Distinct trafficking and expression mechanisms underlie LTP and LTD of NMDA receptor‐mediated synaptic responses

Although an increasing number of studies have demonstrated the plasticity of NMDA receptor‐mediated synaptic transmission, little is known about the molecular mechanisms that underlie this neurologically important process. In a study of NMDAR‐mediated synaptic responses in hippocampal Schaffer‐CA1 synapses whose AMPA receptor (AMPAR) activity is totally blocked, we uncovered differences between the trafficking mechanisms that underlie the long‐term potentiation (LTP) and long‐term depression (LTD) that can be induced in these cells under these conditions. The LTP‐producing protocol failed to induce a change in the amplitude of NMDAR‐mediated postsynaptic currents (NMDAR EPSCs) in the first 5–10 min, but induced gradual enhancement of NMDAR EPSCs thereafter that soon reached a stable magnitude. This “slow” LTP of NMDAR EPSCs (LTP_NMDA) was blocked by inhibiting exocytosis or actin polymerization in postsynaptic cells. By contrast, LTD of NMDAR EPSCs (LTD_NMDA) was immediately inducible, and, although it was blocked by the actin stabilizer, it was unaffected by exocytosis or endocytosis inhibitors. Furthermore, concomitant changes in the decay time of NMDAR EPSCs suggested that differential switches in NR2 subunit composition accompanied LTP_NMDA and LTD_NMDA, and these changes were blocked by the calcium buffer BAPTA or an mGluR antagonist. Our results suggest that LTP_NMDA and LTD_NMDA utilize different NMDAR trafficking pathways and express different ratios of NMDAR subunits on the postsynaptic surface. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.