Bidirectional Synaptic Plasticity in the Cerebellum-like Mammalian Dorsal Cochlear Nucleus

• Published in: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences - PNAS Vol. 100; no. 1; pp. 265 - 270
• Main Authors: Fujino, Kiyohiro, Oertel, Donata
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States National Academy of Sciences 07.01.2003; National Acad Sciences; The National Academy of Sciences
• Subjects: Acoustics; alpha-Amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic Acid - pharmacology; Animals; Auditory nerve; Biological Sciences; Cerebellum - physiology; Cochlear nucleus; Cochlear Nucleus - physiology; Dendrites; Fibers; In Vitro Techniques; Long term depression; Long term potentiation; Long-Term Potentiation - drug effects; Long-Term Potentiation - physiology; Membrane Potentials - drug effects; Membrane Potentials - physiology; N methyl D aspartate receptors; N-Methylaspartate - pharmacology; Neurology; Neuronal Plasticity - drug effects; Neuronal Plasticity - physiology; Patch-Clamp Techniques; Pipettes; Plasticity; Purkinje cells; Rats; Rats, Sprague-Dawley; Receptors; Receptors, Metabotropic Glutamate - physiology; Sensory perception; Synapses; Synapses - drug effects; Synapses - physiology
• ISSN: 0027-8424; 1091-6490
• DOI: 10.1073/pnas.0135345100

The dorsal cochlear nucleus integrates acoustic with multimodal sensory inputs from widespread areas of the brain. Multimodal inputs are brought to spiny dendrites of fusiform and cartwheel cells in the molecular layer by parallel fibers through synapses that are subject to long-term potentiation and long-term depression. Acoustic cues are brought to smooth dendrites of fusiform cells in the deep layer by auditory nerve fibers through synapses that do not show plasticity. Plasticity requires Ca2+-induced Ca2+ release; its sensitivity to antagonists of N-methyl-D-aspartate and metabotropic glutamate receptors differs in fusiform and cartwheel cells.