title: Strain-specific nicotinic modulation of glutamatergic transmission in the CA1 field of the rat hippocampus: August Copenhagen Irish versus Sprague-Dawley.
abstract: Prepulse inhibition (PPI), a measure of sensorimotor gating impaired in patients with schizophrenia, is more sensitive to disruption by apomorphine in prepubertal August Copenhagen Irish (ACI) than Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats. In brain regions including the hippocampus, PPI is modulated by alpha7* nicotinic receptors (nAChRs) and kynurenic acid (KYNA), a kynurenine metabolite that blocks alpha7 nAChRs. Here, KYNA levels and nAChR activities were measured in the hippocampi of 10- to 23-day-old ACI and SD rats of both sexes. Hippocampal KYNA levels were not different between ACI and SD rats. In hippocampal slices from both rat strains, choline (10 mM) evoked alpha7* nAChR-mediated type IA currents in CA1 stratum radiatum (SR) interneurons. In the presence of alpha7 nAChR antagonists, acetylcholine (ACh, 1 mM) evoked alpha4beta2* nAChR-mediated type II currents. ACh also triggered excitatory postsynaptic currents (EPSCs) that resulted from alpha3beta4* nAChR activation in glutamatergic neurons/axons synapsing onto the interneurons. The magnitude of the nicotinic responses did not differ significantly between male and female rats. Only the magnitude of alpha3beta4* nAChR responses and the frequency of spontaneous EPSCs recorded from CA1 SR interneurons differed between the rat strains, being significantly larger in ACI than SD rats. These results indicate that the alpha3beta4* nAChR activity in glutamatergic neurons/axons and the number of glutamatergic terminals synapsing onto CA1 SR interneurons are larger in prepubertal ACI than SD rats. The differential sensitivity of these rats to PPI disruption by apomorphine may result from strain-specific levels of glutamatergic activity and its strain-specific modulation by alpha3beta4* nAChRs in the hippocampus.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, University of Maryland School of Medicine, 655 W. Baltimore St., Baltimore, MD 21201, USA.
authors.forename: Manickavasagom
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Alkondon
authors.forename: Edna F R
authors.initials: EF
authors.lastname: Pereira
authors.forename: Michelle C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Potter
authors.forename: Frederick C
authors.initials: FC
authors.lastname: Kauffman
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Schwarcz
authors.forename: Edson X
authors.initials: EX
authors.lastname: Albuquerque
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001058:Apomorphine / Q000494:pharmacology; D002794:Choline / Q000494:pharmacology; D003627:Data Interpretation, Statistical; D018491:Dopamine Agonists / Q000494:pharmacology; D004594:Electrophysiology; D018690:Excitatory Amino Acid Agonists / Q000494:pharmacology; D018691:Excitatory Amino Acid Antagonists / Q000494:pharmacology; D019706:Excitatory Postsynaptic Potentials / Q000187:drug effects; D005260:Female; D005971:Glutamates / Q000502:physiology*; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000502:physiology*; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D007736:Kynurenic Acid / Q000494:pharmacology; D008297:Male; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D011978:Receptors, Nicotinic / Q000502:physiology*; D012727:Sex Characteristics; D013045:Species Specificity; D009435:Synaptic Transmission / Q000502:physiology*; D018350:alpha-Amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic Acid / Q000494:pharmacology; D064569:alpha7 Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptor
chemical_list: C579165:Chrna7 protein, rat; D018491:Dopamine Agonists; D018690:Excitatory Amino Acid Agonists; D018691:Excitatory Amino Acid Antagonists; D005971:Glutamates; D011978:Receptors, Nicotinic; D064569:alpha7 Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptor; C403530:nicotinic receptor alpha3beta4; D018350:alpha-Amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic Acid; D007736:Kynurenic Acid; D001058:Apomorphine; D002794:Choline