Distribution of hypoxia-induced calcium accumulation in gerbil hippocampal slice

Microfluorometry was used to examine distribution of hypoxia-induced intracellular free calcium accumulations in Mongolian gerbil hippocampal slice. Acute increase of intracellular free calcium was detected 80-170 s after the beginning of hypoxia. Large calcium accumulations were seen in the stratum radiatum, stratum lacunosum and stratum oriens of CA1 region and in the inner portions of the dentate gyrus molecular layer, and moderate accumulations were seen in the other laminae of CA1 region, other portions of dentate gyrus and the CA3 region.     

移植的齿状回颗粒细胞在培养的大鼠海马组织上移行特征

为探讨齿状回颗粒细胞在培养的海马组织表面上的移行过程以及苔状纤维的投射特征,本实验从生后3d的绿色荧光蛋白(GFP)基因导入的SD大鼠海马组织切片中分离出齿状回颗粒细胞层,移植到培养的SD大鼠海马组织切片表面上,共同培养3～4d后,激光共聚焦显微镜观察。结果显示,97.6%的细胞移行到齿状回和CA3区,仅有2.4%细胞移行到CA2和CA1区。移行到齿状回颗粒细胞层的颗粒细胞投射苔状纤维到齿状回门区和CA3区的透明层,却不到CA2和CA1区。上述结果提示,在海马组织培养中移植的齿状回颗粒细胞的移行以及苔状纤维的投射方向明显受宿主的影响。     

Size does matter: generation of intrinsic network rhythms in thick mouse hippocampal slices

Rodent hippocampal slices of < or = 0.5 mm thickness have been widely used as a convenient in vitro model since the 1970s. However, spontaneous population rhythmic activities do not consistently occur in this preparation due to limited network connectivity. To overcome this limitation, we develop a novel slice preparation of 1 mm thickness from adult mouse hippocampus by separating dentate gyrus from CA3/CA1 areas but preserving dentate-CA3-CA1 connectivity. While superfused in vitro at 32 or 37 degrees C, the thick slice exhibits robust spontaneous network rhythms of 1-4 Hz that originate from the CA3 area. Via assessing tissue O2, K+, pH, synaptic, and single-cell activities of superfused thick slices, we verify that these spontaneous rhythms are not a consequence of hypoxia and nonspecific experimental artifacts. We suggest that the thick slice contains a unitary circuitry sufficient to generate intrinsic hippocampal network rhythms and this preparation is suitable for exploring the fundamental properties and plasticity of a functionally defined hippocampal "lamella" in vitro.     

Synaptic connections from multiple subfields contribute to granule cell hyperexcitability in hippocampal slice cultures

Limbic status epilepticus and preparation of hippocampal slice cultures both produce cell loss and denervation. This commonality led us to hypothesize that morphological and physiological alterations in hippocampal slice cultures may be similar to those observed in human limbic epilepsy and animal models. To test this hypothesis, we performed electrophysiological and morphological analyses in long-term (postnatal day 11; 40-60 days in vitro) organotypic hippocampal slice cultures. Electrophysiological analyses of dentate granule cell excitability revealed that granule cells in slice cultures were hyperexcitable compared with acute slices from normal rats. In physiological buffer, spontaneous electrographic granule cell seizures were seen in 22% of cultures; in the presence of a GABA(A) receptor antagonist, seizures were documented in 75% of cultures. Hilar stimulation evoked postsynaptic potentials (PSPs) and multiple population spikes in the granule cell layer, which were eliminated by glutamate receptor antagonists, demonstrating the requirement for excitatory synaptic transmission. By contrast, under identical recording conditions, acute hippocampal slices isolated from normal rats exhibited a lack of seizures, and hilar stimulation evoked an isolated population spike without PSPs. To examine the possibility that newly formed excitatory synaptic connections to the dentate gyrus contribute to granule cell hyperexcitability in slice cultures, anatomical labeling and electrophysiological recordings following knife cuts were performed. Anatomical labeling of individual dentate granule, CA3 and CA1 pyramidal cells with neurobiotin illustrated the presence of axonal projections that may provide reciprocal excitatory synaptic connections among these regions and contribute to granule cell hyperexcitability. Knife cuts severing connections between CA1 and the dentate gyrus/CA3c region reduced but did not abolish hilar-evoked excitatory PSPs, suggesting the presence of newly formed, functional synaptic connections to the granule cells from CA1 and CA3 as well as from neurons intrinsic to the dentate gyrus. Many of the electrophysiological and morphological abnormalities reported here for long-term hippocampal slice cultures bear striking similarities to both human and in vivo models, making this in vitro model a simple, powerful system to begin to elucidate the molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying synaptic rearrangements and epileptogenesis.     

