Exposure to Stressors Facilitates Long-Term Synaptic Potentiation in the Lateral Habenula

The lateral habenula (LHb) is a small part of the epithalamus that projects to monoamine centers in the brain. Previously, neurotransmission onto the LHb was shown to be abnormally potentiated in animal models of depression. However, synaptic plasticity in this brain area and the effect of stressor exposure on synaptic plasticity of the LHb have not been investigated. Thus, we explored whether the LHb undergoes dynamic changes in synaptic efficacy or not. First, we observed that a moderate LTP occurs in a fraction of LHb neurons obtained from naive Sprague Dawley rats. Interestingly, a single exposure to acute stressors, such as inescapable foot shock or restraint plus tail shock (RTS), significantly enhances the magnitude of LTP in the LHb. We also observed an increased number of LHb neurons expressing phosphorylated cAMP response element-binding protein (pCREB) after exposure to stressors, which may contribute to determine the threshold for LTP induction. LTP induction in the LHb resulted in an additional increase in the number of pCREB-expressing neurons in stress-exposed animals but not in naive control animals. Together, we showed that LHb neurons have heterogeneous propensity for synaptic potentiation at rest; however, a single exposure to stressors greatly facilitates LTP induction in the LHb, suggesting that fundamental alterations in synaptic plasticity in the LHb may occur in animal models of depression or post-traumatic stress disorder.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Stress exposure is known to cause depression in human patients and animal models, although explanations at the cellular level remain to be elaborated. Here, we show that the lateral habenula (LHb) exhibits LTP after a pattern of brief strong stimulation. In addition, we show that stress exposure facilitates LTP in the LHb by lowering the threshold for LTP induction. We observed a selective increase in the number of neurons expressing pCREB in the LHb of animal models of depression. LTP induction results in a further increase in the density of pCREB-expressing neurons only after stress exposure. Our study provides the first evidence that animal models of depression exhibit altered synaptic plasticity of the LHb.