Featured
-
-
Article |
Modulation of dopamine release in the striatum by physiologically relevant levels of nicotine
Nicotine exposure from cigarette smoke modulates dopamine release in the brain, which is implicated in nicotine addiction, but how it does this is unclear. Here, in mouse brain slices, the authors show that nicotine inhibits cholinergic- but not dopaminergic-dependent dopamine release.
- Li Wang
- , Shujiang Shang
- & Zhuan Zhou
-
Article |
A population of glomerular glutamatergic neurons controls sensory information transfer in the mouse olfactory bulb
The olfactory bulb (OB) is involved in odour processing, but exactly how is unclear. Tatti et al.identify a population of VGluT3-expressing neurons within the OB that suppresses spontaneous and odour-evoked firing of OB output neurons via direct connections with OB output neurons and juxtaglomerular cells.
- Roberta Tatti
- , Khaleel Bhaukaurally
- & Alan Carleton
-
Article
| Open AccessOptogenetic astrocyte activation modulates response selectivity of visual cortex neurons in vivo
Astrocytes regulate activity within neuronal networks. Here, the authors use photostimulation to activate astrocytes in the mouse visual cortex, and find that this increases excitatory and inhibitory neuronal synaptic transmission via activation of type 1a metabotropic glutamate receptors.
- Gertrudis Perea
- , Aimei Yang
- & Mriganka Sur
-
Article |
A disulphide-linked heterodimer of TWIK-1 and TREK-1 mediates passive conductance in astrocytes
The physiological function of TWIK-1, a two-pore K+ channel family member, remains unclear. Here, Hwang et al. show that TWIK-1 forms a disulphide-linked heterodimer with TREK-1 to maintain passive conductance and glutamate release in astrocytes.
- Eun Mi Hwang
- , Eunju Kim
- & Jae-Yong Park
-
Article |
Mitochondrial reactive oxygen species regulate the strength of inhibitory GABA-mediated synaptic transmission
Cellular energy metabolism is essential for sustaining neuronal signalling in the brain. Acardi et al.show that mitochondrial reactive oxygen species, which are by-products of cellular metabolism, selectively strengthen inhibitory transmission by recruiting a subpopulation of GABAA receptors.
- Michael V. Accardi
- , Bryan A. Daniels
- & Derek Bowie
-
Article |
Circuit reactivation dynamically regulates synaptic plasticity in neocortex
Slow-wave neural activity, which comprises up and down states, regulates long-term potentiation. Kruskal et al. show that endogenous neural circuit activity corresponding to up states acts as a potent and dynamic promoter of long-term potentiation.
- Peter B. Kruskal
- , Lucy Li
- & Jason N MacLean
-
Article
| Open AccessControl of synaptic vesicle endocytosis by an extracellular signalling molecule
Synaptic vesicle endocytosis is required for neurotransmission at nerve terminals. Smillie et al. show that brain-derived neurotrophic factor inhibits a specific type of synaptic vesicle endocytosis, which reverses the depression of neurotransmission observed during high-intensity stimulation.
- Karen J. Smillie
- , Jonathan Pawson
- & Michael A. Cousin
-
Article |
Postsynaptic current bursts instruct action potential firing at a graded synapse
Caenorhabditis elegans studies using artificial stimulation suggest that synaptic transmission involves graded action potential generation. Liu et al. study synaptic transmission that occurs spontaneously and find that cholinergic postsynaptic currents occur in bursts to facilitate action potential firing.
- Ping Liu
- , Bojun Chen
- & Zhao-Wen Wang
-
Article |
Active cochlear amplification is dependent on supporting cell gap junctions
Outer hair cell electromotility contributes to the cochlear amplifier during hearing. Here the authors find that targeted-deletion of the gap junction protein connexin 26 results in reduced electromotility of outer hair cells, reduced cochlear amplification and hearing loss in mice.
- Yan Zhu
- , Chun Liang
- & Hong-Bo Zhao
-
Article |
Interstitial cells of Cajal integrate excitatory and inhibitory neurotransmission with intestinal slow-wave activity
Interstitial cells of Cajal generate rhythmic pacemaker currents, which result in rhythmic bowel contractions. Klein and colleagues use knock-in mutations to inactivate these cells in mice and find that they modulate bowel contractions by integrating excitatory and inhibitory neurotransmission in the gut.