Parvalbumin-immunoreactive neurons in the hippocampal formation of Alzheimer''s diseased brain

The number and topographic distribution of immunocytochemically stained parvalbumin interneurons was determined in the hippocampal formation of control and Alzheimer's diseased brain. In control hippocampus, parvalbumin interneurons were aspiny and pleomorphic, with extensive dendritic arbors. In dentate gyrus, parvalbumin cells, as well as a dense plexus of fibers and puncta, were associated with the granule cell layer. A few cells also occupied the molecular layer. In strata oriens and pyramidale of CA1–CA3 subfields, parvalbumin neurons gave rise to dendrites that extended into adjacent strata. Densely stained puncta and beaded fibers occupied stratum pyramidale, with less dense staining in adjacent strata oriens and radiatum. Virtually no parvalbumin profiles were observed in stratum lacunosum-moleculare or the alveus. Numerous polymorphic parvalbumin neurons and a dense plexus of fibers and puncta characterized the deep layer of the subiculum and the lamina principalis externa of the presubiculum. In Alzheimer's diseased hippocampus, there was an approximate 60% decrease in the number of parvalbumin interneurons in the dentate gyrus/CA4 subfield (P<0.01) and subfields CA1–CA2 (P<0.01). In contrast, parvalbumin neurons did not statistically decline in subfields CA3, subiculum or presubiculum in Alzheimer's diseased brains relative to controls. Concurrent staining with Thioflavin-S histochemistry did not reveal degenerative changes within parvalbumin-stained profiles. These findings reveal that parvalbumin interneurons within specific hippocampal subfields are selectively vulnerable in Alzheimer's disease. This vulnerability may be related to their differential connectivity, e.g., those regions connectionally related to the cerebral cortex (dentate gyrus and CA1) are more vulnerable than those regions connectionally related to subcortical loci (subiculum and presubiculum).     

GABAergic neurons containing somatostatin-like immunoreactivity in the rat hippocampus and dentate gyrus

Summary The distribution of somatostatin-like immunoreactive (SS-LI) material and its colocalization with glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD)-like immunoreactivity were studied in the rat hippocampus and dentate gyrus neurons using immunohistochemistry. In the dentate gyrus and CA1 region, SS-LI perikarya were concentrated in the hilus and in the stratum oriens, respectively, whereas immunoreactive cell bodies were rarely seen in other layers. Approximately half of the SS-LI neurons of the CA3 region were situated in the stratum oriens, the other half being scattered in strata pyramidale, lucidum and radiatum. About 90% of SS-LI neurons were also GAD-like immunoreactive, whereas about 14% of GAD-like immunoreactive (GAD-LI) neurons were SS-like immunoreactive. The percentage of GAD-LI neurons which were also immunoreactive for SS varied from one layer to the other. This percentage was about 30% in the hilus of the dentate gyrus and in the stratum oriens of the CA1 and CA3 regions; it was 5–10% in the strata pyramidale, lucidum and radiatum of the CA3 region and reached only 2% in the granule cell layer and molecular layer of the dentate gyrus and in the stratum pyramidale and stratum radiatum in the CA1 region. These observations indicate that the majority of SS-LI neurons in the rat hippocampal formation are a subpopulation of GABAergic neurons.     

Sustained expression of parvalbumin immunoreactivity in the hippocampal CA1 region and dentate gyrus during aging in dogs

The hippocampus contains a heterogeneous population of interneurons. Parvalbumin (PV) positive neurons constitute an abundant subpopulation of cells that express GABA. The authors observed PV immunoreactivity in the hippocampal CA1 region and dentate gyrus of variously aged dogs. In 1-year-old dogs, PV immunoreactive neurons were detected in the stratum oriens of the CA1 region, and in the polymorphic layer of the dentate gyrus. In addition, weak PV immunoreactive fibers were observed in all layers in the CA1 region and dentate gyrus. In 3-year-old dogs, PV immunoreactivity was significantly higher in the CA1 region and dentate gyrus, and this was maintained in 10-year-old dogs. This finding suggests that PV immunoreactive interneurons may show high resistance to age-dependent neurodegenerative processes.     

