Search results for "NAPS"
showing 10 items of 302 documents
Ribbon synapses of the mammalian retina contain two types of synaptic bodies--ribbons and spheres.
1989
The present paper reports that the synaptic bodies of the retinal ribbon synapses in rat, guinea pig, golden hamster and mouse are a heterogeneous population of organelles. In addition to the well-known synaptic ribbons sensu stricto which consist of a platelike electron-dense central structure surrounded by electron-lucent synaptic vesicles, there are what is termed synaptic spheres, in which the core is not platelike, but round to oval. In rat retinae procured at day, ribbons outnumbered spheres by a factor of 4. At night spheres were not seen in photoreceptor cells. Spheres, like ribbons, may lie some distance from the synaptic site, perhaps indicating transit from their site of origin t…
Hippocampal GABAergic Synapses Possess the Molecular Machinery for Retrograde Nitric Oxide Signaling
2007
Nitric oxide (NO) plays an important role in synaptic plasticity as a retrograde messenger at glutamatergic synapses. Here we describe that, in hippocampal pyramidal cells, neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS) is also associated with the postsynaptic active zones of GABAergic symmetrical synapses terminating on their somata, dendrites, and axon initial segments in both mice and rats. The NO receptor nitric oxide-sensitive guanylyl cyclase (NOsGC) is present in the brain in two functional subunit compositions: α1β1and α2β1. The β1subunit is expressed in both pyramidal cells and interneurons in the hippocampus. Using immunohistochemistry andin situhybridization methods, we describe that the …
A repetitive intracortical microstimulation pattern induces long-lasting synaptic depression in brain slices of the rat primary somatosensory cortex.
2000
Repetitive intracortical microstimulation (ICMS) applied to the rat primary somatosensory cortex (SI) in vivo was reported to induce reorganization of receptive fields and cortical maps. The present study was designed to exam- ine the effect of such an ICMS pattern applied to layer IV of brain slices containing SI on the efficacy of synaptic in- put to layer II/III. Effects of ICMS on the synaptic strength was quantified for the first synaptic component ( s1) of cor- tical field potentials (FPs) recorded from layer II/III of SI. FPs were evoked by stimulation in layer IV. The pattern of ICMS was identical to that used in vivo. However, stimula- tion intensity had to be raised to induce an a…
Bizarre alterations of the morphology of pineal synaptic bodies under constant light and an evaluation of suitable 3D-reconstruction software
2004
Three dimensional (3D) reconstruction and modelling software was evaluated to find a procedure suitable for visualization of small subcellular structures in transmission electron microscope images. The method applied in this study demonstrates bizarre alterations of the structure of synaptic bodies (SBs) in pinealocytes of the guinea-pig pineal gland caused by constant illumination. It can, in general, be used for any 3D reconstruction from serial sections. Pineal glands of five guinea-pigs (two kept under a LD cycle of 12:12 h; three kept in constant light, for 4 months) were investigated. SBs consist of an electron-dense centre with attached vesicles. Under normal lighting conditions most…
Anticonvulsants do not suppress long-term potentiation (LTP) in the rat hippocampus
1991
Long-term potentiation (LTP) of population spikes in the CA1 area of rat hippocampus was induced by tetanic stimulation of stratum radiatum in slices kept submerged in a perfusion chamber. Addition of the two antiepileptic drugs phenytoin or the diazepine midazolam to the medium did not significantly alter this phenomenon within 22 min after the tetanus. The early enhancement (post-tetanic potentiation, PTP) was reduced only by phenytoin. Therefore an interaction of these drugs with N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptors and LTP induction is unlikely.
Strain differences in the ratio of synaptic body types in photoreceptors of the rat retina.
1993
In the retinal outer plexiform layer of seven different rat strains, synaptic bodies (SB) were counted and, according to their morphology, characterized as synaptic ribbons (SR), synaptic spheres (SS) or intermediate structures. It was found that absolute SB numbers showed relatively small variations while SR/SS ratios differed considerably between the strains investigated. These results are discussed with respect to retinal pigmentation and to formation and degradation, respectively, of synaptic ribbons.
Low Density Lipoprotein Receptor-related Protein 1 (LRP1) Modulates N-Methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) Receptor-dependent Intracellular Signaling and NMDA-i…
2013
The lipoprotein receptor LRP1 is essential in neurons of the central nervous system, as was revealed by the analysis of conditional Lrp1-deficient mouse models. The molecular basis of its neuronal functions, however, is still incompletely understood. Here we show by immunocytochemistry, electron microscopy, and postsynaptic density preparation that LRP1 is located postsynaptically. Basal and NMDA-induced phosphorylation of the transcription factor cAMP-response element-binding protein (CREB) as well as NMDA target gene transcription are reduced in LRP1-deficient neurons. In control neurons, NMDA promotes γ-secretase-dependent release of the LRP1 intracellular domain (LRP1-ICD). However, pul…
D1/D5 modulation of synaptic NMDA receptor currents.
2009
Converging evidence suggests that salience-associated modulation of behavior is mediated by the release of monoamines and that monoaminergic activation of D1/D5receptors is required for normal hippocampal-dependent learning and memory. However, it is not understood how D1/D5modulation of hippocampal circuits can affect salience-associated learning and memory. We have observed in CA1 pyramidal neurons that D1/D5receptor activation elicits a bidirectional long-term plasticity of NMDA receptor-mediated synaptic currents with the polarity of plasticity determined by NMDA receptor, NR2A/B subunit composition. This plasticity results in a decrease in the NR2A/NR2B ratio of subunit composition. Sy…
Involvement of cyclin-dependent kinase-5 in the kainic acid-mediated degeneration of glutamatergic synapses in the rat hippocampus.
2011
Increased levels of glutamate causing excitotoxic damage accompany neurological disorders such as ischemia/stroke, epilepsy and some neurodegenerative diseases. Cyclin-dependent kinase-5 (Cdk5) is important for synaptic plasticity and is deregulated in neurodegenerative diseases. However, the mechanisms by which kainic acid (KA)-induced excitotoxic damage involves Cdk5 in neuronal injury are not fully understood. In this work, we have thus studied involvement of Cdk5 in the KA-mediated degeneration of glutamatergic synapses in the rat hippocampus. KA induced degeneration of mossy fiber synapses and decreased glutamate receptor (GluR)6/7 and post-synaptic density protein 95 (PSD95) levels in…
Involvement of cyclic guanosine monophosphosphate (cGMP) and cytosolic guanylate cyclase in the regulation of synaptic ribbon numbers in rat pineal g…
1992
In the rat pineal gland N-acetyltransferase (NAT) activity and synaptic ribbon (SR) numbers display a circadian rhythm. It is well-known that NAT activity is regulated by adrenergic mechanisms involving cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) as a second messenger. However, the mechanism involved in the regulation of SR numbers has not been established so far. In the present in vitro study, we have investigated the effects of 8-bromo-cyclic guanosine monophosphate (8-bromo-cGMP), a cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP) analog, and stimulation of guanylate cyclase on SR numbers. Incubation with 8-bromo-cGMP increased SR numbers in a dose- and time-dependent manner. Further, stimulation of the …