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Ex Vivo Preparations of the Intact Vomeronasal Organ and Accessory Olfactory Bulb
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Kainate Receptors Play a Role in Modulating Synaptic Transmission in the Olfactory Bulb
Laura J Blakemore1, John T Corthell1, Paul Q Trombley1
1Program in Neuroscience, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, United States; Department of Biological Science, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, United States.
Neuroscience
|September 15, 2018
Summary
Functional kainate receptors (KARs) are present in the olfactory bulb (OB) and modulate both excitatory and inhibitory synaptic transmission, influencing odor information processing.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Synaptic Transmission
- Olfactory System
Background:
- Glutamate is the primary excitatory neurotransmitter in the mammalian brain.
- Ionotropic glutamate receptors, including N-methyl-d-aspartate receptors (NMDARs) and α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid receptors (AMPARs), are crucial in the olfactory bulb (OB).
- Kainate receptors (KARs), another class of ionotropic glutamate receptors, are expressed in the OB, but their function and synaptic presence are poorly understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the functionality and synaptic localization of kainate receptors (KARs) in the olfactory bulb (OB).
- To determine the modulatory effects of KARs on synaptic transmission within the OB.
- To explore the role of KARs in olfactory information processing circuits.
Main Methods:
- Coapplication of KAR agonists and AMPAR antagonists to identify functional KARs on OB neurons.
- Electrophysiological recordings to assess the effects of KAR activation on excitatory postsynaptic currents (EPSCs) and inhibitory postsynaptic currents (IPSCs).
- Stimulation of the olfactory nerve layer and protocols for evoking dendrodendritic inhibition were used.
Main Results:
- Functional KARs are expressed by OB neurons, with some located at synapses.
- KAR activation modulated excitatory postsynaptic currents (EPSCs) evoked by olfactory nerve stimulation.
- KAR activation also modulated reciprocal inhibitory postsynaptic currents (IPSCs) in dendrodendritic inhibition pathways.
- KARs, particularly those containing the GluK1 subunit, influence both excitatory and inhibitory transmission in the OB.
Conclusions:
- Kainate receptors (KARs) are functional and synaptically located in the olfactory bulb (OB).
- KARs modulate both excitatory and inhibitory synaptic transmission, potentially playing a role in circuits like reciprocal inhibition due to their slower kinetics.
- These findings suggest KARs contribute to the regulation of synaptic circuits involved in encoding olfactory information.
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