Multivesicular release underlies short term synaptic potentiation independent of release probability change in the supraoptic nucleus

PLoS One. 2013 Sep 24;8(9):e77402. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0077402. eCollection 2013.

Abstract

Magnocellular neurons of the supraoptic nucleus receive glutamatergic excitatory inputs that regulate the firing activity and hormone release from these neurons. A strong, brief activation of these excitatory inputs induces a lingering barrage of tetrodotoxin-resistant miniature EPSCs (mEPSCs) that lasts for tens of minutes. This is known to accompany an immediate increase in large amplitude mEPSCs. However, it remains unknown how long this amplitude increase can last and whether it is simply a byproduct of greater release probability. Using in vitro patch clamp recording on acute rat brain slices, we found that a brief, high frequency stimulation (HFS) of afferents induced a potentiation of mEPSC amplitude lasting up to 20 min. This amplitude potentiation did not correlate with changes in mEPSC frequency, suggesting that it does not reflect changes in presynaptic release probability. Nonetheless, neither postsynaptic calcium chelator nor the NMDA receptor antagonist blocked the potentiation. Together with the known calcium dependency of HFS-induced potentiation of mEPSCs, our results imply that mEPSC amplitude increase requires presynaptic calcium. Further analysis showed multimodal distribution of mEPSC amplitude, suggesting that large mEPSCs were due to multivesicular glutamate release, even at late post-HFS when the frequency is no longer elevated. In conclusion, high frequency activation of excitatory synapses induces lasting multivesicular release in the SON, which is independent of changes in release probability. This represents a novel form of synaptic plasticity that may contribute to prolonged excitatory tone necessary for generation of burst firing of magnocellular neurons.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • In Vitro Techniques
  • Kinetics
  • Male
  • Neuronal Plasticity / drug effects
  • Neurons / cytology*
  • Neurons / drug effects
  • Neurons / metabolism*
  • Probability
  • Rats
  • Rats, Sprague-Dawley
  • Supraoptic Nucleus / cytology*
  • Supraoptic Nucleus / drug effects
  • Supraoptic Nucleus / physiology
  • Synapses / drug effects
  • Synapses / physiology*
  • Synaptic Potentials* / drug effects
  • Tetrodotoxin / toxicity

Substances

  • Tetrodotoxin

Grants and funding

This work was funded by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (Discovery Grant 298916-2011). (http://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/index_eng.asp) The funder had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.