[Epub ahead of print]
Depolarisation-induced suppression of a glycinergic synapse in the superior olivary complex by endocannabinoids.
Trattner B, Berner S, Grothe B, Kunz L.
Source
Department of Biology II, Division of Neurobiology, Ludwig Maximilians University Munich, D-82152, Martinsried, Germany; Graduate School of Systemic Neurosciences, Ludwig Maximilians University Munich, D-82152, Martinsried, Germany.
Abstract
The neuronal endocannabinoid system is known to depress synaptic inputs retrogradely in an activity-dependent manner. This mechanism has been generally described for excitatory glutamatergic and inhibitory GABAergic synapses. Here we report that neurones in the auditory brainstem of the Mongolian gerbil (Meriones unguiculatus) retrogradely regulate the strength of their inputs via the endocannabinoid system. By means of whole-cell patch-clamp recordings we found that retrograde endocannabinoid signalling attenuates both glycinergic and glutamatergic postsynaptic currents in the same types of neurones. Accordingly, we detected the cannabinoid receptor 1 (CB1) in excitatory and inhibitory pre-synapses as well as the endocannabinoid-synthesising enzymes (diacylglycerol lipase α/β, DAGLα/β) postsynaptically through immunohistochemical stainings. Our study was performed with animals aged 10-15 days, i.e. in the time window around the onset of hearing. Therefore, we suggest that retrograde endocannabinoid signalling has a role in adapting inputs during the functionally important switch from spontaneously generated to sound-related signals. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
PMID: 23859596 [PubMed – as supplied by publisher]
Depolarisation-induced suppression of a glycinergic synapse in the superior olivary complex by endocannabinoids
