title: Effects of ketamine on synaptic transmission and long-term potentiation in layer II/III of rat visual cortex in vitro.
abstract: The effects of ketamine, which has NMDA receptor antagonist properties, on synaptic transmission and long-term potentiation in layer II/III of adult rat visual cortex were examined in vitro. Field potentials were recorded in layer II/III following layer IV stimulation. Primed-burst stimulation was used for induction of long-term potentiation. Stimulation of layer IV resulted in a two-component response in layer II/III, a population excitatory postsynaptic potential1 (EPSP1) and a population excitatory postsynaptic potential2 (EPSP2). DL-2-Amino-5-phosphono-valeric acid (AP5), a competitive NMDA receptor antagonist, reduced the amplitude of the population EPSP1 while ketamine increased the amplitude of the population EPSP2. The results showed that primed-burst stimulation induced long-term potentiation in layer II/III of the visual cortex in vitro. Preincubation for 30 min with AP5 (25-100 microM) reduced the extent of long-term potentiation of the population EPSP2 and blocked the induction of long-term potentiation of the population EPSP1. When ketamine (100-200 microM) was present for 30 min prior to tetanic stimulation, it blocked the induction of long-term potentiation of the population EPSP1 and reduced the extent of long-term potentiation of the population EPSP2. We conclude that ketamine can interfere with synaptic transmission in the visual cortex. Primed-burst stimulation is an effective protocol for neocortical potentiation. NMDA receptors are involved in the induction of long-term potentiation by primed-burst stimulation of the population EPSP1 and population EPSP2 in adult rat visual cortex in vitro.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology, School of Medicine, Shaheed Beheshti University of Medical Science, Tehran, Iran. salami@ibb.ut.ac.ir
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Salami
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Fathollahi
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Esteky
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Motamedi
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Atapour
mesh_terms: D015763:2-Amino-5-phosphonovalerate / Q000494:pharmacology; D000818:Animals; D002118:Calcium / Q000494:pharmacology; D004558:Electric Stimulation; D018691:Excitatory Amino Acid Antagonists / Q000494:pharmacology*; D019706:Excitatory Postsynaptic Potentials / Q000187:drug effects; D005260:Female; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D007649:Ketamine / Q000494:pharmacology*; D017774:Long-Term Potentiation / Q000187:drug effects*; D008297:Male; D051381:Rats; D009435:Synaptic Transmission / Q000187:drug effects*; D014793:Visual Cortex / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D018691:Excitatory Amino Acid Antagonists; D007649:Ketamine; D015763:2-Amino-5-phosphonovalerate; D002118:Calcium