The Journal of neuroscience : the official journal of the Society for Neuroscience
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Calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CaMK II) is found throughout the CNS. It regulates calcium signaling in synaptic transmission by phosphorylating various proteins, including neuronal membrane receptors and intracellular transcription factors. Inflammation or injuries to peripheral tissues cause long-lasting increases in the responses of central nociceptive neurons to innocuous and noxious stimuli. ⋯ Local administration of a CaMK II inhibitor in the spinal cord significantly inhibits the enhancement of responses of spinal nociceptive neurons and changes in exploratory behavior evoked by capsaicin injection. In addition, spinal CaMK II activity enhances phosphorylation of AMPA receptor GluR1 subunits during central sensitization produced by capsaicin injection. This study reveals that CaMK II contributes to central sensitization in a manner similar to its role in the processes underlying long-term potentiation.
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Lamina I of the spinal cord is densely innervated by nociceptive primary afferents, many of which contain substance P. It contains numerous projection neurons: the majority of these respond to noxious stimuli, however some are activated by cooling. In the rat, approximately 80% of the projection neurons express the neurokinin 1 (NK1) receptor, on which substance P acts, and most cells with this receptor are activated by noxious stimuli. ⋯ Formalin injection induced c-Fos in approximately 80% of projection neurons with the NK1 receptor and in 25-45% of those without it. More than 80% of pyramidal neurons expressed the receptor, and for both substance P innervation and c-Fos expression there were no significant differences among different morphological types of NK1 receptor-immunoreactive neuron. We conclude that presence or absence of the NK1 receptor is a better indicator of function than morphology for lamina I projection neurons in the rat.
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Synaptic plasticity, a cellular basis of learning and memory, has been studied extensively at excitatory synapses. Although synaptic plasticity has also been reported at inhibitory synapses, the molecular mechanism remains elusive. Here we attempted to clarify the overall signaling cascades regulating the induction of inhibitory synaptic plasticity in the cerebellum. ⋯ Furthermore, activation of GABA(B)R inhibited CaMKII activation through PKA inhibition and PP-1 activity. These results suggest that calcineurin activation accompanied by PKA inhibition in a PN causes dephosphorylation of DARPP-32, which releases PP-1 from inhibition. PP-1 in turn inhibits CaMKII activity, which is then directly involved in the RP induction.
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A tonic inhibitory conductance mediated by GABA(A) receptors that supplements the phasic inhibition produced by IPSCs has been identified in the hippocampus and cerebellum. It is presently unknown whether tonic and phasic inhibitions are mediated by GABA(A) receptors with different subunit assemblies. Here we demonstrate that a low concentration (200 nm) of the highly specific competitive GABA(A) antagonist SR95531 (gabazine) reduces phasic inhibition in hippocampal granule cells by 71% but has no effect on tonic inhibition, whereas a high concentration (10 microm) of the antagonist blocked both conductances. These findings are consistent with tonic and phasic conductances being mediated by different GABA(A) receptor subtypes with different affinities for GABA.
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Cocaine produces its reinforcing effects primarily by inhibiting the dopamine transporter (DAT) at the level of presynaptic terminals and increasing extracellular levels of dopamine (DA). Surprisingly, in mice genetically lacking the DAT, cocaine was still able to elevate DA in the nucleus accumbens (NAc). This finding is critically important for explaining the persistence of cocaine reinforcement in DAT knock-out (DAT-KO) mice. ⋯ Additionally, fluoxetine, a serotonin transporter (SERT) inhibitor, also had no effect on these parameters. These data rule out the involvement of accumbal NET or SERT in the cocaine-induced increase in extracellular DA in DAT-KO mice. Moreover, the present findings suggest that in the DAT-KO mice, cocaine acts primarily outside the NAc to produce its effects.