Exogenous glutamate induces short and long-term potentiation in the rat medial vestibular nuclei

Silvarosa Grassi, Adele Frondaroli, Mauro Pessia, Vito Enrico Pettorossi

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

8 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

In rat brain stem slices, high concentrations of exogenous glutamate induce long-term potentiation (LTP) of the field potentials evoked in the medial vestibular nuclei (MVN) by vestibular afferent stimulation. At low concentrations, glutamate can also induce short-term potentiation (STP), indicating that LTP and STP are separate events depending on the level of glutamatergic synapse activation. LTP and STP are prevented by blocking NMDA receptors and nitric oxide (NO) synthesis. Conversely, blocking platelet-activating factor (PAF) and group I metabotropic glutamate receptors only prevents the full development of LTP. Moreover, in the presence of blocking agents, glutamate causes transient inhibition, suggesting that when potentiation is impeded, exogenous glutamate can activate presynaptic mechanisms that reduce glutamate release.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)2329-2334
Number of pages6
JournalNeuroReport
Volume12
Issue number11
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Aug 8 2001
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Exogenous glutamate
  • Field potential
  • Long-term potentiation
  • Medial vestibular nuclei
  • Short-term potentiation

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Neuroscience(all)

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