Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Brief Communication
  • Published:

Glutamate release during LTD at cerebellar climbing fiber–Purkinje cell synapses

Nature Neuroscience volume 5, pages 725–726 (2002)Cite this article

Abstract

It is widely thought that persistent, use-dependent alterations in synaptic strength such as long-term synaptic potentiation (LTP) and depression (LTD) underlie at least a portion of memory traces in the brain1,2, but the exact cellular locus of expression for these alterations remains to be determined. They could be expressed presynaptically as a decrease in transmitter release, postsynaptically as a decrease in the synaptic current evoked by a fixed delivery of transmitter, as an increase in the number of functional synaptic contacts, or by a combination of these mechanisms. Here we report that LTD at the climbing fiber–Purkinje cell synapse in rat cerebellum was not associated with changes in a synaptic cleft glutamate transient, indicating that this type of LTD is most likely expressed postsynaptically.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Buy this article

  • Purchase on Springer Link
  • Instant access to full article PDF
Buy now

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Figure 1: The degree of blockade by the rapidly-dissociating AMPA receptor antagonist γ-DGG increased during paired-pulse depression (PPD, which involves a reduction of transmitter release) but not during long-term depression (LTD) of climbing-fiber EPSCs.
Figure 2: Postsynaptic reduction of synaptic transmission designed to mimic climbing-fiber LTD did not alter blockade by γ-DGG.

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Bear, M.F. & Linden, D.J. in The Synapse (eds. Cowan, W. M. & Davies, K.) 455–517 (Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore, Maryland, 2001).

    Google Scholar 

  2. Hansel, C., Linden, D.J. & D'Angelo, E. Nat. Neurosci. 4, 467–475 (2001).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. Malenka, R.C. & Siegelbaum, S.A. in The Synapse (eds. Cowan, W. M. & Davies, K.) 393–454 (Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore, Maryland, 2001).

    Google Scholar 

  4. Strata, P. & Rossi, F. Trends Neurosci. 21, 407–413 (1998).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. Dittman, J.S. & Regehr, W.G. J. Neurosci. 18, 6147–6162 (1998).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Hashimoto, K. & Kano, M. J. Physiol. (Lond.) 506, 391–405 (1998).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Silver, R.A., Momiyama, A. & Cull-Candy, S.G. J. Physiol. (Lond.) 510, 881–902 (1998).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  8. Hansel, C. & Linden, D.J. Neuron 26, 473–482 (2000).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  9. Wadiche, J. & Jahr, C.E. Neuron 32, 301–313 (2001).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  10. Liu, G., Choi, S. & Tsien, R.W. Neuron 22, 395–409 (1999).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  11. Linden, D.J. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 98, 14066–14071 (2001).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  12. Matsuda, S., Launey, T., Mikawa, S. & Hirai, H. EMBO J. 19, 2765–2774 (2000).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  13. Wang, Y.-T. & Linden, D.J. Neuron 25, 635–664 (2000).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  14. Xia, J., Chung, H.J., Wihler, C., Huganir, R.L. & Linden, D.J. Neuron 28, 499–510 (2000).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

The authors wish to thank D. Gurfel and R. Bock for technical assistance and D. Bergles, W. Zhang, J.H. Shin, A. Sdrulla and S. Morris for useful suggestions. This work was supported by MH51106 and MH01590 and the Develbiss Fund.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Neuroscience, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, 725 N. Wolfe Street, Baltimore, 21205, Maryland, USA

    Ying Shen & David J. Linden

  2. Department of Neuroscience, Erasmus University Rotterdam, Box 1738, 3000 DR, Rotterdam, Netherlands

    Christian Hansel

Authors
  1. Ying Shen
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Christian Hansel
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. David J. Linden
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to David J. Linden.

Ethics declarations

Competing interests

The authors declare no competing financial interests.

Supplementary information

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Shen, Y., Hansel, C. & Linden, D. Glutamate release during LTD at cerebellar climbing fiber–Purkinje cell synapses. Nat Neurosci 5, 725–726 (2002). https://doi.org/10.1038/nn895

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nn895

This article is cited by

Search

Advanced search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing