Our work suggests that inhibitory synapses critically modulate excitatory neurotransmission and induction of plasticity at excitatory synapses. Our work also shows how cholinergic action on OLM interneurons, a mechanism whose disruption is associated with memory impairment, can down-regulate the GABAergic signaling into CA1 pyramidal cells and facilitate potentiation of the SC-CA1 synapse.

Presynaptic plasticity in hippocampal circuits

Christophe Mulle is a cellular neurobiologist with expertise in electrophysiology of synaptic transmission and an international leader in studies on glutamate receptors and hippocampal synaptic plasticity. He was among the first to identify and characterize functional nicotinic receptors in the mammalian brain while working in the laboratory of Jean-Pierre Changeux at the Pasteur Institute. He then generated knock-out mice for KAR subunits at the Salk Institute in the laboratory of Steve Heinemann, which have proven to be instrumental for understanding the function of these elusive glutamate receptors in synaptic function and plasticity.

DEFICIENT MEMORY, LONG-TERM POTENTIATION AND HIPPOCAMPAL SYNAPTIC PLASTICITY IN GALECTIN-4-KO MICE

FENS Forum 2026

EXPLORING CCR5-MEDIATED HIPPOCAMPAL SYNAPTIC PLASTICITY AND ASSOCIATIVE MEMORY CHANGES IN ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE

FENS Forum 2026

GLUN1/GLUN3A EXCITATORY GLYCINE RECEPTORS CONTROL VENTRAL HIPPOCAMPAL SYNAPTIC PLASTICITY AND ANXIETY-RELATED BEHAVIORS

FENS Forum 2026

PSILOCYBIN INDUCES TIME-DEPENDENT CONTRASTING EFFECTS ON HIPPOCAMPAL SYNAPTIC PLASTICITY

FENS Forum 2026

CELL-SPECIFIC EFFECT OF ATP P2X4 RECEPTORS IN HIPPOCAMPAL SYNAPTIC PLASTICITY AND STRESS/ANXIETY

FENS Forum 2026

Strain-specific differences in dopamine-related hippocampal synaptic plasticity in mice

Cannabidiol modulated compensation of radiation-induced alterations in hippocampal synaptic plasticity and neuronal function

FENS Forum 2024

Investigating hippocampal synaptic plasticity in Schizophrenia: a computational and experimental approach using MEA recordings

Bernstein Conference 2024

Exploring the impact of alpha-ketoglutarate on hippocampal synaptic plasticity in an Alzheimer's disease mouse model

FENS Forum 2024

Lifelong consumption of saturated and unsaturated fats induced the impairment of hippocampal synaptic plasticity and spatial learning and memory

FENS Forum 2024

TRESK potassium channel exerts a brake on neuronal excitability and modulates hippocampal synaptic plasticity

FENS Forum 2024

Diurnal variations in the contribution of mGlu5 receptors to hippocampal synaptic plasticity

FENS Forum 2024

Abnormal changes in hippocampal synaptic plasticity are accompanied by parvalbumin reductions in the TgF344 rat model for Alzheimer’s disease

the butyric acid precursor tributyrin modulates hippocampal synaptic plasticity and prevents spatial memory deficits: role of pparγ and ampk

Hippocampal synaptic plasticity mediates vagus nerve stimulation induced cognitive enhancement in healthy male rats

Inhibition of dopamine D3 receptors improves hippocampal synaptic plasticity and memory