Amyloid-beta at sublethal level impairs BDNF-induced arc expression in cortical neurons

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is characterized by progressive memory loss and cognitive dysfunction that probably due to a deficit in synaptic plasticity. One member of neurotrophins, brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), is known to be involved in the hippocampal long-term potentiation (LTP), a cellular model for learning and memory. Moreover, activity-regulated cytoskeleton-associated gene (Arc), an immediate early gene, is found to be a downstream effector of the BDNF signaling cascade. Inhibition of Arc protein synthesis impairs both the maintenance of LTP and the consolidation of long-term memory. In addition, the formation of senile plaques is a pathological feature in AD and mainly consists of the deposition of amyloid-beta (Abeta), a proteolytic product of amyloid precursor protein. Several studies concerning neurobehavioral performance have suggested that Abeta at sublethal levels interfere with the signaling cascades critical for synaptic plasticity and thus lead to the cognitive impairment in early stage of AD. Whether the BDNF-mediated Arc synthesis is impaired by sublethal Abeta in early AD is still unclear. Therefore, in the present study, primary cultures of neonatal rat cortical neurons were used to evaluate the effect of sublethal Abeta on the BDNF-induced Arc protein expression. Consistent with the literature, Arc, an indicator of synaptic plasticity, was induced by BDNF (25 ng/ml) in both dose- and time-dependent manners. After treating cultures with sublethal Abeta (5 microM), a significant suppression was observed on the level of BDNF-induced Arc protein expression. This result indicates that Abeta at sublethal level impairs the BDNF-mediated signaling in cortical neurons and thus underlies the deficits of synaptic plasticity occurred at the early stage of AD before significant neuronal loss.     

A role for immediate-early transcription factors in learning and memory

This article summarizes recent studies from the long-term potentiation (LTP), long-term depression (LTD), and behavioral learning literature, indicating that immediate-early genes (IEGs) may play an important role in learning and memory. The LTP studies suggest that synaptic modifications occurring during NMDA-receptor-mediated hippocampal LTP and LTD are stabilized by the protein products of the krox family of IEGs (as well as by brain-derived neurotrophic factor, BDNF). Activation of muscarinic receptors also induces members of the krox as well as the fos and jun family (jun-B but not c-jun) IEGs in hippocampal neurons and this action may be involved in the facilitatory effects of muscarinic receptor activation on both hippocampal LTP and learning. The possible role of IEGs in the learning-enhancing effects of cholinergically mediated hippocampal θ is also discussed. Finally, I review a number of recent studies showing IEG expression in brain neurons after behavioral learning. Together these results suggest some role for select IEGs (e.g., Krox 24) in learning and memory, although definitive studies using antisense DNA technology are required to establish any causal links. In particular, IEGs may be critical components of the signal transduction cascade that links NMDA and muscarinic receptors to the neuronal genome and ultimately to the generation of permanent modifications in neuronal biochemistry that provides the substrate for learning.     

Protein synthesis is required for the enhancement of long-term potentiation and long-term memory by spaced training

Spaced training is generally more effective than massed training for learning and memory, but the molecular mechanisms underlying this trial spacing effect remain poorly characterized. One potential molecular basis for the trial spacing effect is the differential modulation, by distinct temporal patterns of neuronal activity, of protein synthesis-dependent processes that contribute to the expression of specific forms of synaptic plasticity in the mammalian brain. Long-term potentiation (LTP) is a type of synaptic modification that may be important for certain forms of memory storage in the mammalian brain. To explore the role of protein synthesis in the trial spacing effect, we assessed the protein synthesis dependence of hippocampal LTP induced by 100-Hz tetraburst stimulation delivered to mouse hippocampal slices in either a temporally massed (20-s interburst interval) or spaced (5-min interburst interval) fashion. To extend our studies to the behavioral level, we trained mice in fear conditioning using either a massed or spaced training protocol and examined the sensitivity of long-term memory to protein synthesis inhibition. Larger LTP was induced by spaced stimulation in hippocampal slices. This improvement of synaptic potentiation following temporally spaced synaptic stimulation in slices was attenuated by bath application of an inhibitor of protein synthesis. Further, the maintenance of LTP induced by spaced synaptic stimulation was more sensitive to disruption by anisomycin than the maintenance of LTP elicited following massed stimulation. Temporally spaced behavioral training improved long-term memory for contextual but not for cued fear conditioning, and this enhancement of memory for contextual fear was also protein synthesis dependent. Our data reveal that altering the temporal spacing of synaptic stimulation and behavioral training improved hippocampal LTP and enhanced contextual long-term memory. From a broad perspective, these results suggest that the recruitment of protein synthesis-dependent processes important for long-term memory and for long-lasting forms of LTP can be modulated by the temporal profiles of behavioral training and synaptic stimulation.     

