Reeler小鼠海马齿状回形态结构与组织化学研究

目的 分析 reelin 基因突变小鼠,即reeler小鼠海马锥体细胞和颗粒细胞的组织化学特征,了解Reelin缺乏对海马皮质发育的影响,为认识Reelin功能提供形态学证据. 方法 用免疫荧光双重标记法, 分别标记野生型和reeler 小鼠海马锥体细胞、颗粒细胞和苔藓细胞; 结果 Reeler小鼠海马皮质板发育明显障碍,表现为锥体层和颗粒层细胞扩散,海马片层状细胞构筑紊乱.颗粒层细胞明显增殖并向门区迁移,以致颗粒层与门区的界限消失,呈鼓槌状结构. 结论 Reelin作为神经细胞迁移的终止信号和细胞增殖的调控信号对神经细胞迁移、发育过程中皮质板的片层化,特别是对调节颗粒细胞的增殖有明显影响.     

Effect of chronic stress on synaptic currents in rat hippocampal dentate gyrus neurons

We investigated the effect of chronic stress on synaptic responses of rat dentate granule cells to perforant path stimulation. Rats were subjected for 3 wk to unpredictable stressors twice daily or to control handling. One day after the last stressor, hippocampal slices were prepared and synaptic responses were determined with whole-cell recording. At that time, adrenal weight was found to be increased and thymus weight as well as gain in body weight were decreased in the stressed versus control animals, indicative of corticosterone hypersecretion during the stress period. In slices from rats with basal corticosteroid levels (at the circadian trough, under rest), no effect of prior stress exposure was observed on synaptic responses. However, synaptic responses of dentate granule cells from chronically stressed and control rats were differently affected by in vitro activation of glucocorticoid receptors, i.e., 1-4 h after administration of 100 nM corticosterone for 20 min. Thus the maximal response to synaptic activation of dentate cells at holding potential of -70 mV [when N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptors are blocked by magnesium] was significantly enhanced after corticosterone administration in chronically stressed but not in control animals. In accordance, the amplitude of alpha-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methylisolazole-4-propionic acid (AMPA) but not of NMDA receptor-mediated currents was increased by corticosterone in stressed rats, over the entire voltage range. Corticosterone treatment also decreased the time to peak of AMPA currents, but this effect did not depend on prior stress exposure. The data indicate that following chronic stress exposure synaptic excitation of dentate granule cells may be enhanced when corticosterone levels rise. This enhanced synaptic flow could contribute to enhanced excitation of projection areas of the dentate gyrus, most notably the CA3 hippocampal region.     

青春期大鼠癫痫发作后海马齿状回颗粒细胞层神经细胞增殖的改变

目的:探讨青春期大鼠癫痫发作后海马齿状回颗粒细胞层神经细胞数量的变化。方法:选择健康4周龄雄性SD大鼠,应用氯化锂-匹罗卡品药物点燃造模,造模成功后根据取脑组织时间分为24 h组、2周组、4周组,并设相应的对照组。溴脱氧尿嘧啶核苷(BrdU)标记后免疫荧光染色,用激光共聚焦观察大鼠海马齿状回(DG)颗粒细胞层BrdU阳性细胞。结果:24 h和2周实验组BrdU阳性细胞显著增多,分别较对照组增加55.1%和39.6%,2周实验组比24 h实验组降低15.5%(P<0.05);4周实验组BrdU阳性细胞数较对照组无明显差异(P>0.05)。结论:青春期大鼠癫痫发作可引起海马齿状回颗粒层神经细胞增殖的升高,但随着时间的延长有下降的趋势,至4周左右神经细胞的增殖趋于正常。     

