Translate this page to:
Swedish
In JoVE (1)
Other Publications (5)
Automatic Translation
This translation into Swedish was automatically generated.
English Version | Other Languages
Articles by Marie Vandecasteele in JoVE
JoVE Neuroscience
Storskalig inspelning av nervceller av lös Silicon sönder i Agera Gnagare
1Center for Molecular and Behavioral Neuroscience, University of New Jersey, 2Center for Interdisciplinary Research in Biology, Collège de France, 3Janelia Farm Research Campus, Howards Hughes Medical Institute, 4Deptartment of Psychology, University of Wisconsin at Milwaukee
Vi beskriver metoder för storskalig registrering av flera enskilda enheter och lokala fältet potential i uppträda gnagare med kisel sonder. Drive tillverkning, sond anknytning till enheten och sonden implantationsprocesser illustreras i tillräckliga uppgifter för enkel replikering.
Other articles by Marie Vandecasteele on PubMed
Electrical Synapses Between Dopaminergic Neurons of the Substantia Nigra Pars Compacta
Spatiotemporal properties of dopamine release play a major role both in striatal and nigral physiology because dopamine is released from nerve terminals and dendrites of nigrostriatal dopaminergic (DA) neurons. Pioneering work revealed gap junctional communication (assessed by dye-coupling experiments) between DA cells in the substantia nigra pars compacta (SNc). However, direct evidence of functional electrical synapses between DA neurons is still lacking. In this study, gap junctional communication between DA neurons was investigated in rat brain slices. Tracer coupling was observed in postnatal day 5 (P5) to P10 and P15-P25 rats. Dual whole-cell patch-clamp recordings revealed that 96% of DA neurons were coupled by electrical synapses in P7-P10 rats, and 20% were coupled in P17-P21 rats. These electrical synapses were mainly symmetrical and displayed strong low-pass filtering properties. When spontaneous firing activity was monitored, no significant synchronization was observed. Nevertheless, an efficient modulation of the spontaneous firing frequency of the postsynaptic cell occurred during injection of hyperpolarizing and depolarizing currents in the coupled presynaptic cell. Together, these observations demonstrate the existence of a fast communication between SNc DA neurons through electrical synapses.
Connexin MRNA Expression in Single Dopaminergic Neurons of Substantia Nigra Pars Compacta
Dopaminergic neurons of the substantia nigra pars compacta play a major role in goal-directed behavior and reinforcement learning. The study of their local interactions has revealed that they are connected by electrical synapses. Connexins, the molecular substrate of electrical synapses, constitute a multigenic family of 20 proteins in rodents. The permeability and regulation properties of electrical synapses depend on their connexin composition. Therefore, the knowledge of the molecular composition of electrical synapses is fundamental to the understanding of their specific functions. We have investigated the connexin mRNA expression pattern of dopaminergic neurons by single-cell RT-PCR analysis, during two periods in which dopaminergic neurons are electrically coupled in vitro (P7-P10 and P17-P21). Our results show that dopaminergic neurons express mRNAs of various connexins (Cx26, Cx30, Cx31.1, Cx32, Cx36 and Cx43) in a developmentally regulated manner. Furthermore, we have observed that dopaminergic neurons display different connexin expression patterns, and that multiple connexins can be expressed in a single dopaminergic neuron. These observations underline the importance of electrical coupling in the development of dopaminergic neurons and raise the question of the existence of functionally distinct electrically coupled networks in the substantia nigra pars compacta.
Electrical Synapses in Basal Ganglia
The basal ganglia (BG) provide a major integrative system of the forebrain involved in the organization of goal-directed behaviour. Pathological alteration of BG function leads to major motor and cognitive impairments such as observed in Parkinson's disease. Recent advances in BG research stress the role of neural oscillations and synchronization in the normal and pathological function of BG. As demonstrated in several brain structures, these patterns of neural activity can emerge from electrically coupled neuronal networks. This review aims at addressing the presence, functionality and putative role of electrical synapses in BG, with a particular emphasis on the striatum and the substantia nigra pars compacta (SNc), two main BG nuclei in which the existence and functional properties of neuronal coupling are best documented.
Chemical Transmission Between Dopaminergic Neuron Pairs
Midbrain dopaminergic (DAergic) neurons play a major regulatory role in in goal-directed behavior and reinforcement learning. DAergic neuron activity, and therefore spatiotemporal properties of dopamine release, precisely encodes reward signals. Neuronal activity is shaped both by external afferences and local interactions (chemical and electrical transmissions). Numerous hints suggest the existence of chemical interactions between DAergic neurons, but direct evidence and characterization are still lacking. Here, we show, using dual patch-clamp recordings in rat brain slices, a widespread bidirectional chemical transmission between DAergic neuron pairs. Hyperpolarizing postsynaptic potentials were partially mediated by D2-like receptors, and entirely resulted from the inhibition of the hyperpolarization-activated depolarizing current (Ih). These results constitute the first evidence in paired recordings of a chemical transmission relying on conductance decrease in mammals. In addition, we show that chemical transmission and electrical synapses frequently coexist within the same neuron pair and dynamically interact to shape DAergic neuron activity.
Electrical Coupling Between Hippocampal Astrocytes in Rat Brain Slices
Gap junctions in astrocytes play a crucial role in intercellular communication by supporting both biochemical and electrical coupling between adjacent cells. Despite the critical role of electrical coupling in the network organization of these glial cells, the electrophysiological properties of gap junctions have been characterized in cultures while no direct evidence has been sought in situ. In the present study, gap-junctional currents were investigated using simultaneous dual whole-cell patch-clamp recordings between astrocytes from rat hippocampal slices. Bidirectional electrotonic coupling was observed in 82% of the cell pairs with an average coupling coefficient of 5.1%. Double patch-clamp analysis indicated that junctional currents were independent of the transjunctional voltage over a range from -100 to +110 mV. Interestingly, astrocytic electrical coupling displayed weak low-pass filtering properties compared to neuronal electrical synapses. Finally, during uncoupling processes triggered by either the gap-junction inhibitor carbenoxolone or endothelin-1, an increase in the input resistance in the injected cell paralleled the decrease in the coupling coefficient. Altogether, these results demonstrate that hippocampal astrocytes are electrically coupled through gap-junction channels characterized by properties that are distinct from those of electrical synapses between neurons. In addition, gap-junctional communication is efficiently regulated by endogenous compounds. This is taken to represent a mode of communication that may have important implications for the functional role of astrocyte networks in situ.