老龄海马的BDNF及TrkB mRNA表达与学习记忆的关系

海马是最易受衰老影响的脑区之一 ,其分泌合成多种神经营养因子 ,其中脑源性神经营养因子(BDNF)及其受体TrkB的老龄性改变较为显著 ,两者的mRNA随增龄而显著降低 ,而在阿尔采默病 (AD)等有认知功能障碍的疾病时表现更为突出。另外 ,BDNF及其受体参与海马学习记忆的过程 :①BDNF通过基底前脑胆碱能系统调节学习记忆 ;②BDNF通过调节突触传递易化长时程增强 (LTP)。因此 ,本文将就BD NF及其受体TrkB的老龄性改变和其对学习记忆的调控两大方面作进一步的探讨。     

Late phase of long-term potentiation induced by co-application of N-methyl-d-aspartic acid and the antagonist of NR2B-containing N-methyl-d-aspartic acid receptors in rat hippocampus

Activation of N-methyl-d-aspartic acid (NMDA) glutamate receptors (NMDARs) is required for long-term potentiation (LTP) of excitatory synaptic transmission at hippocampal CA1 synapses, the proposed cellular mechanisms of learning and memory. We demonstrate here that a brief bath co-application of a low concentration of NMDA, an agonist of NMDARs, and the selective antagonist of NR2B-containing NMDARs, (α R, β S)-α-(4-hydroxyphenyl)-β-methyl-4-(phenylmethyl)-1-piperidinepropanol (Ro25-6981), to hippocampal slices from young adult rats produced a slowly developing LTP persisting at least for 6 h following a transient depression of synaptic transmission in CA1 synapses. The LTP was likely to occur at postsynaptic site and was initiated by activation of NMDARs, and its development was mediated by cAMP-dependent protein kinase (PKA) activation and protein synthesis. This chemically induced LTP and the tetanus-induced late phase of LTP (L-LTP) were mutually occluding, suggesting a common expression mechanism. Thus, we have demonstrated that a brief bath co-application of NMDA with Ro25-6981 to a slice offers an alternative to electrical stimulation as a stimulation method to induce L-LTP. The chemically induced LTP did not require the low-frequency test stimulation typically used to monitor the strength of synapses during and after drug application. Thus, the LTP may occur at a large fraction of synapses in the slice and not to be confined to a small fraction of the synapses where electrical stimulation can reach and induce LTP. Therefore, this chemically induced LTP may be useful for assessing the biochemical and morphological correlates and the molecular aspects of the expression mechanism for L-LTP that has been proven to correlate to hippocampal long-term memory.     

The MAPK cascade is required for mammalian associative learning

Mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) is an integral component of cellular signaling during mitogenesis and differentiation of mitotic cells. Recently MAPK activation in post-mitotic cells has been implicated in hippocampal long-term potentiation (LTP), a potential cellular mechanism of learning and memory. Here we investigate the involvement of MAPK in learning and memory in behaving animals. MAPK activation increased in the rat hippocampus after an associative learning task, contextual fear conditioning. Two other protein kinases known to be activated during hippocampal LTP, protein kinase C and alpha-calcium/calmodulin protein kinase II, also were activated in the hippocampus after learning. Inhibition of the specific upstream activator of MAPK, MAPK kinase (MEK), blocked fear conditioning. Thus, classical conditioning in mammals activates MAPK, which is necessary for consolidation of the resultant learning.     

