title: Long-lasting NMDA receptor-mediated EPSCs in mouse striatal medium spiny neurons.
abstract: Excitatory postsynaptic currents (EPSCs) from dorsolateral medium spiny neurons (MSNs) were recorded in cortico-striatal slice preparations from postnatal day 6-8 (P6-8) and >P12 wild-type mice and mice that were lacking either the NR2A or the NR2C subunit of the N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor. EPSCs were elicited by stimulation of the excitatory afferents and the NMDA and non-NMDA receptor-mediated components were pharmacologically isolated. The ratio of these components decreased with development and was significantly reduced only between age-matched +/+ and NR2A -/- neurons. In many MSNs, the NMDA-EPSC decay was characterized by the presence of a slow exponential component with a time constant lasting >1 s regardless of genotype or age. In the NR2A -/-, no developmental increase in the decay time (Tw) of the NMDA-EPSCs was observed although it was almost twofold longer than in +/+ MSNs. NR1/NR2B antagonists were ineffective in reducing the slow NMDA-EPSCs at all ages. Input-output studies revealed differences in stimulation threshold sensitivity of MSNs based on stimulus location. High-threshold responders were preferentially identified with stimulation from intracortical locations that produced considerably faster NMDA-EPSCs, whereas low-threshold responders were mainly elicited with stimulation more proximal to the striatum and exhibited slower NMDA-EPSCs. A low-affinity competitive antagonist of NMDA receptors failed to alter the decay of NMDA-EPSCs elicited from either location, suggesting that glutamate spillover is not responsible for the long-lasting NMDA-EPSCs. Our data are consistent with the expression of a unique NMDA receptor complex in MSNs with very slow deactivation kinetics.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Georgetown University School of Medicine, Washington, DC 20007, USA.
authors.forename: Stephen M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Logan
authors.forename: John G
authors.initials: JG
authors.lastname: Partridge
authors.forename: Jose A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Matta
authors.forename: Andres
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Buonanno
authors.forename: Stefano
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Vicini
mesh_terms: D018750:6-Cyano-7-nitroquinoxaline-2,3-dione / Q000494:pharmacology; D000367:Age Factors; D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn; D003342:Corpus Striatum / Q000166:cytology*; D004307:Dose-Response Relationship, Radiation; D004558:Electric Stimulation; D018690:Excitatory Amino Acid Agonists / Q000494:pharmacology; D018691:Excitatory Amino Acid Antagonists / Q000494:pharmacology; D019706:Excitatory Postsynaptic Potentials / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology* / Q000528:radiation effects; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D018345:Mice, Knockout; D016202:N-Methylaspartate / Q000494:pharmacology; D009474:Neurons / Q000145:classification / Q000502:physiology*; D018408:Patch-Clamp Techniques / Q000379:methods; D016194:Receptors, N-Methyl-D-Aspartate / Q000172:deficiency / Q000502:physiology*; D013997:Time Factors