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Selective effects of aniracetam across receptor types and forms of synaptic facilitation in hippocampus
Author(s) -
Xiao Peng,
Staubli Ursula,
Kessler Markus,
Lynch Gary
Publication year - 1991
Publication title -
hippocampus
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.767
H-Index - 155
eISSN - 1098-1063
pISSN - 1050-9631
DOI - 10.1002/hipo.450010405
Subject(s) - long term potentiation , ampa receptor , excitatory postsynaptic potential , chemistry , neuroscience , glutamate receptor , postsynaptic potential , long term depression , nmda receptor , synaptic plasticity , hippocampus , dentate gyrus , receptor , biology , biochemistry
Aniracetam reversibly increased synaptic responses mediated by the AMPA but not the NMDA subclass of glutamate receptors in hippocampus and was considerably more potent than structurally similar nootropics. The drug had greater effects on field excitatory postsynaptic potentials (EPSPs) in the dentate gyrus and CA1 region than it did in the CA3 region, suggesting that it differentiates between variants of the AMPA receptor. Ligand binding to glutamate receptors in synaptosomal membrane fractions was minimally changed by aniracetam. Finally, the percent facilitation produced by aniracetam in the CA1 region was not reduced by any of three treatments (4‐aminopyridine, changes in extracellular calcium concentrations, paired‐pulse stimulation) that affect release but, in accord with a previous report, was substantially decreased by long‐term potentiation. These results support the conclusion that aniracetam selectively increases the conductance of a subgroup of synaptic AMPA receptors in hippocampus and suggest that receptor changes underlie the expression of long‐term potentiation.