HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) All Versions of this Article: 550/1/135    most recent 2003.039099v2 2003.039099v1 Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by De Simoni, A. Articles by Edwards, F. A. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by De Simoni, A. Articles by Edwards, F. A.

Development of rat CA1 neurones in acute versus organotypic slices: role of experience in synaptic morphology and activity

Anna De Simoni, Claudius B. Griesinger and Frances A. Edwards

Despite their wide use, the physiological relevance of organotypic slices remains controversial. Such cultures are prepared at 5 days postnatal. Although some local circuitry remains intact, they develop subsequently in isolation from the animal and hence without plasticity due to experience. Development of synaptic connectivity and morphology might be expected to proceed differently under these conditions than in a behaving animal. To address these questions, patch-clamp techniques and confocal microscopy were used in the CA1 region of the rat hippocampus to compare acute slices from the third postnatal week with various stages of organotypic slices. Acute slices prepared at postnatal days (P) 14, 17 and 21 were found to be developmentally equivalent to organotypic slices cultured for 1, 2 and 3 weeks, respectively, in terms of development of synaptic transmission and dendritic morphology. The frequency of inhibitory and excitatory miniature synaptic currents increased in parallel. Development of dendritic length and primary branching as well as spine density and proportions of different spine types were also similar in both preparations, at these corresponding stages. The most notable difference between organotypic and acute slices was a four- to five-fold increase in the absolute frequency of glutamatergic (but not GABAergic) miniature postsynaptic currents in organotypic slices. This was probably related to an increase in complexity of higher order dendritic branching in organotypic slices, as measured by fractal analysis, resulting in an increased total synapse number. Both increased excitatory miniature synaptic current frequency and dendritic complexity were already established during the first week in culture. The level of complexity then stayed constant in both preparations over subsequent stages, with synaptic frequency increasing in parallel. Thus, although connectivity was greater in organotypic slices, once this was established, development continued in both preparations at a remarkably similar rate. We conclude that, for the parameters studied, changes seem to be preprogrammed by 5 days and their subsequent development is largely independent of environment.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				N. Yasumatsu, M. Matsuzaki, T. Miyazaki, J. Noguchi, and H. Kasai Principles of Long-Term Dynamics of Dendritic Spines J. Neurosci., December 10, 2008; 28(50): 13592 - 13608. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				A. F. Bartley, Z. J. Huang, K. M. Huber, and J. R. Gibson Differential Activity-Dependent, Homeostatic Plasticity of Two Neocortical Inhibitory Circuits J Neurophysiol, October 1, 2008; 100(4): 1983 - 1994. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				H. Hu, Y. Qin, G. Bochorishvili, Y. Zhu, L. van Aelst, and J. J. Zhu Ras Signaling Mechanisms Underlying Impaired GluR1-Dependent Plasticity Associated with Fragile X Syndrome J. Neurosci., July 30, 2008; 28(31): 7847 - 7862. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				L. Liebmann, H. Karst, K. Sidiropoulou, N. van Gemert, O. C. Meijer, P. Poirazi, and M. Joels Differential Effects of Corticosterone on the Slow Afterhyperpolarization in the Basolateral Amygdala and CA1 Region: Possible Role of Calcium Channel Subunits J Neurophysiol, February 1, 2008; 99(2): 958 - 968. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				C. Huchzermeyer, K. Albus, H.-J. Gabriel, J. Otahal, N. Taubenberger, U. Heinemann, R. Kovacs, and O. Kann Gamma Oscillations and Spontaneous Network Activity in the Hippocampus Are Highly Sensitive to Decreases in pO2 and Concomitant Changes in Mitochondrial Redox State J. Neurosci., January 30, 2008; 28(5): 1153 - 1162. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				A. Vesikansa, M. Sallert, T. Taira, and S. E. Lauri Activation of kainate receptors controls the number of functional glutamatergic synapses in the area CA1 of rat hippocampus J. Physiol., August 15, 2007; 583(1): 145 - 157. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				T. Okuda, L. M. Y. Yu, L. A. Cingolani, R. Kemler, and Y. Goda beta-Catenin regulates excitatory postsynaptic strength at hippocampal synapses PNAS, August 14, 2007; 104(33): 13479 - 13484. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				J. Huupponen, S. M. Molchanova, T. Taira, and S. E. Lauri Susceptibility for homeostatic plasticity is down-regulated in parallel with maturation of the rat hippocampal synaptic circuitry J. Physiol., June 1, 2007; 581(2): 505 - 514. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				H. A. Johnson and D. V. Buonomano Development and Plasticity of Spontaneous Activity and Up States in Cortical Organotypic Slices J. Neurosci., May 30, 2007; 27(22): 5915 - 5925. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				I. Ehrlich, M. Klein, S. Rumpel, and R. Malinow PSD-95 is required for activity-driven synapse stabilization PNAS, March 6, 2007; 104(10): 4176 - 4181. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				A. W. Baxter and D. J. A. Wyllie Phosphatidylinositol 3 kinase activation and AMPA receptor subunit trafficking underlie the potentiation of miniature EPSC amplitudes triggered by the activation of L-type calcium channels. J. Neurosci., May 17, 2006; 26(20): 5456 - 5469. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				S. Mitsui, M. Saito, K. Hayashi, K. Mori, and Y. Yoshihara A Novel Phenylalanine-Based Targeting Signal Directs Telencephalin to Neuronal Dendrites J. Neurosci., February 2, 2005; 25(5): 1122 - 1131. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				N. J Allen and D. Attwell The effect of simulated ischaemia on spontaneous GABA release in area CA1 of the juvenile rat hippocampus J. Physiol., December 1, 2004; 561(2): 485 - 498. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				B. Chattopadhyaya, G. Di Cristo, H. Higashiyama, G. W. Knott, S. J. Kuhlman, E. Welker, and Z. J. Huang Experience and Activity-Dependent Maturation of Perisomatic GABAergic Innervation in Primary Visual Cortex during a Postnatal Critical Period J. Neurosci., October 27, 2004; 24(43): 9598 - 9611. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				G. Raffaelli, C. Saviane, M. H. Mohajerani, P. Pedarzani, and E. Cherubini BK potassium channels control transmitter release at CA3-CA3 synapses in the rat hippocampus J. Physiol., May 15, 2004; 557(1): 147 - 157. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				N. J. Allen, D. J. Rossi, and D. Attwell Sequential Release of GABA by Exocytosis and Reversed Uptake Leads to Neuronal Swelling in Simulated Ischemia of Hippocampal Slices J. Neurosci., April 14, 2004; 24(15): 3837 - 3849. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				C. A. Reid, D. B. Dixon, M. Takahashi, T. V. P. Bliss, and A. Fine Optical Quantal Analysis Indicates That Long-Term Potentiation at Single Hippocampal Mossy Fiber Synapses Is Expressed through Increased Release Probability, Recruitment of New Release Sites, and Activation of Silent Synapses J. Neurosci., April 7, 2004; 24(14): 3618 - 3626. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				C. R. Elliott-Hunt, B. Marsh, A. Bacon, R. Pope, P. Vanderplank, and D. Wynick Galanin acts as a neuroprotective factor to the hippocampus PNAS, April 6, 2004; 101(14): 5105 - 5110. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				J. K. Seamans, L. Nogueira, and A. Lavin Synaptic Basis of Persistent Activity in Prefrontal Cortex In Vivo and in Organotypic Cultures Cereb Cortex, November 1, 2003; 13(11): 1242 - 1250. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]