Differential regulation of synaptic plasticity of the hippocampal and the hypothalamic inputs to the anterior thalamus
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2009Author:
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Tsanov M, Vann SD, Erichsen JT, Wright N, Aggleton JP, O'Mara SM., Differential regulation of synaptic plasticity of the hippocampal and the hypothalamic inputs to the anterior thalamus, Hippocampus, 21, 1, 2009, 1-8Download Item:
Abstract:
The hippocampus projects to the anterior thalamic nuclei both directly and indirectly via the
mammillary bodies, but little is known about the electrophysiological properties of these
convergent pathways. Here we demonstrate, for the first time, the presence of long-term plasticity
in anterior thalamic nuclei synapses in response to high- and low-frequency stimulation in
urethane-anaesthetized rats. We compared the synaptic changes evoked via the direct versus the
indirect hippocampal pathways to the anterior thalamus, and found that long-term potentiation
(LTP) of the thalamic field response is induced predominantly through the direct hippocampal
projections. Furthermore, we have estimated that that long-term depression (LTD) can be induced
only after stimulation of the indirect connections carried by the mammillothalamic tract.
Interestingly, basal synaptic transmission mediated by the mammillothalamic tract undergoes use-
dependent, BDNF-mediated potentiation, revealing a distinct form of plasticity specific to the
diencephalic region. Our data indicate that the thalamus does not passively relay incoming
information, but rather acts as a synaptic network, where the ability to integrate hippocampal and
mammillary body inputs is dynamically modified as a result of previous activity in the circuit. The
complementary properties of these two parallel pathways upon anterior thalamic activity reveal
that they do not have duplicate functions
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Author: O'MARA, SHANE MICHAEL
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Hippocampus;21;
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