Heterogeneous effects of dopamine on highly localized, voltage-induced Ca2+ accumulation in identified motoneurons

Modulation of synaptic transmission is a major mechanism for the functional reconfiguration of neuronal circuits. Neurotransmitter release and, consequently, synaptic strength are regulated by intracellular Ca(2+) levels in presynaptic terminals. In identified neurons of the lobster pyloric network, we studied localized, voltage-induced Ca(2+) accumulation and its modulation in varicosities on distal neuritic arborizations, which have previously been shown to be sites of synaptic contacts. We previously demonstrated that dopamine (DA) weakens synaptic output from the pyloric dilator (PD) neuron and strengthens synaptic output from the lateral pyloric (LP) and pyloric constrictor (PY) neurons. Here we show that DA modifies voltage-activated Ca(2+) accumulation in many varicosities in ways that are consistent with DA's effects on synaptic transmission: DA elevates Ca(2+) accumulation in LP and PY varicosities and reduces Ca(2+) accumulation in PD varicosities. However, in all three neuron types, we also found varicosities that were unaffected by DA. In the PY neurons, we found that DA can simultaneously increase and decrease voltage-evoked Ca(2+) accumulation at different varicosities, even within the same neuron. These results suggest that regulation of Ca(2+) entry is a common mechanism to regulate synaptic strength in the pyloric network. However, voltage-evoked local Ca(2+) accumulation can be differentially modulated to control Ca(2+)-dependent processes in functionally separate varicosities of a single neuron.