Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Qin-Wei Wu, Zheng-Quan Tang
Summary: Mammals have a dorsal cochlear nucleus (DCN) which is similar to the cerebellum in terms of structure and microcircuitry. Both the DCN and cerebellum rely on glutamate receptors to perform their functions. While the distribution and role of KARs in the hippocampus have been extensively studied, little is known about their distribution and role in cerebellum-like structures such as the DCN.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Neurosciences
Tabita Kreko-Pierce, Jason R. Pugh
Summary: Duchenne muscular dystrophy is not only a muscle-wasting disease, but also associated with cognitive deficits and neurodevelopmental disorders. Dysfunction in the cerebellar circuit, particularly in the Purkinje cells, may contribute to these impairments.
FRONTIERS IN CELLULAR NEUROSCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Neurosciences
Johansen B. Amin, Aaron Gochman, Miaomiao He, Noele Certain, Lonnie P. Wollmuth
Summary: NMDA receptors play a critical role in fast excitatory synaptic transmission in the nervous system. The transition of agonist-bound receptors into two conformations is driven by specific protein structures within GluN1 and GluN2A. This study highlights the importance of outer structures in priming the channel for rapid opening and facilitating fast synaptic transmission.
Article
Neurosciences
Ryan P. D. Alexander, Derek Bowie
Summary: NMDA receptors induce long-term changes in firing rates of inhibitory stellate cells by driving intrinsic plasticity through a Ca2+- and CaMKII-dependent pathway, which alters the activation and inactivation properties of voltage-gated Na+ channels. This signaling pathway also lowers the action potential threshold by causing a hyperpolarizing shift in Na+ channel gating, suggesting a potential mechanism for fine-tuning motor behavior.
JOURNAL OF PHYSIOLOGY-LONDON
(2021)
Review
Neurosciences
Xiaona Liu, Jing Wang
Summary: Chronic arsenic exposure can lead to endemic arsenism and cognitive dysfunction, with NMDARs and their downstream signaling pathways playing a crucial role in synaptic plasticity impairment caused by arsenic exposure. Apart from improving water quality, potential therapeutic targets need to be identified.
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Maria Italia, Elena Ferrari, Monica Diluca, Fabrizio Gardoni
Summary: A prominent feature of neurodegenerative diseases is synaptic dysfunction and spine loss. Misfolded proteins, such as tau and alpha-synuclein, play a critical role in driving synaptic toxicity at excitatory glutamatergic synapses. Understanding the role of these proteins in impairing the function of glutamate receptors can provide insights into the pathology of neurodegenerative diseases.
Article
Neurosciences
Dany Khamsing, Solene Lebrun, Isabelle Fanget, Nathanael Larochette, Christophe Tourain, Vincent de Sars, Maia Brunstein, Martin Oheim, Damien Carrel, Francois Darchen, Claire Desnos
Summary: Memory and long term potentiation rely on de novo protein synthesis, with mTORC1 playing a key role in this process. In neuronal cells, NMDA receptor activation triggers mTOR translocation to lysosomes, with a possible contribution from BDNF through the TrkB receptor. Optogenetic tools can provide spatial and temporal control over mTOR localization, revealing a functional link between NMDA receptors and mTORC1 activation.
Article
Neurosciences
Takahiro Aimi, Keiko Matsuda, Michisuke Yuzaki
Summary: Changes in neural activity induced by learning and novel environments can lead to the formation of new synapses in the adult brain. This study discovered that Purkinje cells in the cerebellum can be reinnervated by multiple climbing fibers through increased expression of the synaptic organizer C1ql1 or the receptor Bai3. The results indicate that C1ql1-Bai3 signaling, regulated by neuronal activity, may mediate climbing fiber synaptogenesis in mature Purkinje cells.
Article
Neurosciences
Mengying Wang, Xiaoshan Liang, Qiang Zhang, Suhui Luo, Huan Liu, Xuan Wang, Na Sai, Xumei Zhang
Summary: This study found that hyperhomocysteinemia exacerbates post-stroke depression in rats by affecting synaptic plasticity through decreased synapse numbers, decreased postsynaptic density area, and reduced expression of synaptic transmission-associated proteins. Additionally, N-methyl-D-aspartate receptors (NMDARs) play a critical role in this process.