Properties of subsequent induction of long-term potentiation and/or depression in one synaptic input in apical dendrites of hippocampal CA1 neurons in vitro

The hippocampus is a prominent structure to study mechanisms of learning and memory at the cellular level. Long-term potentiation (LTP) as well as long-term depression (LTD) are the major cellular models which could underlie learning and memory formation. LTP and LTD consist of at least two phases, an early protein synthesis-independent transient stage (<4 h; E-LTP, E-LTD) as well as a prolonged phase (>4 h; L-LTP, L-LTD) requiring the synthesis of new proteins. It is known that during E-LTP the further induction of longer lasting LTP is precluded. However, if E-LTP is transformed into L-LTP, the same synapses now allow the induction of LTP again. We reproduced the LTP-results first and then investigated whether hippocampal LTP or LTD also prevents the establishment of subsequent LTD-induction in the same synaptic input. We show that the prior induction of LTP or LTD does not prevent a short-term depression (STD) but occludes LTD in apical dendrites of CA1 neurons in hippocampal slices in vitro during the early phase of LTP or LTD. However, LTD can again be induced in addition to STD after the establishment of L-LTP or L-LTD, that is about 4 h after the induction of the first event in the same synaptic input. We suggest that the neuronal input preserves the capacity for STD immediately after an initial potentiation or depression, but for the onset of additional longer lasting LTD in the same synaptic input, the establishment of the late plasticity form of the preceding event is critical.     

Brain-derived neurotrophic factor modulates the severity of cognitive alterations induced by mutant huntingtin: Involvement of phospholipaseCγ activity and glutamate receptor expression

The involvement of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) in cognitive processes and the decrease in its expression in Huntington's disease suggest that this neurotrophin may play a role in learning impairment during the disease progression. We therefore analyzed the onset and severity of cognitive deficits in two different mouse models with the same mutant huntingtin but with different levels of BDNF (R6/1 and R6/1:BDNF+/− mice). We observed that BDNF modulates cognitive function in different learning tasks, even before the onset of motor symptoms. R6/1:BDNF+/− mice showed earlier and more accentuated cognitive impairment than R6/1 mice at 5 weeks of age in discrimination learning; at 5 weeks of age in procedural learning; and at 9 weeks of age in alternation learning. At the earliest age at which cognitive impairment was detected, electrophysiological analysis was performed in the hippocampus. All mutant genotypes showed reduced hippocampal long term potentiation (LTP) with respect to wild type but did not show differences between them. Thus, we evaluated the involvement of BDNF-trkB signaling and glutamate receptor expression in the hippocampus of these mice. We observed a decrease in phospholipaseCγ activity, but not ERK, in R61, BDNF+/− and R6/1:BDNF+/− hippocampus at the age when LTP was altered. However, a specific decrease in the expression of glutamate receptors NR1, NR2A and GluR1 was detected only in R6/1:BDNF+/− hippocampus. Therefore, these results show that BDNF modulates the learning and memory alterations induced by mutant huntingtin. This interaction leads to intracellular changes, such as specific changes in glutamate receptors and in BDNF-trkB signaling through phospholipaseCγ.     

Suppression of hippocampal plasticity-related gene expression by sleep deprivation in rats