Ischemic preconditioning decreases intracellular zinc accumulation induced by oxygen-glucose deprivation in gerbil hippocampal CA1 neurons

In normal gerbils, intracellular zinc ions ([Zn2+]i) and calcium ions ([Ca2+]i) accumulate in hippocampal CA1 neurons after global ischemia. We examined whether ischemic preconditioning modifies these changes in gerbil hippocampal slices. In normal slices, large increases in [Zn2+]i and [Ca2+]i were observed in the stratum radiatum of the CA1 area after oxygen-glucose deprivation. In preconditioned slices, there were significantly decreased peak levels of [Zn2+]i and [Ca2+]i in CA1. However, there were no differences in the peak levels of these ions in CA3 and dentate gyrus. These results suggest that modified [Zn2+]i and [Ca2+]i accumulation after an ischemic insult might be important for the mechanisms of ischemic tolerance induced by preconditioning.     

ROS介导线粒体ATP敏感性钾通道开放剂对缺氧脑的保护作用

目的：观察线粒体ATP敏感性钾通道(mitoKATP)及活性氧（ROS）在缺氧脑保护中的作用及其相互关系。 方法： 采用脑片灌流及电生理学技术，细胞外记录海马CA1区的群体锋电位(PS)和缺氧去极化电位(HD)。 结果： 用mitoKATP开放剂diazoxide (300 μmol/L) 预处理海马脑片，可延长HD的潜伏期及缺氧后PS消失的时间，提高复氧后PS的恢复率。该作用可被mitoKATP阻断剂5-hydroxydecanoic acid (200 μmol/L) 所阻断。以ROS清除剂N-2-mercaptopropionyl glycine (MPG) (500 μmol/L) 预处理海马脑片，可减弱diazoxide 的作用。单独使用MPG对PS及HD无明显影响。 结论： ROS介导了mitoKATP开放剂对缺氧脑的保护作用。     

Seizure-induced changes of mineralocorticoid and glucocorticoid receptors in the hippocampus in seizure sensitive gerbils

Abnormal corticosteroid hormone levels during stress and resultant mineralocorticoid receptor (MR)/glucocorticoid receptor (GR) imbalance enhance the vulnerability of specific hippocampal neurons. In the present study, we investigated the distribution of MR and GR in seizure resistant (SR) and seizure sensitive (SS) gerbils, and observed the seizure-induced changes of MR and GR in the hippocampus of SS gerbils using immunohistochemistry and western blot analysis. MR and GR immunoreactivities were higher in the SS pre-seizure gerbils than that in SR gerbils. In the SR gerbils, the immunodensity of GR was high compared to that of MR. The changes of MR and GR immunoreactivities were significant in the stratum pyramidale of the hippocampal CA1 region and the infrablade of the dentate gyrus after seizure on-set. MR immunoreactivity in the CA1 region was significantly increased at 12h after seizure on-set, thereafter MR immunoreactivity was decreased. MR immunoreactivity in the dentate gyrus was decreased time-dependently after seizure on-set. GR immunoreactivity was decreased in the CA1 region and dentate gyrus time-dependently after seizure on-set. At 12h after seizure on-set, differences in MR and GR immunodensity diminished in the CA1 region and dentate gyrus. This imbalance of MR and GR immunoreactivity in these regions may be associated with seizure generation in the Mongolian gerbil, which is a hereditary seizure model.     

The effect of unilateral and bilateral removal of the entorhinal cortex on the glucose utilization in various hippocampal regions in the rat

In the present study lesion-induced changes in function of various hippocampal regions, as reflected by the metabolic rate of glucose, were measured by means of quantitative autoradiography, 4 days after unilateral or bilateral surgical removal of the entorhinal cortex. The greatest decrease (45%) was seen in the stratum lacunosum moleculare of the CA1, whereas a lesser decline (34%) was seen in the molecular layer of the dentate gyrus, stratum lucidum of the CA3 (31%) and the stratum radiatum of the CA1 (36%). These findings support the view that in addition to the indirect trisynaptic temporo-ammonic pathway, there is a functionally active direct pathway.     

Histological,histochemical, and immunohistochemical studies of hippocampus in male New Zealand rabbits

The present study aims to give detailed histomorphological features of the hippocampus of adult male New Zealand rabbits. Both histological and histochemical specimens were prepared to be examined microscopically by using a light microscope. The hippocampus appeared as C-shaped hippocampal proper, dentate gyrus, and subiculum. The hippocampal proper subdivided along its length according to the density and size of its major constituent pyramidal cells into four distinct regions named Cornu Ammonis (CA1, CA2, CA3, and CA4). With the histochemical preparations, each of these regions consisted of five layers, stratum alveolus, stratum oriens, stratum pyramidale, stratum radiatum, and stratum lacunosum-moleculare. The stratum pyramidale constituted the middle dark zone and contained the principal excitatory neurons and a few interneurons. Histochemically, the pyramidal neurons along all regions of the CA reacted positively to Grimelius silver impregnation, lead hematoxylin, Gomori's aldehyde fuchsin, aldehyde thionine, Gomori's chrome alum hematoxylin, and performic acid alcian blue stains. Immunohistochemically, the pyramidal neurons reacted positively to anti-NSE antibodies. The dentate gyrus was formed of three distinct layers. The subiculum was formed of proper subiculum, presubiculum, and parasubiculum.     