NUTRITIONAL NEUROSCIENCE
(2023)
Review
Mathematical & Computational Biology
Stefano Masoli, Martina Francesca Rizza, Marialuisa Tognolina, Francesca Prestori, Egidio D'Angelo
Summary: The field of neuroscience benefits from the combination of experimental and computational techniques, enabling the reconstruction and simulation of complex models of neurons and synapses. Modeling synaptic mechanisms and short-term synaptic plasticity helps understand the process of neurotransmission and their impact on computation in the cerebellar cortical network.
FRONTIERS IN COMPUTATIONAL NEUROSCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Neurosciences
Anna Niewiadomska-Cimicka, Frederic Doussau, Jean-Baptiste Perot, Michel J. Roux, Celine Keime, Antoine Hache, Francoise Piguet, Ariana Novati, Chantal Weber, Binnaz Yalcin, Hamid Meziane, Marie-France Champy, Erwan Grandgirard, Alice Karam, Nadia Messaddeq, Aurelie Eisenmann, Emmanuel Brouillet, Hoa Huu Phuc Nguyen, Julien Flament, Philippe Isope, Yvon Trottier
Summary: SCA7 is a neurodegenerative disease characterized by motor incoordination, caused by polyglutamine expansion in ATXN7. Gene deregulation affects all cerebellar cell types, with Purkinje cells being the most affected, showing similar pathomechanisms as other types of ataxia.
JOURNAL OF NEUROSCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Neurosciences
Hiroyuki Yasui, Yasunori Matsuzaki, Ayumu Konno, Hirokazu Hirai
Summary: Loss of orphan receptor a (RORa) leads to various impairments in the body, including defects in cerebellar development, circadian rhythm, lipid metabolism, immune function, and bone development. Studies have shown significant reduction of RORa expression in Purkinje cells of certain mouse models, but the extent of this reduction's involvement in disease pathology remains unclear.
Article
Neurosciences
Benjamin Leonardon, Lou Cathenaut, Louise Vial-Markiewicz, Sylvain Hugel, Remy Schlichter, Perrine Inquimbert
Summary: The dorsal horn of the spinal cord is involved in the integration of nociceptive messages. Plastic changes in the neuronal networks in the dorsal horn play a role in the development of analgesia, hyperalgesia, and allodynia in acute and chronic pain states. This study investigated the role of NMDA receptors in the modulation of GABAergic synaptic transmission in the dorsal horn network. The results showed that NMDA receptor activation facilitated spontaneous and miniature GABAergic synaptic transmission through a presynaptic mechanism of action, with a target specificity on GABAergic interneurons.
FRONTIERS IN MOLECULAR NEUROSCIENCE
(2022)
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Guendalina Olivero, Alessandra Roggeri, Anna Pittaluga
Summary: Autoantibodies against NMDA and AMPA receptors in the central nervous system can lead to neurological and psychiatric symptoms and disrupt synaptic communication. Understanding the molecular mechanisms involved in these autoantibody-mediated effects is crucial for understanding their pathogenic role in central disorders and developing new therapeutic approaches.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Biology
Peter H. Chipman, Chi Chung Alan Fung, Alejandra Pazo Fernandez, Abhilash Sawant, Angelo Tedoldi, Atsushi Kawai, Sunita Ghimire Gautam, Mizuki Kurosawa, Manabu Abe, Kenji Sakimura, Tomoki Fukai, Yukiko Goda
Summary: The study reveals a circuit function for GluN2C NMDAR, which is highly expressed in astrocytes in mouse hippocampus, in tuning synaptic strengths in CA1 pyramidal neurons. Interfering with astrocyte NMDAR or GluN2C NMDAR activity affects the range of presynaptic strength distribution in specific inputs without altering the mean presynaptic strength. Mathematical modeling suggests that the narrowing of the width of presynaptic release probability distribution compromises long-term synaptic plasticity.
