Characterization of the time course of changes of the evoked electrical activity in a model of a chemically-induced neuronal plasticity.
BACKGROUND
Neuronal plasticity is initiated by transient elevations of neuronal networks activity leading to changes of synaptic properties and providing the basis for memory and learning 1. An increase of electrical activity can be caused by electrical stimulation 2 or by pharmacological manipulations: elevation of extracellular K+ 3, blockage of inhibitory pathways 4 or by an increase of second messengers intracellular concentrations 5. Neuronal plasticity is mediated by several biochemical pathways leading to the modulation of synaptic strength, density of ionic channels and morphological changes of neuronal arborisation 6. On a time scale of a few minutes, neuronal plasticity is mediated by local protein trafficking 7 while, in order to sustain modifications beyond 2-3 h, changes of gene expression are required 8.


RESULTS
In the present manuscript we analysed the time course of changes of the evoked electrical activity during neuronal plasticity and we correlated it with a transcriptional analysis of the underlying changes of gene expression. Our investigation shows that treatment for 30 min. with the GABAA receptor antagonist gabazine (GabT) causes a potentiation of the evoked electrical activity occurring 2-4 hours after GabT and the concomitant up-regulation of 342 genes. Inhibition of the ERK1/2 pathway reduced but did not abolish the potentiation of the evoked response caused by GabT. In fact not all the genes analysed were blocked by ERK1/2 inhibitors.


CONCLUSIONS
These results are in agreement with the notion that neuronal plasticity is mediated by several distinct pathways working in unison.
Broccard
Frédéric D
FD
International School for Advanced Studies, Area Science Park SS 14 Km 163,5 Edificio Q1 34012- Basovizza, Trieste, Italy. broccard@sissa.it
Pegoraro
Silvia
S
Ruaro
Maria Elisabetta
ME
Altafini
Claudio
C
Torre
Vincent
V