- Sabine Klein
- , Barbara Seidler
- & Dieter Saur
-
Article |
Role of dopamine D2 receptors in plasticity of stress-induced addictive behaviours
Synaptic plasticity in the nucleus accumbens is implicated in stress and addiction. Sim et al. study mice deficient in dopamine D2 receptors, and find an increase in anxiety behaviour and reduced addictive behaviour in response to stress, both of which are associated with changes in nucleus accumbens activity.
- Hye-ri Sim
- , Tae-Yong Choi
- & Ja-Hyun Baik
-
Article |
A C-terminal PDZ domain-binding sequence is required for striatal distribution of the dopamine transporter
The mechanisms controlling dopamine transporter (DAT) levels in the striatum are poorly understood. Rickhag and colleagues generate DAT knock-in mice with disrupted PDZ-binding motifs and find that PDZ-domain interactions are necessary for distribution of DAT to striatal nerve terminals.
- Mattias Rickhag
- , Freja Herborg Hansen
- & Ulrik Gether
-
Article |
Synapsin II desynchronizes neurotransmitter release at inhibitory synapses by interacting with presynaptic calcium channels
The arrival of action potentials at nerve terminals often leads to synchronous neurotransmitter release. Medrihan and colleagues use electrophysiology on mouse hippocampal neurons to show that the vesicle protein Synapsin II promotes GABAergic asynchronous release by interacting with calcium channels.
- Lucian Medrihan
- , Fabrizia Cesca
- & Fabio Benfenati
-
Article |
Mirror neurons in monkey area F5 do not adapt to the observation of repeated actions
The repeated presentation of observed action is hypothesized to result in the reduction in firing rates of mirror neurons in premotor areas of the cortex. In this study, it is shown that monkey premotor area F5 mirror neurons, unlike local field potentials, do not display suppression to repetitive stimuli.
- Vittorio Caggiano
- , Joern K. Pomper
- & Peter Thier
-
Article |
Opposing regulation of dopaminergic activity and exploratory motor behavior by forebrain and brainstem cholinergic circuits
Dopaminergic circuits are implicated in exploratory motor behaviour and are modulated by acetylcholine. Using transgenic mouse models, Patelet al. find that loss of forebrain acetylcholine results in exaggerated dopamine efflux and hyperactivity, whereas loss of brainstem acetylcholine leads to hypoactivity.
- Jyoti C. Patel
- , Elsa Rossignol
- & Robert P. Machold
-
Article
| Open AccessSynGAP isoforms exert opposing effects on synaptic strength
Synaptic GTPase-activating protein, SynGAP, is a postsynaptic signalling protein that can regulate synaptic function. McMahonet al. express different SynGAP isoforms in neurons and find that the effect on synaptic strength depends on alternative promoter usage and alternative splicing of the C-terminus.
- A.C. McMahon
- , M.W. Barnett
- & P.C. Kind
-
Article
| Open AccessIntracellular chloride concentration influences the GABAA receptor subunit composition
During development there is a change in the expression of GABAA receptor subunits. Here, Succol and colleagues show that chloride ions mediate the change in α3-α1 and δ-containing GABAAreceptors that mediate phasic and tonic inhibition, respectively.
- Francesca Succol
- , Hubert Fiumelli
- & Andrea Barberis
-
Article
| Open AccessLIS1-dependent retrograde translocation of excitatory synapses in developing interneuron dendrites
Maturation of synaptic junctions is important for proper neuronal connections. Using live cell imaging, Okabeet al. show that interneuron dendrites extend filopodia-like projections and use microtubule-dependent retrograde transport to guide proper synaptic distribution on dendrites.
- Izumi Kawabata
- , Yutaro Kashiwagi
- & Shigeo Okabe
-
Article
| Open AccessStructure of the pentameric ligand-gated ion channel ELIC cocrystallized with its competitive antagonist acetylcholine
The pentameric ligand gated ion channel fromErwinia chrysanthemi(ELIC) is similar in structure to the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor, a member of the Cys-loop receptor family. This study reports the crystal structure of ELIC bound to acetylcholine and shows that acetylcholine is a competitive antagonist of ELIC.
