title: Dopamine favours the emergence of long-term depression versus long-term potentiation in slices of rat prefrontal cortex.
abstract: In the present study, we have investigated possible interactions between dopamine and long-term changes in synaptic efficacy induced in layer V pyramidal cells by tetanization of afferents from layer I-II. In the absence of dopamine, we confirmed that high frequency stimulation of excitatory afferents induced long-term potentiation, long-term depression or no change. Inversely, in the presence of dopamine, we have found that the same tetanus led to long-term depression in synaptic transmission in a majority of cells, but no more long-term potentiation. These results suggest that in rat prefrontal cortex, dopamine may determine the direction of activity dependent changes in synaptic efficacy and therefore, plays a functional role in the physiology of this structure.
authors.affiliation: CNRS ERS 0100, Laboratoire de Neurobiologie et Neuropharmacologie du développement, Université de Paris-Sud, Orsay, France.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Law-Tho
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Desce
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Crepel
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004298:Dopamine / Q000494:pharmacology*; D004558:Electric Stimulation; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D017774:Long-Term Potentiation / Q000187:drug effects*; D009473:Neuronal Plasticity; D009475:Neurons, Afferent / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D017397:Prefrontal Cortex / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D009435:Synaptic Transmission / Q000187:drug effects
chemical_list: D004298:Dopamine