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Activation of the anti‐inflammatory reflex blocks lipopolysaccharide‐induced decrease in synaptic inhibition in the temporal cortex of the rat
Author(s) -
GarciaOscos Francisco,
Peña David,
Housini Mohammad,
Cheng Derek,
Lopez Diego,
CuevasOlguin Roberto,
Saderi Nadia,
Salgado Delgado Roberto,
Galindo Charles Luis,
Salgado Burgos Humberto,
RoseJohn Stefan,
Flores Gonzalo,
Kilgard Michael P.,
Atzori Marco
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
journal of neuroscience research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.72
H-Index - 160
eISSN - 1097-4547
pISSN - 0360-4012
DOI - 10.1002/jnr.23550
Subject(s) - neuroscience , inhibitory postsynaptic potential , medicine , excitatory postsynaptic potential , reflex , anesthesia , psychology
Stress is a potential trigger for a number of neuropsychiatric conditions, including anxiety syndromes and schizophrenic psychoses. The temporal neocortex is a stress‐sensitive area involved in the development of such conditions. We have recently shown that aseptic inflammation and mild electric shock shift the balance between synaptic excitation and synaptic inhibition in favor of the former in this brain area (Garcia‐Oscos et al., 2012), as well as in the prefrontal cortex (Garcia‐Oscos et al., 2014). Given the potential clinical importance of this phenomenon in the etiology of hyperexcitable neuropsychiatric illness, this study investigates whether inactivation of the peripheral immune system by the “anti‐inflammatory reflex” would reduce the central response to aseptic inflammation. For a model of aseptic inflammation, this study used i.p. injections of the bacterial toxin lipopolysaccharide (LPS; 5 µM) and activated the anti‐inflammatory reflex either pharmacologically by i.p. injections of the nicotinic α 7 receptor agonist PHA543613 or physiologically through electrical stimulation of the left vagal nerve (VNS). Patch‐clamp recording was used to monitor synaptic function. Recordings from LPS‐injected Sprague Dawley rats show that activation of the anti‐inflammatory reflex either pharmacologically or by VNS blocks or greatly reduces the LPS‐induced decrease of the synaptic inhibitory‐to‐excitatory ratio and the saturation level of inhibitory current input–output curves. Given the ample variety of pharmacologically available α 7 nicotinic receptor agonists as well as the relative safety of clinical VNS already approved by the FDA for the treatment of epilepsy and depression, our findings suggest a new therapeutic avenue in the treatment of stress‐induced hyperexcitable conditions mediated by a decrease in synaptic inhibition in the temporal cortex. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.