• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• 제40권1호
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• pp.55-61
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• 2016

Background: A number of neurological and neurodegenerative diseases share impaired cognition as a common symptom. Therefore, the development of clinically applicable therapies to enhance cognition has yielded significant interest. Previously, we have shown that activation of lysophosphatidic acid receptors (LPARs) via gintonin application potentiates synaptic transmission by the blockade of $K^+$ channels in the mature hippocampus. However, whether gintonin may exert any beneficial impact directly on cognition at the neural circuitry level and the behavioral level has not been investigated. Methods: In the current study, we took advantage of gintonin, a novel LPAR agonist, to investigate the effect of gintonin-mediated LPAR activation on cognitive performances. Hippocampus-dependent fear memory test, synaptic plasticity in the hippocampal brain slices, and quantitative analysis on synaptic plasticity-related proteins were used. Results: Daily oral administration of gintonin for 1 wk significantly improved fear memory retention in the contextual fear-conditioning test in mice.We also found that oral administration of gintonin for 1 wk increased the expression of learning and memory-related proteins such as phosphorylated cyclic adenosine monophosphate-response element binding (CREB) protein and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). In addition, prolonged gintonin administration enhanced long-term potentiation in the hippocampus. Conclusion: Our observations suggest that the systemic gintonin administration could successfully improve contextual memory formation at the molecular and synaptic levels as well as the behavioral level. Therefore, oral administration of gintonin may serve as an effective noninvasive, nonsurgical method of enhancing cognitive functions.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• 제22권4호
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• pp.419-425
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• 2018

The superficial dorsal horn of the spinal cord plays an important role in pain transmission and opioid activity. Several studies have demonstrated that opioids modulate pain transmission, and the activation of ${\mu}$-opioid receptors (MORs) by opioids contributes to analgesic effects in the spinal cord. However, the effect of the activation of MORs on GABAergic interneurons and the contribution to the analgesic effect are much less clear. In this study, using transgenic mice, which allow the identification of GABAergic interneurons, we investigated how the activation of MORs affects the excitability of GABAergic interneurons and synaptic transmission between primary nociceptive afferent and GABAergic interneurons. We found that a selective ${\mu}$-opioid agonist, [$D-Ala^2$, $NMe-Phe^4$, Gly-ol]-enkephanlin (DAMGO), induced an outward current mediated by $K^+$ channels in GABAergic interneurons. In addition, DAMGO reduced the amplitude of evoked excitatory postsynaptic currents (EPSCs) of GABAergic interneurons which receive monosynaptic inputs from primary nociceptive C fibers. Taken together, we found that DAMGO reduced the excitability of GABAergic interneurons and synaptic transmission between primary nociceptive C fibers and GABAergic interneurons. These results suggest one possibility that suppression of GABAergic interneurons by DMAGO may reduce the inhibition on secondary GABAergic interneurons, which increase the inhibition of the secondary GABAergic interneurons to excitatory neurons in the spinal dorsal horn. In this circumstance, the sum of excitation of the entire spinal network will control the pain transmission.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• 제24권6호
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• pp.517-527
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• 2020

Layer 2/3 pyramidal neurons (L2/3 PyNs) of the cortex extend their basal dendrites near the soma and as apical dendritic tufts in layer 1, which mainly receive feedforward and feedback inputs, respectively. It is suggested that neuromodulators such as serotonin and acetylcholine may regulate the information flow between brain structures depending on the brain state. However, little is known about the dendritic compartment-specific induction of synaptic transmission in single PyNs. Here, we studied layer-specific serotonergic and cholinergic induction of long-term synaptic plasticity in L2/3 PyNs of the agranular insular cortex, a lateral component of the orbitofrontal cortex. Using FM1-43 dye unloading, we verified that local electrical stimulation to layers 1 (L1) and 3 (L3) activated axon terminals mostly located in L1 and perisomatic area (L2/3). Independent and AMPA receptor-mediated excitatory postsynaptic potential was evoked by local electrical stimulation of either L1 or L3. Application of serotonin (5-HT, 10 μM) induced activity-dependent longterm depression (LTD) in L2/3 but not in L1 inputs. LTD induced by 5-HT was blocked by the 5-HT₂ receptor antagonist ketanserin, an NMDA receptor antagonist and by intracellular Ca²⁺ chelation. The 5-HT₂ receptor agonist α-me-5-HT mimicked the LTD induced by 5-HT. However, the application of carbachol induced muscarinic receptor-dependent LTD in both inputs. The differential layer-specific induction of LTD by neuromodulators might play an important role in information processing mechanism of the prefrontal cortex.

