A Presynaptic Kainate Receptor Is Involved in Regulating the Dynamic Properties of Thalamocortical Synapses during Development

• Published in: Neuron (Cambridge, Mass.) Vol. 34; no. 4; pp. 635 - 646
• Main Authors: Kidd, Fleur L, Coumis, Urania, Collingridge, Graham L, Crabtree, John W, Isaac, John T.R
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Elsevier Inc 16-05-2002; Elsevier Limited
• Subjects: Animals; Animals, Newborn; Autoreceptors - drug effects; Autoreceptors - metabolism; Body Temperature - physiology; Cell Differentiation - drug effects; Cell Differentiation - physiology; Electric Stimulation; Excitatory Amino Acid Agonists - pharmacology; Excitatory Postsynaptic Potentials - drug effects; Excitatory Postsynaptic Potentials - physiology; Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental - physiology; Mechanoreceptors - growth & development; Mechanoreceptors - physiology; Models, Neurological; Neural Inhibition - drug effects; Neural Inhibition - physiology; Neural Pathways - cytology; Neural Pathways - growth & development; Neural Pathways - metabolism; Neuronal Plasticity - drug effects; Neuronal Plasticity - physiology; Neurons; Presynaptic Terminals - drug effects; Presynaptic Terminals - metabolism; Rats; Receptors, Kainic Acid - drug effects; Receptors, Kainic Acid - metabolism; Somatosensory Cortex - cytology; Somatosensory Cortex - growth & development; Somatosensory Cortex - metabolism; Statistical analysis; Studies; Synaptic Transmission - drug effects; Synaptic Transmission - physiology; Ventral Thalamic Nuclei - cytology; Ventral Thalamic Nuclei - growth & development; Ventral Thalamic Nuclei - metabolism; Vibrissae - growth & development; Vibrissae - physiology
• ISSN: 0896-6273; 1097-4199
• DOI: 10.1016/S0896-6273(02)00699-2

Previous studies have shown that pharmacological activation of presynaptic kainate receptors at glutamatergic synapses facilitates or depresses transmission in a dose-dependent manner. However, the only synaptically activated kainate autoreceptor described to date is facilitatory. Here, we describe a kainate autoreceptor that depresses synaptic transmission. This autoreceptor is present at developing thalamocortical synapses in the barrel cortex, specifically regulates transmission at frequencies corresponding to those observed in vivo during whisker activation, and is developmentally down regulated during the first postnatal week. This receptor may, therefore, limit the transfer of high-frequency activity to the developing cortex, the loss of which mechanism may be important for the maturation of sensory processing.