Chronic benzodiazepine-induced reduction in GABAA receptor-mediated synaptic currents in hippocampal CA1 pyramidal neurons prevented by prior nimodipine injection

One week oral flurazepam (FZP) administration in rats results in reduced GABAA receptor-mediated synaptic transmission in CA1 pyramidal neurons associated with benzodiazepine tolerance in vivo and in vitro. Since voltage-gated calcium channel (VGCC) current density is enhanced twofold during chronic FZP treatment, the role of L-type VGCCs in regulating benzodiazepine-induced changes in CA1 neuron GABAA receptor-mediated function was evaluated. Nimodipine (10 mg/kg, i.p.) or vehicle (0.5% Tween 80, 2 ml/kg) was injected 1 day after ending FZP treatment and 24 h prior to hippocampal slice preparation for measurement of mIPSC characteristics and in vitro tolerance to zolpidem. The reduction in GABAA receptor-mediated mIPSC amplitude and estimated unitary channel conductance measured 2 days after drug removal was no longer observed following prior nimodipine injection. However, the single nimodipine injection failed to prevent in vitro tolerance to zolpidem's ability to prolong mIPSC decay in FZP-treated neurons, suggesting multiple mechanisms may be involved in regulating GABAA receptor-mediated synaptic transmission following chronic FZP administration. As reported previously in recombinant receptors, nimodipine inhibited synaptic GABAA receptor currents only at high concentrations (>30 μM), significantly greater than attained in vivo (1 μM) 45 min after a single antagonist injection. Thus, the effects of nimodipine were unlikely to be related to direct effects on GABAA receptors. As with nimodipine injection, buffering intracellular free [Ca2+] with BAPTA similarly prevented the effects on GABAA receptor-mediated synaptic transmission, suggesting intracellular Ca2+ homeostasis is important to maintain GABAA receptor function. The findings further support a role for activation of L-type VGCCs, and perhaps other Ca2+-mediated signaling pathways, in the modulation of GABAA receptor synaptic function following chronic benzodiazepine administration, independent of modulation of the allosteric interactions between benzodiazepine and GABA binding sites.