Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 9, 2025
05:01
Inducing Long-Term Plasticity of Intrinsic Neuronal Excitability in Neurons of the Dorsal Lateral Geniculate Nucleus
Published on: September 20, 2024
259
Regulation of PV interneuron plasticity by neuropeptide-encoding genes.
Martijn Selten1,2, Clémence Bernard1,2,3, Diptendu Mukherjee1,2
1Centre for Developmental Neurobiology, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK.
Nature
|April 30, 2025
Summary
Cortical parvalbumin-expressing interneurons adapt to activity changes by adjusting inhibitory synapses. Neuropeptide genes VGF and Scg2 play a key role in this synaptic plasticity in the adult mouse neocortex.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Cellular Biology
- Synaptic Plasticity
Background:
- Neuronal networks require precise regulation of activity for proper function.
- While pyramidal cell plasticity is well-studied, interneuron adaptation mechanisms remain unclear.
- Parvalbumin-expressing (PV+) interneurons are crucial for cortical inhibition.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate how cortical PV+ interneurons adapt to altered activity levels.
- To identify molecular mechanisms underlying compensatory synaptic plasticity in PV+ interneurons.
Main Methods:
- High-throughput profiling of ribosome-associated mRNA in individual PV+ interneurons.
- Functional experiments to assess the role of specific genes in synaptic regulation.
- Analysis of synaptic adjustments in response to manipulated neuronal activity.
Main Results:
- Increased PV+ interneuron activity induced compensatory changes in inhibitory synapse number and strength.
- Upregulation of Vgf and Scg2 genes, encoding neuropeptides, was observed with increased activity.
- VGF was found to be essential for activity-dependent scaling of inhibitory synapses onto PV+ interneurons.
Conclusions:
- Cortical PV+ interneurons exhibit activity-dependent plasticity of their inhibitory inputs.
- Neuropeptide-encoding genes, particularly VGF, play an instructive role in regulating synaptic connections among PV+ interneurons.
- This study reveals a novel mechanism for maintaining network stability in the adult neocortex.
Related Concept Videos
01:01Neuroplasticity
242
Neuroplasticity reflects the brain's remarkable capacity to adapt and evolve, responding dynamically to learning, experiences, or injury by reorganizing its neural circuitry. This reorganization involves creating new neural connections and refining old ones through a series of biological processes that contribute to the brain's lifelong development and adaptability.
242
01:32Postsynaptic Potential (PSP)
2.1K
Postsynaptic potential (PSP) refers to a change in the electrical potential of a neuron when neurotransmitters released by presynaptic neurons bind to postsynaptic receptors. This potential can either be excitatory, leading to depolarization and ultimately action potential generation, or inhibitory, leading to hyperpolarization and suppression of the postsynaptic neuron.
There are two types of receptors: ionotropic and metabotropic.
The ionotropic receptor is the membrane protein that has an...
There are two types of receptors: ionotropic and metabotropic.
The ionotropic receptor is the membrane protein that has an...
2.1K
01:15Neurogenesis and Regeneration of Nervous Tissue
668
In the CNS, neurogenesis, the birth of new neurons from stem cells, is limited to the hippocampus in adults. In other regions of the brain and spinal cord, neurogenesis is almost non-existent due to inhibitory influences from neuroglia, especially oligodendrocytes, and the absence of growth-stimulating cues. The myelin produced by oligodendrocytes in the CNS inhibits neuronal regeneration. Furthermore, astrocytes proliferate rapidly after neuronal damage, forming scar tissue that physically...
668