Group I mGluR agonist-evoked long-term potentiation in hippocampal oriens interneurons

Several subtypes of interneurons in the feedback circuit in stratum oriens of the hippocampus exhibit NMDA receptor-independent long-term potentiation (LTP) at glutamatergic synapses made by local pyramidal neurons. LTP has been reported with both "Hebbian" and "anti-Hebbian" induction protocols, where high-frequency presynaptic stimulation is paired with either postsynaptic depolarization or hyperpolarization. Do these phenomena represent distinct forms of plasticity, dependent on group I metabotropic receptors (mGluRs) and rectifying Ca2+ -permeable AMPA receptors, respectively? Blockade of either mGluR1 or mGluR5 prevented anti-Hebbian LTP induction in stratum oriens interneurons in rat hippocampal slices. Exogenous activation of group I mGluRs by the selective agonist (S)-3,5-dihydroxyphenylglycine (DHPG) was unable to induce LTP on its own, and instead depressed excitatory transmission. However, when paired with postsynaptic hyperpolarization, DHPG or the group I metabotropic receptor (mGluR5)-selective agonist (R,S)-2-chloro-5-hydroxyphenylglycine (CHPG) elicited a delayed long-lasting potentiation, which was accompanied by a decrease in paired-pulse facilitation. Anti-Hebbian LTP occluded the effect of DHPG paired with hyperpolarization, implying that the induction cascades triggered by both conjunctions of stimuli converge on common expression mechanisms.