侧脑室注射NMDA受体激动剂后精神分裂症小鼠海马齿状回内NR1和BrdU的改变

目的:探讨精神分裂症(schizophrenia,SP)小鼠侧脑室注射N-甲基-D-天门冬氨酸(NMDA)受体激动剂后,海马齿状回(dentate gyrus,DG)颗粒细胞层NR1和5-溴脱氧尿嘧啶核苷(BrdU)阳性细胞数量的改变。方法:选择健康6周龄雄性C57小鼠,地卓西平马来酸盐(MK-801)慢性给药制备精神分裂症动物模型,实验分为NMDA组、生理盐水组、SP组和空白对照组共四组,NMDA组侧脑室注射NMDA受体激动剂。BrdU标记后行免疫荧光染色,激光共聚焦显微镜下观察和计数DG颗粒细胞层NR1和BrdU阳性细胞的表达和数量变化。结果:(1)NR1阳性细胞数在NMDA组、空白对照组、SP组和生理盐水组分别为16.1±2.08,14.5±2.17,19.4±4.65,19.5±4.33,经比较,NMDA组和空白对照组NR1阳性细胞的数量明显少于SP组(P<0.05),但NMDA组与空白对照组相比无明显差异(P>0.05),SP组与生理盐水组相比也无明显差异(P>0.05)。(2)BrdU阳性细胞数在NMDA组、空白对照组、SP组和生理盐水组分别为5.2±2.53、5.3±0.82、3.4±1.58、3.5±1.35,经比较,NMDA组和空白对照组分别多于SP组(P<0.05),和生理盐水组(P<0.05);但NMDA组较空白对照组无明显差异(P>0.05),SP组较生理盐水组亦无明显差异(P>0.05)。结论:SP小鼠侧脑室注射NMDA受体激动剂后,可引起DG颗粒层NR1阳性细胞数减少和BrdU阳性神经细胞数的增多。     

beta-NAAG rescues LTP from blockade by NAAG in rat dentate gyrus via the type 3 metabotropic glutamate receptor

N-Acetylaspartylglutamate (NAAG) is an agonist at the type 3 metabotropic glutamate receptor (mGluR3), which is coupled to a Gi/o protein. When activated, the mGluR3 receptor inhibits adenylyl cyclase and reduces the cAMP-mediated second-messenger cascade. Long-term potentiation (LTP) in the medial perforant path (MPP) of the hippocampal dentate gyrus requires increases in cAMP. The presence of mGluR3 receptors and NAAG in neurons of the dentate gyrus suggests that this peptide transmitter may inhibit LTP in the dentate gyrus. High-frequency stimulation (100 Hz; 2 s) of the MPP resulted in LTP of extracellularly recorded excitatory postsynaptic potentials at the MPP-granule cell synapse of rat hippocampal slices. Perfusion of the slice with NAAG (50 and 200 microM) blocked LTP. Neither 50 nor 200 microM NAAG produced N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor currents in the granule cells of the acute hippocampal slice. The group II mGluR antagonist ethyl glutamate (100 microM) and a structural analogue of NAAG, beta-NAAG (100 microM), prevented the blockade of LTP by NAAG. Paired-pulse depression of the excitatory postsynaptic potential at 20- and 80-ms interpulse intervals (IPI) was not affected by NAAG or beta-NAAG. beta-NAAG did not affect inositol trisphosphate production stimulated by the agonist glutamate in cells expressing the group I mGluR1alpha or mGluR5. beta-NAAG blocked the decrease in forskolin-stimulated cAMP by the group II mGluR agonist (2S,2'R,3'R)-2-(2',3'-dicarboxycyclopropyl)glycine (DCG-IV) but not the group III mGluR agonist L(+)-2-amino-4-phosphonobutyric acid in cerebellar granule cells. In cells transfected with mGluR3, but not mGluR2, beta-NAAG blocked forskolin-stimulated cAMP responses to glutamate, NAAG, the nonspecific group I, II agonist trans-ACPD, and the group II agonist DCG-IV. We conclude that beta-NAAG is a selective mGluR antagonist capable of differentiating between mGluR2 and mGluR3 subtypes and that the mGluR3 receptor functions to regulate activity-dependent synaptic potentiation in the hippocampus.     

Ghrelin induced memory facilitation implicates nitric oxide synthase activation and decrease in the threshold to promote LTP in hippocampal dentate gyrus

Although the hypothalamus has been long considered the main ghrelin (Ghr) target organ mediating orexigenic effects, recently it has been shown that in-vivo Ghr hippocampus administration improves learning and memory in the inhibitory avoidance paradigm. However, the possible mechanisms underlying this memory facilitation effect have not been clarified. Given that the biochemical memory cascade into the hippocampus involves nitric oxide (NO) synthesis via NO synthase (NOS) activation, we investigated 1) if Ghr administration modulated NOS activity in the hippocampus; and 2) if hippocampal NOS inhibition influenced Ghr-induced memory facilitation, using a behavioral paradigm, biochemical determinations and an electrophysiological model. Our results showed that intra-hippocampal Ghr administration increased the NOS activity in a dose dependent manner, and reduced the threshold for LTP generation in dentate gyrus of rat hippocampus. Moreover, pre-administration of NG-nitro-l-arginine (l-NOArg) in the hippocampus partially prevented the Ghr-induced memory improvement, abolished the increase in NOS activity, and prevented the decreased threshold to generate LTP induced by Ghr. These findings suggest that activation of the NOS/NO pathway in hippocampus participates in the effects of Ghr on memory consolidation and is related with plastic properties of the hippocampal three-synaptic loop.     

