Altered spontaneous synaptic inhibition in an animal model of cerebral heterotopias

We have investigated spontaneous synaptic transmission in hippocampal nodular heterotopias in rats exposed to methylazoxymethanol (MAM) in utero. Pregnant Wistar rats were injected with MAM at E16. Acute hippocampal slices were prepared from the rat pups P14 to P40. Whole-cell voltage-clamp recordings were made from visually identified neurons using IR-DIC video microscopy. Synaptic events were recorded from either heterotopic neurons in the CA1 region or “slice-matched” normotopic CA1 pyramidal neurons. Both the spontaneous inhibitory (sIPSC) and excitatory synaptic transmission (sEPSC) to the same neurons were recorded. We found a profound reduction in the frequency of sIPSCs in the heterotopic neurons vs. normotopic neurons. No significant differences in the frequency of sEPSCs were found. We also found a profound reduction in the frequency of spontaneous IPSCs in normotopic neurons following application of the GABA reuptake blocker, NO-711, even in the presence of a GABAB receptor antagonist (CGP 55845). Preferentially blocking extrasynaptic GABAA receptors caused an increased frequency of sIPSCs in the heterotopic neurons. Our data suggest that there is a predominant change in inhibitory synaptic transmission, as measured by changes in sIPSCs, with no change in excitatory synaptic transmission to heterotopic neurons in hippocampus of rats exposed to MAM in utero. We suggest that this change is caused by an increase in the extracellular concentration of GABA but is not mediated via activation of presynaptic GABAB receptors. Rather, we propose that the increased extracellular GABA concentration in the heterotopias dampens the activity in inhibitory neurons via activation of extrasynaptic GABAA receptors.

Research Highlights
► MAM induces nodular heterotopias in hippocampus.
► In these heterotopias, the spontaneous inhibitory synaptic transmission is reduced.
► This reduced activity is caused via activation of extrasynaptic GABAA receptors.