• Molecules and Cells
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• 제38권6호
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• pp.540-547
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• 2015

Attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is one of the most common neurodevelopmental disorders, affecting approximately 5% of children. However, the neural mechanisms underlying its development and treatment are yet to be elucidated. In this study, we report that an ADHD mouse model, which harbors a deletion in the Git1 locus, exhibits severe astrocytosis in the globus pallidus (GP) and thalamic reticular nucleus (TRN), which send modulatory GABAergic inputs to the thalamus. A moderate level of astrocytosis was displayed in other regions of the basal ganglia pathway, including the ventrobasal thalamus and cortex, but not in other brain regions, such as the caudate putamen, basolateral amygdala, and hippocampal CA1. This basal ganglia circuit-selective astrocytosis was detected in both in adult (2-3 months old) and juvenile (4 weeks old) $Git1^{\check{s}/\check{s}}$ mice, suggesting a developmental origin. Astrocytes play an active role in the developing synaptic circuit; therefore, we performed an immunohistochemical analysis of synaptic markers. We detected increased and decreased levels of GABA and parvalbumin (PV), respectively, in the GP. This suggests that astrocytosis may alter synaptic transmission in the basal ganglia. Intriguingly, increased GABA expression colocalized with the astrocyte marker, GFAP, indicative of an astrocytic origin. Collectively, these results suggest that defects in basal ganglia circuitry, leading to impaired inhibitory modulation of the thalamus, are neural correlates for the ADHD-associated behavioral manifestations in $Git1^{\check{s}/\check{s}}$ mice.

• BMB Reports
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• 제46권6호
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• pp.295-304
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• 2013

Extracellular acidification occurs not only in pathological conditions such as inflammation and brain ischemia, but also in normal physiological conditions such as synaptic transmission. Acid-sensing ion channels (ASICs) can detect a broad range of physiological pH changes during pathological and synaptic cellular activities. ASICs are voltage-independent, proton-gated cation channels widely expressed throughout the central and peripheral nervous system. Activation of ASICs is involved in pain perception, synaptic plasticity, learning and memory, fear, ischemic neuronal injury, seizure termination, neuronal degeneration, and mechanosensation. Therefore, ASICs emerge as potential therapeutic targets for manipulating pain and neurological diseases. The activity of these channels can be regulated by many factors such as lactate, $Zn^{2+}$, and Phe-Met-Arg-Phe amide (FMRFamide)-like neuropeptides by interacting with the channel's large extracellular loop. ASICs are also modulated by G protein-coupled receptors such as CB1 cannabinoid receptors and 5-$HT_2$. This review focuses on the physiological roles of ASICs and the molecular mechanisms by which these channels are regulated.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• 제5권6호
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• pp.457-466
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• 2001

Glutamate is the most common excitatory amino acid in the brain. Responsiveness of dendrites to the glutamate greatly varies depending on the application sites. Especially, a point of the maximal response to the glutamate of the dendrite is called as 'hot spot'. In our experiment, the responsiveness of the hot spot to the glutamate was investigated in the CA1 pyramidal neuron of the rat hippocampal slice. CNQX, the antagonist of AMPA receptor, blocked 95% of membrane current to the glutamate focal application $(I_{gl}).$ Train ejection of glutamate on one point of the dendrite increased or decreased the amplitude of $I_{gl}$ with the pattern of train, and the changes were maintained at least for 30 min. In some cases, glutamate train ejection also induced calcium dependent action potentials. To evoke long-term change of synaptic plasticity, we adopted ${\theta}-burst$ in the glutamate train ejection. The ${\theta}-burst$ decreased the amplitude of glutamate response by 60%. However, after ${\theta}-burst$ glutamate train ejection, the calcium dependent action potential appeared. These results indicated that the focal application of glutamate on the neuronal dendrite induced response similar to the synaptic transmission and the trains of glutamate ejection modulated the change of AMPA receptor.

• Applied Microscopy
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• 제44권3호
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• pp.83-87
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• 2014

Electron tomography (ET) is a useful tool to investigate three-dimensional details based on virtual slices of relative thick specimen, and it requires complicated procedures consisted of image acquisition steps and image processing steps with computer program. Although the complicated step, this technique allows us to overcome some limitations of conventional transmission electron microscopy: (1) overlapping of information in the ultrathin section covering from 30 nm to 90 nm when we observe very small structures, (2) fragmentation of the information when we study larger structures over 100 nm. There are remarkable biological findings with ET, especially in the field of neuroscience, although it is not popular yet. Understanding of behavior of synaptic vesicle, active zone, pooling and fusion in the presynaptic terminal have been enhanced thanks to ET. Some sophisticated models of postsynaptic density with ET and immune labeling are introduced recently. In this review, we introduce principles, practical steps of ET and some recent researches in synapse biology.

• Molecules and Cells
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• 제47권1호
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• pp.100006.1-100006.10
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• 2024

Nitric oxide (NO) serves as an evolutionarily conserved signaling molecule that plays an important role in a wide variety of cellular processes. Extensive studies in Drosophila melanogaster have revealed that NO signaling is required for development, physiology, and stress responses in many different types of cells. In neuronal cells, multiple NO signaling pathways appear to operate in different combinations to regulate learning and memory formation, synaptic transmission, selective synaptic connections, axon degeneration, and axon regrowth. During organ development, elevated NO signaling suppresses cell cycle progression, whereas downregulated NO leads to an increase in larval body size via modulation of hormone signaling. The most striking feature of the Drosophila NO synthase is that various stressors, such as neuropeptides, aberrant proteins, hypoxia, bacterial infection, and mechanical injury, can activate Drosophila NO synthase, initially regulating cellular physiology to enable cells to survive. However, under severe stress or pathophysiological conditions, high levels of NO promote regulated cell death and the development of neurodegenerative diseases. In this review, I highlight and discuss the current understanding of molecular mechanisms by which NO signaling regulates distinct cellular functions and behaviors.