Previous work shows that sleep deprivation impairs hippocampal-dependent learning and long-term potentiation (LTP). Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), cAMP response-element-binding (CREB) and calcium–calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CAMKII) are critical modulators of hippocampal-dependent learning and LTP. In the present study we compared the effects of short- (8 h) and intermediate-term (48 h) sleep deprivation ( SD ) on the expression of BDNF and its downstream targets, Synapsin I, CREB and CAMKII in the neocortex and the hippocampus. Rats were sleep deprived using an intermittent treadmill system which equated total movement in the SD and control treadmill animals (CT), but permitted sustained periods of rest in CT animals. Animals were divided into SD (treadmill schedule: 3 s on/12 s off) and two treadmill control groups, CT1 (15 min on/60 min off) and CT2 (30 min on/120 min off – permitting more sustained sleep). Real-time Taqman RT-PCR was used to measure changes in mRNA; BDNF protein levels were determined using ELISA . In the hippocampus, 8 h treatments reduced BDNF , Synapsin I, CREB and CAMKII gene expression in both SD and control groups. Following 48 h of experimental procedures, the expression of all these four molecular markers of plasticity was reduced in SD and CT1 groups compared to the CT2 and cage control groups. In the hippocampus, BDNF protein levels after 8 h and 48 h treatments paralleled the changes in mRNA. In neocortex, neither 8 h nor 48 h SD or control treatments had significant effects on BDNF , Synapsin I and CAMKII mRNA levels. Stepwise regression analysis suggested that loss of REM sleep underlies the effects of SD on hippocampal BDNF , Synapsin I and CREB mRNA levels, whereas loss of NREM sleep underlies the effects on CAMKII mRNA.     

大鼠海马神经元参与学习记忆能力的机制及影响因素的研究进展

学习记忆是脑的基本功能,作为脑内高级活动之一,其实质是信号转导和处理问题,其机制可能包括:①神经生理学机制,神经元之间的环路联系与短时记忆密切相关,而突触的可塑性尤其是长时程增强(1ong-term poten-tiation,LTP)被认为是长时记忆的分子学基础;②神经生物化学机制,长时记忆与脑内蛋白质的合成有关;其次,中枢神经递质也参与了学习记忆的活动;③神经解剖学机制,永久记忆的形成与新的突触联系的建立密切相关。本文主要就大鼠海马神经元对学习记忆的影响及机制研究进展作简要综述。     

Deletion of neuronal gap junction protein connexin 36 impairs hippocampal LTP

In the mammalian CNS, deletion of neuronal gap junction protein, connexin 36 (Cx36), causes deficiencies in learning and memory. Here we tested whether Cx36 deletion affects the hippocampal long-term potentiation (LTP), which is considered as a cellular model of learning and memory mechanisms. We report that in acute slices of the hippocampal CA1 area, LTP is reduced in Cx36 knockout mice as compared to wild-type mice. Western blot analysis of NMDA receptor subunits indicates a higher NR2A/NR2B ratio in Cx36 knockout mice, indicating that there is shift in the threshold for LTP induction in knockout animals. Data suggest a possibility that learning and memory deficiencies in Cx36 knockout mice are due to deficiencies in LTP mechanisms.     

Aβ25-35伤害大鼠空间学习记忆和在体海马长时程增强的联合研究

目的:探讨海马内注射β-amyloid protein 25-35(Aβ25-35)所致Alzheizer’s病(AD)模型大鼠空间学习记忆功能障碍的海马突触可塑性长时程增强(LTP)机制,为联合开展AD动物行为学和在体电生理学研究提供实验证据。方法:在脑立体定位仪上给予大鼠双侧海马分别注射4 nmol/L Aβ25-35或等体积生理盐水每侧2μl,手术后恢复2周,每只大鼠依次进行行为学和电生理两部分实验。首先,利用Morris水迷宫进行空间学习、记忆功能测试;之后,进行在体海马CA1区场兴奋性突触后电位(fEPSP)引导记录实验,观察突触可塑性指标长时程增强(LTP)的改变。结果:与对照组相比,海马内注射Aβ25-35大鼠的空间学习记忆功能和在体海马突触可塑性LTP均有改变,其中:逃避潜伏期和逃避距离明显增加(P<0.01);目标象限内游泳时间和距离明显缩短(P<0.01);在体海马LTP幅度显著降低(P<0.01)。结论:海马内注射Aβ25-35可导致大鼠空间学习记忆功能障碍;联合实验中Aβ25-35同样可引起在体海马LTP改变。提示同批动物先后进行行为学和电生理学测试的方法是可行的,行为学实验不会影响后续LTP的实验结果。因此,本实验为行为学改变后进行在体LTP机制探讨提供了实验依据,为有效开展行为学和电生理学实验提供了思路。