BDNF overexpression increases dendrite complexity in hippocampal dentate gyrus

There is increasing evidence that brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) modulates synaptic and morphological plasticity in the developing and mature nervous system. Plasticity may be modulated partially by BDNF's effects on dendritic structure. Utilizing transgenic mice where BDNF overexpression was controlled by the beta-actin promoter, we evaluated the effects of long-term overexpression of BDNF on the dendritic structure of granule cells in the hippocampal dentate gyrus. BDNF transgenic mice provided the opportunity to investigate the effects of modestly increased BDNF levels on dendrite structure in the complex in vivo environment. While the elevated BDNF levels were insufficient to change levels of TrkB receptor isoforms or downstream TrkB signaling, they did increase dendrite complexity of dentate granule cells. These cells showed an increased number of first order dendrites, of total dendritic length and of total number of branch points. These results suggest that dendrite structure of granule cells is tightly regulated and is sensitive to modest increases in levels of BDNF. This is the first study to evaluate the effects of BDNF overexpression on dendrite morphology in the intact hippocampus and extends previous in vitro observations that BDNF influences synaptic plasticity by increasing complexity of dendritic arbors.     

GABAergic signaling to newborn neurons in dentate gyrus

Neurogenesis in the dentate gyrus begins before birth but then continues into adulthood. Consequently, many newborn granule cells must integrate into a preexisting hippocampal network. Little is known about the timing of this process or the characteristics of the first established synapses. We used mice that transiently express enhanced green fluorescent protein in newborn granule cells to examine their synaptic input. Although newborn granule cells had functional glutamate receptors, evoked and spontaneous synaptic currents were exclusively GABAergic with immature characteristics including slow rise and decay phases and depolarized reversal potentials. Synaptic currents in newborn granule cells were relatively insensitive to the GABA(A) receptor modulator zolpidem compared with neighboring mature granule cells. Consistent with the kinetics and pharmacology, newborn granule cells isolated by fluorescent cell sorting lacked the alpha1 GABA(A) receptor subunit. Our results indicate that newborn granule cells initially receive only GABAergic synapses even in the adult.     

Serotonin and neurogenesis in the hippocampal dentate gyrus of adult mammals

It is well documented that in mammals new neurons are generated in the dentate gyrus (DG) and integrated into hippocampal circuits throughout their life. However, functions of these newly generated cells are still hotly debated. One of the important factors that may influence the rate of DG neurogenesis is serotonin. Apart from being a neurotransmitter and neuromodulator it plays many other roles in the central nervous system, including the role of a trophic factor influencing functional state of neurons. In this review I discuss the changing views on adult hippocampal neurogenesis then briefly describe the anatomy and function of the hippocampus, focusing on its serotonergic innervation and receptors. Further, the possible role of serotonin and the newly generated DG neurons in hippocampus-dependent memory is discussed. Finally mechanisms by which serotonin and its receptors influence neurogenesis in the adult DG are summarized and hypotheses linking the decreased rate of DG neurogenesis with mechanisms of depression are discussed.     

c-fos modulates brain-derived neurotrophic factor mRNA expression in mouse hippocampal CA3 and dentate gyrus neurons

Excess neuronal excitation by glutamate induces neuron cell death, which may contribute to the pathogenesis of acute brain injuries and neurodegenerative diseases. Our previous studies using a mouse with hippocampal c-fos gene deletion showed that c-fos regulates neuronal excitability and excitotoxicity. Moreover, a delayed induction of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) protein expression in response to kainic acid (KA) treatment was found in c-fos mutant mice compared to wildtype controls, suggesting that c-fos is important in the temporal control of BDNF induction. To further investigate mechanisms of in vivo regulation of c-fos on BDNF expression, we studied the expression of BDNF mRNA and its colocalization with c-Fos protein in the hippocampal formation in the presence and absence of KA. By in situ hybridization, we observed that the c-fos mutant and wildtype mice exhibited similar basal expression of BDNF in the absence of KA. In contrast, the KA-induced BDNF mRNA levels were significantly different in wildtype and c-fos mutant mice in CA3 and dentate gyrus regions. Our findings indicate that c-fos regulates expression of BDNF in distinct neuron populations of the hippocampal formation in vivo.     