Threefold Exposure to Moderate Hypobaric Hypoxia Decreases the Expression of Cu,Zn-Superoxide Dismutase in Some Regions of Rat Hippocampus

The effect of moderate hypobaric hypoxia on the expression of a peptide antioxidant Cu,Zn-superoxide dismutase in rat hippocampal neurons was evaluated in an immunocytochemical study. The expression of Cu,Zn-superoxide dismutase decreased significantly in the dorsal hippocampus (CA1 and CA2) and tended to decrease in ventral regions (CA3 and dentate gyrus) by the 24th hour after 3-fold exposure to hypoxia.     

Neuronal injury in hippocampus with human immunodeficiency virus transactivating protein,Tat

Patients with human immunodeficiency virus infection may develop a dementing illness. Using both in vitro and in vivo models, we investigated the susceptibility of the hippocampal formation to the Tat protein of human immunodeficiency virus. We also determined the pattern of hippocampal injury in patients with human immunodeficiency virus encephalitis. Following exposure of hippocampal slices to Tat, marked susceptibility of CA3 region with relative insensitivity of the CA1/2 region was observed. Injection of Tat into different regions of the rat hippocampus produced similar neuronal loss in both CA3 region and the dentate gyrus. In animals administered Tat, lesions were dose-dependent and immunohistochemical staining showed marked gliosis and loss of microtubule associated protein-2 in the affected areas at 3 days post-injection. Interestingly, synaptophysin staining was relatively preserved. In hippocampal tissue from patients with human immunodeficiency virus encephalitis, loss of microtubule-associated protein-2 staining was reduced in the molecular layer of the dentate gyrus.The results of our experiments demonstrate a unique pattern of hippocampal injury in organotypic culture and rats exposed to Tat. Our observations that patients with human immunodeficiency virus reveal a similar pattern of damage suggests that Tat protein may be pathophysiological relevant in human immunodeficiency virus encephalitis.     

Extracellular pH responses in CA1 and the dentate gyrus during electrical stimulation, seizure discharges, and spreading depression

Since neuronal excitability is sensitive to changes in extracellular pH and there is regional diversity in the changes in extracellular pH during neuronal activity, we examined the activity-dependent extracellular pH changes in the CA1 region and the dentate gyrus. In vivo, in the CA1 region, recurrent epileptiform activity induced by stimulus trains, bicuculline, and kainic acid resulted in biphasic pH shifts, consisting of an initial extracellular alkalinization followed by a slower acidification. In vitro, stimulus trains also evoked biphasic pH shifts in the CA1 region. However, in CA1, seizure activity in vitro induced in the absence of synaptic transmission, by perfusing with 0 Ca(2+)/5 mM K(+) medium, was only associated with extracellular acidification. In the dentate gyrus in vivo, seizure activity induced by stimulation to the angular bundle or by injection of either bicuculline or kainic acid was only associated with extracellular acidification. In vitro, stimulus trains evoked only acidification. In the dentate gyrus in vitro, recurrent epileptiform activity induced in the absence of synaptic transmission by perfusion with 0 Ca(2+)/8 mM K(+) medium was associated with extracellular acidification. To test whether glial cell depolarization plays a role in the regulation of the extracellular pH, slices were perfused with 1 mM barium. Barium increased the amplitude of the initial alkalinization in CA1 and caused the appearance of alkalinization in the dentate gyrus. In both CA1 and the dentate gyrus in vitro, spreading depression was associated with biphasic pH shifts. These results demonstrate that activity-dependent extracellular pH shifts differ between CA1 and dentate gyrus both in vivo and in vitro. The differences in pH fluctuations with neuronal activity might be a marker for the basis of the regional differences in seizure susceptibility between CA1 and the dentate gyrus.     

