title: Critical role for inhibitory neurons in modulation of synaptic signaling in ex vivo neuronal networks.
abstract: A number of laboratories have modeled aspects of synaptic plasticity using neuronal networks established on micro-electrode arrays. Such studies demonstrate that external stimulation can increase or hasten maturation of network signaling as evidenced an increase in complex bursts. Herein, we demonstrate that repetitive stimulation with a recorded synaptic signal was capable of increasing overall signaling, including the percentage of bursts, over a 5-day period, but that this increase was completely prevented by the presence of the GABAergic antagonist bicuculline. These findings demonstrate a critical role for inhibitory neurons in signal maturation following stimulation, which supports the purported role for inhibitory neuronal activity in long-term potentiation and learning in situ.
authors.affiliation: Center for Cellular Neurobiology & Neurodegeneration Research, University of Massachusetts Lowell, Lowell, MA 01854, USA.
authors.forename: Jill M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Zemianek
authors.forename: Sangmook
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Mary
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Guaraldi
authors.forename: Thomas B
authors.initials: TB
authors.lastname: Shea
mesh_terms: D000200:Action Potentials / Q000502:physiology*; D000818:Animals; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D004558:Electric Stimulation / Q000379:methods*; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D009415:Nerve Net / Q000502:physiology*; D009433:Neural Inhibition / Q000502:physiology*; D009473:Neuronal Plasticity / Q000502:physiology*; D009474:Neurons / Q000502:physiology*; D009435:Synaptic Transmission / Q000502:physiology*