- Jianjun Pan
- , Qiang Chen
- & Pei Tang
-
Article |
Rapid adaptation to food availability by a dopamine-mediated morphogenetic response
Food availability elicits behavioural and developmental responses. Adamset al. show that, in sea urchin larvae, food availability mediates developmental plasticity by regulating changes in arm length through dopamine signalling, a pathway widely used to mediate food-induced behavioural responses.
- Diane K. Adams
- , Mary A. Sewell
- & Lynne M. Angerer
-
Article
| Open AccessExtrasynaptic vesicle recycling in mature hippocampal neurons
In the classical model, fast neuronal signalling occurs at specialized presynaptic terminals. Now, Ratnayakaet al. show that stimulus-driven fusion and recycling of synaptic vesicles can occur at axonal sites remote from conventional synapses. These findings have implications for dynamic forms of neuron–neuron communication.
- Arjuna Ratnayaka
- , Vincenzo Marra
- & Kevin Staras
-
Article |
Phosphatidylinositol(4,5)bisphosphate coordinates actin-mediated mobilization and translocation of secretory vesicles to the plasma membrane of chromaffin cells
The role of phosphatidylinositol(4,5)bisphosphate in exocytosis is unclear. This study shows that inhibition of the p110δ isoform of PI3-kinase promotes a transient increase in phosphatidylinositol(4,5)bisphosphate, leading to a potentiation of exocytosis in chromaffin cells.
- Peter J. Wen
- , Shona L. Osborne
- & Frédéric A. Meunier
-
Article
| Open AccessTonic excitation or inhibition is set by GABAA conductance in hippocampal interneurons
Ambient levels of the neurotransmitter GABA tonically activate GABAA. Song et al.show that GABA can have both excitatory and inhibitory effects on hippocampal interneurons and find that low levels of GABA-mediated conductance are excitatory, whereas higher levels result in shunting inhibition.
- Inseon Song
- , Leonid Savtchenko
- & Alexey Semyanov
-
Article |
Atomistic mechanism for the activation and desensitization of an AMPA-subtype glutamate receptor
Upon agonist binding, ionotropic glutamate receptors are activated and then become desensitized, but the detailed molecular events of this process are unclear. Here, molecular dynamics simulations are used to probe how conformational changes of the ligand-binding domain are transmitted to the transmembrane domain.
- Hao Dong
- & Huan-Xiang Zhou
-
Article |
Optogenetic analysis of synaptic transmission in the central nervous system of the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans
Pair-wise electrophysiology is difficult inCaenorhabditis elegansbecause the recordings are relatively short-lived. In this study, the authors investigate the synaptic currents associated with escape responses by immobilizing worms on a micropatterned agar substrate and stimulating neurons using channelrhodopsin-2.
- Theodore H. Lindsay
- , Tod R. Thiele
- & Shawn R. Lockery
-
Article |
Ligand-specific deactivation time course of GluN1/GluN2D NMDA receptors
N-methyl-D-aspartate receptors mediate excitatory synaptic transmission, and those containing GluN2D subunits have an unusually long deactivation time. Vance et al. show that the conformational variability of the ligand-binding domain and the structure of the activating ligand influence deactivation time.
- Katie M. Vance
- , Noriko Simorowski
- & Hiro Furukawa
-
Article |
A modern ionotropic glutamate receptor with a K+ selectivity signature sequence
Glutamate is the major excitatory neurotransmitter in the mammalian nervous system. Here, a glutamate receptor is reported that has properties intermediate to those of bacterial and eukaryotic glutamate-gated ion channels, suggesting a link in the evolution of ionotropic glutamate receptors.
- H. Janovjak
- , G. Sandoz
- & E. Y. Isacoff
-
Article
| Open AccessIh-mediated depolarization enhances the temporal precision of neuronal integration
In neurons, GABAA receptors mediate feed-forward inhibition by shunting excitatory currents and hyperpolarizing neurons. Here, the authors show that the hyperpolarization-activated mixed cation current is critical for determining the resting membrane potential and reversal potential for GABAA-mediated currents.
- Ivan Pavlov
- , Annalisa Scimemi
- & Matthew C. Walker