Sex differences in the hippocampal dentate gyrus of the guinea-pig before puberty

The aim of the present research was to ascertain the presence of sex differences in the hippocampal dentate gyrus of the guinea-pig, a long-gestation rodent which gives birth to mature young and whose brain is at a more advanced stage of maturation at birth than that of the rat and mouse. The brains of neonatal (15-16 days old) and prepubescent (45-46 days old) male and female guinea pigs were Golgi-Cox stained. Granule cells were sampled from the upper (suprapyramidal) and lower (infrapyramidal) blade of the septal dentate gyrus and their dendritic tree and soma were measured. The analysis was conducted separately on granule cells with soma in the superficial (superficial granule cells) and deep (deep granule cells) half of the granule cell layer. Numerous sex differences were found in the upper blade of the dentate gyrus. Neonatal males had more dendritic branches than females in the innermost dendritic tree of both superficial and deep granule cells, but females had more branches over the middle/outer dendritic tree and a longer dendritic length. In prepubescent animals, the sex difference in the middle dendritic tree of the superficial granule cells changed direction, with males having more branches than females. In the deep granule cells, the sex differences were similar to those in neonatal animals. In both granule cell types, the dendritic length was similar in the two sexes. While no sex differences were found in dendritic spine density in neonatal animals, in prepubescent animals spine density was greater in females. In the lower blade the granule cells showed very few sex differences in both neonatal and prepubescent animals. This study shows wide dynamically changing sex differences in the granule cells located in the upper blade of the septal dentate gyrus, but almost no differences in the lower blade. These results demonstrate that sex differences are not ubiquitous in the dentate gyrus and suggest that the lower blade, unlike the upper blade, might be involved in non-sexually dimorphic behaviors.     

NMDA receptor dependent paroxysmal discharges in the dentate gyrus

The N-methyl-D-aspartic acid subclass of glutamate receptors is thought to be involved in events that depend on repetitive activation of neurons. The present study shows that repetitive stimulation of CA3 can produce epileptiform discharges in the contralateral dentate gyrus. This distinctive paroxysmal response was blocked by the NMDA antagonists, ketamine and MK-801. The MK-801 blockade required previous activation of the dentate gyrus in the presence of the drug, thus demonstrating, in vivo, a use-dependent effect. These studies show that repetitive, low intensity stimulation of hippocampal circuits can produce NMDA-mediated epileptiform discharges in the dentate gyrus.     

Emergence of the capacity for LTP during reinnervation of the dentate gyrus: evidence that abnormally shaped spines can mediate LTP

Summary The present study analyzes how the capacity for LTP emerges during lesion-induced sprouting of the crossed temporo-dentate (CTD) pathway of the rat. Adult rats received unilateral entorhinal lesions and were allowed to survive for intervals from 6 to 40 days. The CTD pathway was then studied using conventional acute neurophysiological procedures. Extracellular field potentials were used to measure the synaptic efficacy of the CTD pathway before and after 400 Hz conditioning stimulation (the typical regimen for inducing LTP in the temporodentate system). The normal CTD pathway does not exhibit LTP, as noted in previous studies. LTP was first observed in animals recorded at 8–10 days post-lesion, although the increases in synaptic efficacy were not statistically significant until days 12–16 post-lesion. Electron microscopic analyses of the spine and synapse population of the dentate molecular layer at 8 days post-lesion reveal that spines on the postsynaptic cells are structurally immature when the capacity for the LTP first appears. These results are discussed as they relate to the postulated role of the CTD in behavioral recovery following entorhinal cortical lesions, and the potential cellular mechanisms of LTP.     

Effects of lactate/pyruvate on synaptic plasticity in the hippocampal dentate gyrus

The present study was undertaken to investigate whether monocarboxylates (lactate and pyruvate) can support synaptic plasticity. As an index of synaptic activity, population spikes (PS) were recorded in the hippocampal dentate gyrus. Replacement of glucose with monocarboxylates maintained PS after transient depression, and supported a similar degree of paired-pulse facilitation (PPF). Monocarboxylates-supported long-term potentiation (LTP), but the degree of enhancement was less than that of glucose-supported PS. Monocarboxylates failed to support long-term depression (LTD). These results indicate that monocarboxylates could serve as sufficient substrates for PPF, and that they could also support LTP but with less efficiency than glucose.     

