0000000000211082
AUTHOR
Walter Zieglgänsberger
The endocannabinoid system controls key epileptogenic circuits in the hippocampus.
SummaryBalanced control of neuronal activity is central in maintaining function and viability of neuronal circuits. The endocannabinoid system tightly controls neuronal excitability. Here, we show that endocannabinoids directly target hippocampal glutamatergic neurons to provide protection against acute epileptiform seizures in mice. Functional CB1 cannabinoid receptors are present on glutamatergic terminals of the hippocampal formation, colocalizing with vesicular glutamate transporter 1 (VGluT1). Conditional deletion of the CB1 gene either in cortical glutamatergic neurons or in forebrain GABAergic neurons, as well as virally induced deletion of the CB1 gene in the hippocampus, demonstrat…
CB1 Cannabinoid Receptors and On-Demand Defense Against Excitotoxicity
Abnormally high spiking activity can damage neurons. Signaling systems to protect neurons from the consequences of abnormal discharge activity have been postulated. We generated conditional mutant mice that lack expression of the cannabinoid receptor type 1 in principal forebrain neurons but not in adjacent inhibitory interneurons. In mutant mice,the excitotoxin kainic acid (KA) induced excessive seizures in vivo. The threshold to KA-induced neuronal excitation in vitro was severely reduced in hippocampal pyramidal neurons of mutants. KA administration rapidly raised hippocampal levels of anandamide and induced protective mechanisms in wild-type principal hippocampal neurons. These protecti…
Antidepressants and Antipsychotic Drugs Colocalize with 5-HT(3) Receptors in Raft-Like Domains
Despite different chemical structure and pharmacodynamic signaling pathways, a variety of antidepressants and antipsychotics inhibit ion fluxes through 5-HT3receptors in a noncompetitive manner with the exception of the known competitive antagonists mirtazapine and clozapine. To further investigate the mechanisms underlying the noncompetitive inhibition of the serotonin-evoked cation current, we quantified the concentrations of different types of antidepressants and antipsychotics in fractions of sucrose flotation gradients isolated from HEK293 (human embryonic kidney 293) cells stably transfected with the 5-HT3Areceptor and of N1E-115 neuroblastoma cells in relation to the localization of …
Antidepressants are functional antagonists at the serotonin type 3 (5-HT3) receptor
Antidepressants are commonly supposed to enhance serotonergic and/or noradrenergic neurotransmission by inhibition of neurotransmitter reuptake through binding to the respective neurotransmitter transporters or through inhibition of the monoamine oxidase. Using the concentration-clamp technique and measurements of intracellular Ca2+, we demonstrate that different classes of antidepressants act as functional antagonists at the human 5-HT3A receptor stably expressed in HEK 293 cells and at endogenous 5-HT3 receptors of rat hippocampal neurons and N1E-115 neuroblastoma cells. The tricyclic antidepressants desipramine, imipramine, and trimipramine, the serotonin reuptake inhibitor fluoxetine, t…
Antipsychotic drugs antagonize human serotonin type 3 receptor currents in a noncompetitive manner
The serotonin type 3 (5-HT(3)) receptor is the only ligand-gated ion channel receptor for serotonin (5-HT). 5-HT(3) receptors play an important role in modulating the inhibitory action of dopamine in mesocorticolimbic brain regions. Neuroleptic drugs are commonly thought to exert their psychopharmacological action mainly through dopamine and serotonin type 2 (5-HT(2)) receptors. Except for clozapine, a direct pharmacological interaction of neuroleptics with 5-HT(3) receptors has not yet been described. Using the concentration-clamp technique, we investigated the effects of flupentixol, various phenothiazines, haloperidol, clozapine and risperidone on Na(+)-inward currents through 5-HT(3) re…