A 72 kDa heat shock protein is protective against the selective vulnerability of CA1 neurons and is essential for the tolerance exhibited by CA3 neurons in the hippocampus

The correlation between the expression of a 72 kDa heat shock protein and vulnerability of hippocampal CA1, CA3, and dentate gyrus regions to glutamate toxicity was investigated using a highly specific antisense oligonucleotide technique. Glutamate (1 mM, 15 min) caused region-dependent neuronal damage in cultured hippocampal slices 24 h after exposure and the most severe damage was observed in CA1. When slices were heat-shocked (43.5 degrees C, 30 min) before exposure to glutamate, neuronal damage in CA1 was attenuated. The strongest protection was observed when the interval between the heat shock and the exposure to glutamate was 3 days, which coincided with the maximal induction of a 72 kDa heat shock protein in neurons. When the expression of a 72 kDa heat shock protein was suppressed by the antisense oligonucleotide, the protective effect of the heat shock was completely inhibited. Glutamate itself also induced a 72 kDa heat shock protein in neurons, region-dependently, 24 h after the exposure. The signal of a 72 kDa heat shock protein in CA3 and dentate gyrus was significantly stronger than that in CA1. When the antisense oligonucleotide was applied, the damage in CA3 and dentate gyrus was exaggerated dose-dependently, and this effect was more remarkable in CA3 than in the dentate gyrus. Based on these data, we concluded that: (i) a 72 kDa heat shock protein has a protective effect against the selective vulnerability of CA1 neurons, (ii) a 72 kDa heat shock protein is an essential factor for the tolerance exhibited by CA3 neurons, and (iii) dentate gyrus tolerance is based on mechanisms other than those mediated through a 72 kDa heat shock protein.     

Reverberation of Excitation in Living “Hippocampal Formation–Entorhinal Cortex” Slices from Rats. Optical Recording

A vital potential-dependent dye was used to conduct optical recording of the electrical activity of the hippocampal formation in living slices of the rat brain including the hippocampal formation and the entorhinal cortex. These studies showed that single electrical stimuli applied to the entorhinal cortex, subiculum, and dentate gyrus produced responses in which waves of excitation passed across the hippocampal formation sequentially from the dentate gyrus, through CA3, to the CA1 field of the hippocampus. When GABAergic inhibition was partially blocked with picrotoxin, the first wave of excitation was immediately followed by several further waves in all zones of the hippocampal formation, with a constant shift in latency, which increased from the dentate gyrus to CA3 and CA1. Reverberation of excitation in the hippocampal formation-entorhinal cortex structure is regarded as the most probable cause for the appearance of these sequences of waves.     

Effect of kindling on potassium-induced electrographic seizures in vitro

The properties of high [K+]o-induced spontaneous bursting and electrographic seizures in hippocampal slices prepared from rats subjected to kindling from either the lateral entorhinal cortex or the angular bundle were compared to those in control slices. Kindling enhanced the frequency of K+-induced burst-firing in the CA3 region and the duration of triggered bursts in the dentate gyrus, as previously reported. However, kindling had no influence on the characteristics or occurrence of electrographic seizures in the CA1 region of slices bathed in elevated [K+]o. In addition, the development of electrographic seizures in slices from control animals did not require a preconditioning period of burst input from the CA3 region.     

Synaptic formation in subsets of glutamatergic terminals in the mouse hippocampal formation is affected by a deficiency in the neural cell recognition molecule NB-3

The neural cell recognition molecule NB-3, which is also referred to as contactin-6, is a member of the contactin subgroup molecules that are expressed prominently in the developing nervous system after birth. In mice, an NB-3 deficiency impairs motor coordination and reduces the synaptic density between parallel fibers and Purkinje cells in the cerebellum. Here, we studied the role of NB-3 in the formation of glutamatergic synapses in the hippocampal formation. At postnatal day 5, NB-3 immunoreactivity was detected in the subiculum, the stratum lacunosum–moleculare of the CA1 region and the hilus of the dentate gyrus. NB-3 expression in the strata radiatum and oriens was weak, and it was very weak in the granule cell layer of the dentate gyrus, the pyramidal cell layer of regions CA3 to CA1 and the stratum lucidum. NB-3-positive puncta partially overlapped with vesicular glutamate transporter 1 (VGLUT1) and 2 (VGLUT2), excitatory presynaptic markers, but not with vesicular GABA transporter (VGAT), an inhibitory presynaptic marker. The density of VGLUT1 and VGLUT2 puncta in the regions where NB-3 was strongly expressed in wild-type mice was reduced by ∼20–30% in NB-3 knockout mice relative to wild-type mice, whereas that of VGAT puncta was not affected by NB-3 deficiency. Thus, NB-3 has key roles in the formation of glutamatergic, but not GABAergic, synapses during postnatal development of the hippocampal formation as well as the cerebellum.