• Molecules and Cells
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• 제41권5호
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• pp.486-494
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• 2018

Recently, we have reported that animals with telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT) overexpression exhibit reduced social interaction, decreased preference for novel social interaction and poor nest-building behaviors-symptoms that mirror those observed in human autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Overexpression of TERT also alters the excitatory/inhibitory (E/I) ratio in the medial prefrontal cortex. However, the effects of TERT overexpression on hippocampal-dependent learning and synaptic efficacy have not been investigated. In the present study, we employed electrophysiological approaches in combination with behavioral analysis to examine hippocampal function of TERT transgenic (TERT-tg) mice and FVB controls. We found that TERT overexpression results in enhanced hippocampal excitation with no changes in inhibition and significantly impairs long-term synaptic plasticity. Interestingly, the expression levels of phosphorylated CREB and phosphorylated $CaMKII{\alpha}$ were significantly decreased while the expression level of $CaMKII{\alpha}$ was slightly increased in the hippocampus of TERT-overexpressing mice. Our observations highlight the importance of TERT in normal synaptic function and behavior and provide additional information on a novel animal model of ASD associated with TERT overexpression.

• Journal of Oral Medicine and Pain
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• 제30권1호
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• pp.87-106
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• 2005

삼차신경계의 일차연접부위에서 구강 및 악안면 영역의 저역치기계자극수용기에서 유래하는 감각정보의 전달 및 처리 기전을 이해하고자, 고양이 콧수염에서 유래하는 들신경섬유를 사용하여 단일축삭 내 기록법에 의해 HRP를 표식한 후, 삼차신경중간핵에서 시편을 제작하고 표식종말에 대한 연속절편을 형성하였다. 총 30개의 표식 신경종말을 대상으로 전자현미경을 이용하여 삼차신경중간핵에서의 신경섬유 종말 및 연접이전축삭종말의 미세구조적 특징, 발현빈도, 연접양식 등을 분석하여 다음과 같은 결과를 얻었다. 1. 표식종말은 직경 45$\sim$55 ㎚의 균일한 형태의 밝고 둥근 모양의 연접소포를 함유하고 있었으며, 가지돌기와는 연접이후 치밀질이 잘 발달되어 있고, 연접틈새가 크며, 여러 곳에서 넓은 연접구조를 보이는 비대칭연접을, 다형의 연접소포를 함유하는 비표식 축삭종말과는 연접이후 치밀질이 뚜렷하게 발달되지 않으며, 연접면적이 좁은 대칭연접을 형성하였다. 2. 각 표식종말은 인접한 신경구조물들과 최소 1개에서부터 최대 15개까지 신경연접을 형성하여 단위 표식종말 당 평균 4.77$\pm$3.37개의 신경연접이 관찰되었으며, 5개 이상의 신경구조물들과 연접을 형성하는 비교적 복잡한 연접양상이 다수의 표식종말(46.7%, n=14)에서 관찰되었다. 3. 표식종말이 세포체와 직접 연접하는 양상은 관찰되지 않았으며, 가지돌기와는 단위 표식종말 당 1.83$\pm$1.37개의 신경연접을 형성하였다. 가지돌기와 연접을 이루는 표식종말의 대부분(85.0%)은 원위부 가지돌기인 가지돌기체와 연접을 이루었으며(n=47, 1.57$\pm$1.38/1 bouton), 근위부 가지돌기(n=6, 0.20$\pm$0.41/1 bouton)나 가지돌기 가시(n=2, 0.07$\pm$0.25/1 bouton)와 연접을 이루는 경우는 드물었다. 4. 표식종말의 76.7%(n=23)에서 다양한 형태의 연접소포를 함유하는 축삭종말인 p-ending과 축삭사이연접을 형성하였으며 (2.93$\pm$2.36/1 bouton), p-ending이 표식종말 및 이에 연접하는 가지돌기와 동시에 연접을 형성하는 연접세동이도 60.0% (n=18)에서 관찰되었다. 이상의 결과를 종합하여 보았을 때, 고양이 콧수염에서 유래하는 들신경섬유 종말은 삼차신경중간핵에서 특징적인 연접양상을 나타내었으며, 이는 감각정보의 분별, 통각의 정동반응 등 복잡한 감각정보의 처리에 관여하는 삼차신경중간핵의 기능과 밀접한 상관관계가 있는 것으로 사료되며, 향후 신경종말의 미세구조에 대한 정량적인 분석과 연접이전 억제에 관여하는 신경전달물질의 동정 등 생리학적인 기능에 대한 더욱 광범위한 연구가 필요하리라고 사료된다.