Cortico-striatal synaptic plasticity in endothelial nitric oxide synthase deficient mice

• Published in: Brain research Vol. 964; no. 1; pp. 159 - 163
• Main Authors: Doreulee, Nanuli, Sergeeva, Olga A, Yanovsky, Yevgeni, Chepkova, Aisa N, Selbach, Oliver, Gödecke, Axel, Schrader, Jurgen, Haas, Helmut L
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Elsevier B.V 21.02.2003; Amsterdam Elsevier; New York, NY
• Subjects: Animals; Biological and medical sciences; Central nervous system; Cerebral Cortex - cytology; Cerebral Cortex - enzymology; Cerebral Cortex - growth & development; Dopamine Antagonists - pharmacology; Dopamine D2 Receptor Antagonists; Electric Stimulation; Electrophysiology; Endothelial nitric oxide synthase; Enzyme Inhibitors - pharmacology; Excitatory Amino Acid Antagonists - pharmacology; Female; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Learning - physiology; Long-term depression; Long-term potentiation; Long-Term Potentiation - drug effects; Long-Term Potentiation - physiology; Long-Term Synaptic Depression - drug effects; Long-Term Synaptic Depression - physiology; Male; Memory - physiology; Mice; Mice, Inbred C57BL; Mice, Knockout; Neostriatum - cytology; Neostriatum - enzymology; Neostriatum - growth & development; Neuronal Plasticity - physiology; Nitric Oxide - biosynthesis; Nitric Oxide Synthase - antagonists & inhibitors; Nitric Oxide Synthase - deficiency; Nitric Oxide Synthase - genetics; NMDA-receptor; Receptors, Dopamine D2 - metabolism; Receptors, N-Methyl-D-Aspartate - drug effects; Receptors, N-Methyl-D-Aspartate - metabolism; Synapses - enzymology; Vertebrates: nervous system and sense organs; Excitable membranes and synaptic transmission; Endothelial nitric oxide synthase; NMDA-receptor; Long-term depression; Long-term potentiation; Potentiation; Cerebral cortex; Enzyme; Rodentia; Central nervous system; Basal ganglion; Corpus striatum; Long term; Nitric-oxide synthase; Vertebrata; Mammalia; Mouse; Synaptic transmission; Nitric oxide; Synaptic plasticity; Synaptic depression; Oxidoreductases; NMDA receptor; Brain (vertebrata)
• ISSN: 0006-8993; 1872-6240
• DOI: 10.1016/S0006-8993(02)04121-5

Nitric oxide (NO) is a retrograde messenger involved in the processes of learning and memory. The role of the endothelial isoform of nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) in striatal synaptic plasticity was investigated in eNOS-deficient (eNOS −/−) and wild type (WT) mice. Tetanic stimulation of cortical afferents in WT mice evoked either long-term potentiation (LTP), or long-term depression (LTD) of cortico-striatal transmission. Both these plasticity related phenomena were NMDA-receptor-dependent; LTD was blocked by sulpiride, a dopamine D2-receptor antagonist. LTP occurrence in slices from eNOS −/− mice was significantly reduced when compared with WT mice. The NOS inhibitor NL-ARG reduced the occurrence of LTP and increased the occurrence of LTD in WT mice, resembling the balance of LTP/LTD in eNOS −/− mice. Impairment of NO-synthesis thus shifts striatal plasticity towards LTD. This indicates a possible involvement of eNOS from endothelia in neuronal modulation.