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Related Experiment Videos

Synaptic plasticity in the human dentate gyrus.

H Beck1, I V Goussakov, A Lie

  • 1Department of Epileptology, University of Bonn Medical Center, D-53105 Bonn, Germany. heinz@mailer.meb.uni-bonn.de

The Journal of Neuroscience : the Official Journal of the Society for Neuroscience
|September 21, 2000
PubMed
Summary

Scientists found that NMDA receptor-dependent synaptic plasticity, crucial for memory, occurs in the human hippocampus. This plasticity is impaired in patients with hippocampal seizures, suggesting a link to memory deficits in temporal lobe epilepsy.

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Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Synaptic Plasticity
  • Human Hippocampus Research

Background:

  • Activity-dependent plasticity is a key feature of CNS synapses and a proposed mechanism for memory.
  • NMDA receptors are implicated in human verbal memory, but their role in synaptic plasticity for information storage remains unclear.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate NMDA receptor-dependent synaptic plasticity in the human hippocampus.
  • To compare synaptic plasticity in healthy individuals versus those with hippocampal seizure foci.
  • To explore the relationship between synaptic plasticity and memory deficits in temporal lobe epilepsy.

Main Methods:

  • Analysis of synaptic plasticity at the perforant path-dentate gyrus synapse in human hippocampal tissue.
  • Induction of long-term potentiation (LTP) using high-frequency stimulation and forskolin.

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  • Assessment of depotentiation and depression using low-frequency stimulation.

    • Main Results:

    • NMDA receptor-dependent LTP and forskolin-induced potentiation were readily induced in hippocampi without seizure foci.
    • Long-term potentiation could be partially depotentiated by low-frequency stimulation in healthy subjects.
    • Synaptic plasticity, including potentiation and depression, was significantly reduced in patients with hippocampal seizure foci.

    Conclusions:

    • The human hippocampus exhibits activity-dependent synaptic plasticity similar to rodents, available for information storage.
    • A hippocampal seizure focus impairs synaptic plasticity.
    • Impaired synaptic plasticity may underlie declarative memory deficits observed in human temporal lobe epilepsy.