Synaptic modification in neurons of the central nucleus of the inferior colliculus

Whole-cell patch clamp recordings were made from neurons in the central nucleus of the inferior colliculus (ICC) in brain slices from rat (8-13 days old). ICC neurons were classified by their discharge pattern in response to depolarizing and hyperpolarizing current injection. Excitatory postsynaptic currents (EPSCs) were elicited by stimulation of synaptic inputs under the condition that the synaptic inhibition was suppressed by strychnine and picrotoxin. EPSCs in all tested types of ICC neurons showed posttetanic, long-term potentiation (LTP) and long-term depression with tetanic stimulation. The potentiated EPSCs consisted of alpha-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid (AMPA) receptor and NMDA receptor mediated components. The magnitude of LTP was larger when the intracellular concentration of the calcium buffer ethylene glycol-bis (beta-aminoethyl ether)-N,N,N',N'-tetracetic acid (EGTA) was lower and stimulation frequency was higher in cells with rebound firing patterns. Blocking N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptors in rebound cells prevented generation of LTP. These results suggest that excitatory synaptic transmission in ICC neurons can be modified. LTP in the auditory midbrain may be important for activity-dependent, adaptive changes in response to normal and pathological stimulus conditions.