title: Nicotinic and muscarinic reduction of unitary excitatory postsynaptic potentials in sensory cortex; dual intracellular recording in vitro.
abstract: We studied the cholinergic modulation of glutamatergic transmission between neighboring layer 5 regular-spiking pyramidal neurons in somatosensory cortical slices from young rats (P10-P26). Brief bath application of 5-10 microM carbachol, a nonspecific cholinergic agonist, decreased the amplitude of evoked unitary excitatory postsynaptic potentials (EPSPs). This effect was blocked by 1 microM atropine, a muscarinic receptor antagonist. Nicotine (10 microM), in contrast to carbachol, reduced EPSPs in nominally magnesium-free solution but not in the presence of 1 mM Mg+2, indicating the involvement of NMDA receptors. Likewise, when the postsynaptic cell was depolarized under voltage clamp to allow NMDA receptor activation in the presence of 1 mM Mg+2, synaptic currents were reduced by nicotine. Nicotinic EPSP reduction was prevented by the NMDA receptor antagonist D-AP5 (50 microM) and by the nicotinic receptor antagonist mecamylamine (10 microM). Both carbachol and nicotine reduced short-term depression of EPSPs evoked by 10 Hz stimulation, indicating that EPSP reduction happens via reduction of presynaptic glutamate release. In the case of nicotine, several possible mechanisms for NMDAR-dependent EPSP reduction are discussed. As a result of NMDA receptor dependence, nicotinic EPSP reduction may serve to reduce the local spread of cortical excitation during heightened sensory activity.
authors.affiliation: New York University Center for Neural Science, New York, NY 10003, USA. rlevy@cns.nyu.edu
authors.forename: Robert B
authors.initials: RB
authors.lastname: Levy
authors.forename: Alex D
authors.initials: AD
authors.lastname: Reyes
authors.forename: Chiye
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Aoki
mesh_terms: D000109:Acetylcholine / Q000494:pharmacology; D000818:Animals; D001285:Atropine / Q000494:pharmacology; D002217:Carbachol / Q000494:pharmacology*; D018679:Cholinergic Agonists / Q000494:pharmacology*; D019706:Excitatory Postsynaptic Potentials / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D018698:Glutamic Acid / Q000378:metabolism; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D008274:Magnesium / Q000494:pharmacology; D008464:Mecamylamine / Q000494:pharmacology; D018727:Muscarinic Antagonists / Q000494:pharmacology; D009538:Nicotine / Q000494:pharmacology*; D018722:Nicotinic Agonists / Q000494:pharmacology*; D018733:Nicotinic Antagonists / Q000494:pharmacology; D017966:Pyramidal Cells / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D016194:Receptors, N-Methyl-D-Aspartate / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000502:physiology; D013003:Somatosensory Cortex / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D018679:Cholinergic Agonists; D018727:Muscarinic Antagonists; D018722:Nicotinic Agonists; D018733:Nicotinic Antagonists; D016194:Receptors, N-Methyl-D-Aspartate; D018698:Glutamic Acid; D008464:Mecamylamine; D009538:Nicotine; D001285:Atropine; D002217:Carbachol; D008274:Magnesium; D000109:Acetylcholine