Presynaptic self-depression at developing neocortical synapses

Rodríguez-Moreno, A., González-Rueda, A., Banerjee, A., Upton, A. L., Craig, M. T. and Paulsen, O. (2013) Presynaptic self-depression at developing neocortical synapses. Neuron, 77(1), pp. 35-42. (doi: 10.1016/j.neuron.2012.10.035) (PMID:23312514) (PMCID:PMC3542421)

Abstract

A central tenet of most theories of synaptic modification during cortical development is that correlated activity drives plasticity in synaptically connected neurons. Unexpectedly, however, using sensory-evoked activity patterns recorded from the developing mouse cortex in vivo, the synaptic learning rule that we uncover here relies solely on the presynaptic neuron. A burst of three presynaptic spikes followed, within a restricted time window, by a single presynaptic spike induces robust long-term depression (LTD) at developing layer 4 to layer 2/3 synapses. This presynaptic spike pattern-dependent LTD (p-LTD) can be induced by individual presynaptic layer 4 cells, requires presynaptic NMDA receptors and calcineurin, and is expressed presynaptically. However, in contrast to spike timing-dependent LTD, p-LTD is independent of postsynaptic and astroglial signaling. This spike pattern-dependent learning rule complements timing-based rules and is likely to play a role in the pruning of synaptic input during cortical development.

• Item Type: Articles
• Additional Information: This work was supported by the HFSP and the BBSRC, with additional contributions from the MRC and the Wellcome Trust. A.R.-M. was supported by an EC Marie Curie Fellowship, the Royal Society, and MICINN. A.G.-R. holds a Michael Foster Studentship. A.B. held a Felix Scholarship.
• Status: Published
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Craig, Dr Mick
• Authors: Rodríguez-Moreno, A., González-Rueda, A., Banerjee, A., Upton, A. L., Craig, M. T., and Paulsen, O.
• College/School: College of Medical Veterinary and Life Sciences > School of Psychology & Neuroscience
• Journal Name: Neuron
• Publisher: Elsevier (Cell Press)
• ISSN: 0896-6273
• ISSN (Online): 1097-4199