Exercise-induced changes in dendritic structure and complexity in the adult hippocampal dentate gyrus

Neurogenesis is a constitutive activity in the adult dentate gyrus whereby new cells are created in the subgranular zone, before becoming neurons in the dentate gyrus granule cell layer. New granule cells are thought to migrate from the subgranular zone outwards to the edge of the cell layer as they mature. In these experiments we examined the dendritic morphology of granule cells in the subgranular zone, and the inner and outer regions of the granule cell zone in Sprague-Dawley rats with low and high rates of neurogenesis. In animals with lower rates of neurogenesis, the number of primary dendrites, degree of dendritic complexity and total dendritic length was lowest in cells located in the subgranular zone, higher in inner granule cell zone neurons, and highest in outer granule cell zone granule cells. Subgranular zone granule cells typically extended one primary dendrite and had a simple, immature dendritic tree, while granule cells in the outer granule cell zone had an increased number of primary dendrites, greater dendritic complexity, and greater total dendritic length. Animals that engaged in voluntary exercise showed increased neurogenesis, and the proportion of cells with one or two primary dendrites was increased in all of the granule cell zones. Despite having fewer primary processes, these cells showed enhanced dendritic complexity and an overall increase in their total dendritic length. These results indicate that granule cell dendritic morphology may be indicative of the age and position of a cell in the granule cell layer, but that in animals with increased rates of neurogenesis, the proportion of cells exhibiting what is considered an immature phenotype is increased throughout the all regions of the dentate gyrus cell layer.     

Postnatal development of the mouse dentate gyrus in organotypic cultures of the hippocampal formation

The hippocampal formation of newborn mice was explanted and maintained in Maximow culture assemblies for up to 35 days. At the time of explantation, only the suprapyramidal limb of the dentate gyrus was cytoarchitectonically distinct, and electron microscopy of newborn hippocampus revealed no definitive synapses. Histogenesis, as indicated by the development of the infrapyramidal limb of the dentate gyrus, and synaptogenesis, as indicated by the in vitro formation of mossy fiber synapses on the dendrites of hippocampal pyramidal neurons were studied by light and electron microscopy. At 12 days and thereafter in culture, mossy fiber terminals were found in synapsis with dendritic spines probably belonging to pyramidal cells of the hippocampal zone CA4. Near dentate granule cell somata a few axosomatic and many axospinous and axodendritic synapses were found. The data indicate that granule cells of the developing dentate gyrus are capable of differentiation in vitro into a structure essentially equivalent to that developed in vivo. The granule cells may become arranged into a recognizable granule cell layer, and develop dendritic processes which receive synapses virtually identical to those found in the intact organ. The differentiation of these features proceeds in the absence of the extrinsic afferents from the septum or from the contralateral hippocampal formation.     

模拟失重后大鼠海马齿状回神经发生的实验研究

观察模拟失重对大鼠海马齿状回神经发生的影响,为进一步阐明模拟失重对成年大鼠海马齿状回神经发生影响的规律及其相关生物学机制提供基本的实验依据。采用尾部悬吊法建立大鼠模拟失重模型,通过5-溴-2’-脱氧尿苷(5-bromo-2’-de-oxyuridine,BrdU)标记分裂细胞、微管相关蛋白(doublecortin,DCX)标记神经干细胞、神经元核蛋白(NeuN)标记神经元及胶质原纤维酸性蛋白(GFAP)标记神经胶质细胞的单、双重免疫组织化学染色方法比较尾部悬吊后7、14、28d模拟失重组大鼠与相应时间对照组大鼠之间海马齿状回神经前体细胞增殖、迁移和分化的情况。结果显示:模拟失重后7、14d尾部悬吊法模拟失重大鼠齿状回的BrdU免疫阳性细胞数目较相应对照组明显减少(P<0.01),而模拟失重后28d时两组大鼠齿状回BrdU免疫阳性细胞数目无显著差异(P>0.05)。本研究结果提示,模拟失重可抑制海马齿状回神经发生的水平。     

Synaptic correlates of memory and menopause in the hippocampal dentate gyrus in rhesus monkeys

Aged rhesus monkeys exhibit deficits in hippocampus-dependent memory, similar to aging humans. Here we explored the basis of cognitive decline by first testing young adult and aged monkeys on a standard recognition memory test (delayed nonmatching-to-sample test; DNMS). Next we quantified synaptic density and morphology in the hippocampal dentate gyrus (DG) outer (OML) and inner molecular layer (IML). Consistent with previous findings, aged monkeys were slow to learn DNMS initially, and they performed significantly worse than young subjects when challenged with longer retention intervals. Although OML and IML synaptic parameters failed to differ across the young and aged groups, the density of perforated synapses in the OML was coupled with recognition memory accuracy. Independent of chronological age, monkeys classified on the basis of menses data as peri- or post-menopausal scored worse on DNMS, and displayed lower OML perforated synapse density, than premenopausal monkeys. These results suggest that naturally occurring reproductive senescence potently influences synaptic connectivity in the DG OML, contributing to individual differences in the course of normal cognitive aging.     

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.