title: Cyclic changes in NMDA receptor activation in hippocampal CA1 neurons after ischemia.
abstract: We studied N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor-mediated synaptic potentials in CA1 pyramidal neurons using hippocampal slices of gerbils after transient forebrain ischemia. In the presence of 6-cyano-7-nitroquinoxaline-2,3-dione (CNQX) and bicuculline, stimulation of Schaffer collateral/commissural fibers induced field excitatory postsynaptic potentials (fEPSP) activated by NMDA receptors. We found that in many slices after ischemia, prolonged low-frequency stimulation (0.1-10 Hz) caused repeated depression and potentiation of the NMDA-mediated fEPSP. Changes in fEPSP amplitude were dependent on stimulus frequency and the cycle frequency ranged from 0.08 to 2.5 cycles/min. These cyclic changes were blocked by application of BAPTA-AM, a membrane-permeable Ca2+ chelator, but were little affected by application of verapamil or by lowering the Ca2+ in bathing solution. Intracellular recordings from CA1 neurons revealed that low-frequency stimulation caused periodic depolarizations of membrane potential accompanied by depression of the excitatory postsynaptic potentials. The cyclic changes of fEPSPs were blocked by inhibitors of protein kinase C (PKC) but were unaffected by inhibitors of Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CaMKII) or myosin light-chain kinase (MLCK). These results suggest that stimulus-dependent NMDA-receptor activation, mediated by PKC, takes place in the postischemic CA1 neurons and that the cyclic change may reflect abnormal intracellular Ca2+ signaling processes leading to neuronal degeneration.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgical Neurology, Jichi Medical School, Tochigi-ken, Japan.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Oguro
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Miyawaki
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Cho
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Yokota
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Masuzawa
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Tsubokawa
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Kawai
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002545:Brain Ischemia / Q000378:metabolism*; D002118:Calcium / Q000494:pharmacology; D004533:Egtazic Acid / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000494:pharmacology; D019706:Excitatory Postsynaptic Potentials / Q000502:physiology*; D005849:Gerbillinae; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000378:metabolism*; D009474:Neurons / Q000502:physiology; D018408:Patch-Clamp Techniques; D016194:Receptors, N-Methyl-D-Aspartate / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D016194:Receptors, N-Methyl-D-Aspartate; C070379:1,2-bis(2-aminophenoxy)ethane N,N,N',N'-tetraacetic acid acetoxymethyl ester; D004533:Egtazic Acid; D002118:Calcium