Two Types of Muscarinic Response to Acetylcholine in Mammalian Cortical Neurons (Clngulate/M Current/Cholinergic/Pirenzepine) DAVID A
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Proc. Nail. Acad. Sci. USA Vol. 82, pp. 6344-6348, September 1985 Neurobiology Two types of muscarinic response to acetylcholine in mammalian cortical neurons (clngulate/M current/cholinergic/pirenzepine) DAVID A. MCCORMICK AND DAVID A. PRINCE Department of Neurology, Room C338, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305 Communicated by Richard F. Thompson, May 22, 1985 ABSTRACT Applications of acetylcholine (AcCho) to py- The cerebral cortex contains nicotinic as well as several ramidal cells of guinea pig cingulate cortical slices maintained subtypes of muscarinic AcCho receptors (20-23). Previous in vitro result in a short latency inhibition, followed by a reports suggest that cholinergic slow excitation is mediated prolonged increase in excitability. Cholinergic inhibition is by receptors possessing muscarinic characteristics, while mediated through the rapid excitation of interneurons that cholinergic inhibition may be due to activation of receptors utilize the inhibitory neurotransmitter y-aminobutyric acid that have both nicotinic and muscarinic properties (5, 24). (GABA). This rapid excitation of interneurons is. associated The recent characterization of receptor antagonists (e.g., with a membrane depolarization and a decrease in neuronal pirenzepine) and agonists (e.g., pilocarpine) that are relative- input resistance. In contrast, AcCho-induced excitation of ly specific for subtypes ofmuscarinic receptors (21, 22) raises pyramidal cells is due to a direct action that produces a the question of whether different types of cholinergic re- voltage-dependent increase in input resistance. In the experi- sponses demonstrated physiologically within the central ments reported here, we investigated the possibility that these nervous system might be due to activation of different two responses are mediated by different subclasses of cholin- subclasses of muscarinic receptors, as appears to be the case ergic receptors. The inhibitory and slow excitatory responses of in parts of the peripheral nervous system (25). In the pyramidal neurons were blocked by muscarinic but not by experiments reported here, we investigated this possibility nicotinic antagonists. Pirenzepine was more effective in block- for cholinergic inhibition and slow excitation of pyramidal ing the AcCho-induced slow depolarization than in blocking the neurons in the mammalian neocortex. hyperpolarization of pyramidal neurons. The two responses also varied in their sensitivity to various cholinergic agonists, METHODS making it possible to selectively activate either. These data suggest that AcCho may produce two physiologically and Male or female guinea pigs (200-300 g) were anesthetized pharmacologically distinct muscarinic responses on neocortical with Nembutal (30 mg/kg) and cooled in an ice bath to a core neurons: slowly developing voltage-dependent depolarizations body temperature of 250C-30'C. Slices of anterior cingulate associated with an increase in input resistance in pyramidal cortex (500 um thick) were cut in the coronal plane with a cells and short-latency depolarizations associated with a de- vibratome and maintained in vitro at 360C-370C by using standard techniques (26-29). After slices were incubated for crease in input resistance in presumed GABAergic interneu- at least 2 hr, we obtained intracellular recordings from 253 rons. layer II-III neurons using beveled microelectrodes filled with 4 M KOAc (125-175 Mfl). AcCho agonists (10 mM) were Acetylcholine (AcCho) is a putative neurotransmitter that is introduced into the slice near the recorded neuron by apply- present both in neurons intrinsic to the mammalian cerebral ing a 10- to 20-msec pressure pulse (30-40 psi; 1 psi -= 6.895 cortex and in others that project to the cortex from the basal x 103 Pa) to the back of a two-barrel broken micropipette. forebrain (1, 2). These cholinergic neurons give rise to The volume of each application was 10-20 pl. In pyramidal synaptic terminals, which contact pyramidal cell dendrites neurons, changes in input resistance were calculated from and nonpyramidal cell bodies (3, 4). Application ofAcCho to current-voltage relationships before and after AcCho admin- neurons of the cerebral cortex in vivo causes both inhibition istration by using an active bridge circuit. Dihydro-pB- and slow excitation (5). AcCho-induced slow excitation of erythroidine was a gift from Merck Sharp & Dohme and neurons in the hippocampus, olfactory cortex, and sympa- McN-A-343, pirenzepine hydrochloride, and oxotremorine- thetic ganglion is mainly due to a decrease in a voltage- M bromide were gifts from Donald Jenden. All other com- dependent potassium current (M current) (6-11). Slow cho- pounds were obtained from Sigma. The effects ofantagonists linergic excitation in the neocortex appears to be mediated were analyzed by comparing the responses of populations of through a similar mechanism, although the voltage depen- neurons to AcCho in the same slices before and after at least dency of this action has not been well studied (12, 13). 1 hr of exposure to the antagonist-containing medium, or by Cholinergic inhibition in the vertebrate nervous system has comparing the responses of single neurons to AcCho before been and after local or bath applications of the Antagonist. Nearly studied only in the hippocampus (6, 7, 14, 15) and the all (>90%) pyramidal neurons recorded in normal solution sympathetic and parasympathetic ganglia (16-19), where it gave robust biphasic responses to AcCho if the application results from either a direct postsynaptic action ofAcCho that was within 75 ,tm of the recorded cell. Therefore, in the produces an increase in membrane conductance to K+ ions presence of antagonists, only AcCho applications that were (15-18) or through excitation of interneurons (6, 7, 14, 19). also within 75 ,um of the recorded neuron were analyzed. The mechanism of cholinergic inhibition within the cerebral When cholinergic agonists were used, applications of AcCho cortex is not known. were first used to find the depth in the slice where the best hyperpolarizing and slow depolarizing responses could be The publication costs of this article were defrayed in part by page charge payment. This article must therefore be hereby marked "advertisement" Abbreviations: AcCho, acetylcholine; GABA, t-aminobutyric acid; in accordance with 18 U.S.C. §1734 solely to indicate this fact. DMP, 1,1-dimethyl-4-phenylpiperazinium iodide. 6344 Downloaded by guest on September 28, 2021 Neurobiology: McCormick and Prince Proc. Natl. Acad Sci. USA 82 (1985) 6345 evoked. The cholinergic agonist was then applied to the same enhanced, without changes in resting Vm or the response of neurons from the second barrel of the dual-barrel the cell to hyperpolarizing inputs (Fig. lA, e). The latter micropipette. Applications of all agonists were also carried result indicates that in these neurons, AcCho may affect a out with two independent micropipettes to rule out cross- voltage-dependent current that is most active at depolarized contamination ofthe solutions in the dual-barrel pipette. Data levels. Indeed, applications ofAcCho to presumed pyramidal obtained by the two methods were identical and therefore neurons that are first depolarized to near firing threshold with were combined. intracellular current result in short latency (typically <50 Intracellular recordings from neurons in the cortical slice msec) hyperpolarization, which often appear as a barrage of preparation have revealed the presence of two broad classes inhibitory postsynaptic potentials (Fig. 1B, i), followed by a of neurons: regular-spiking and fast-spiking. Fast-spiking longer latency, prolonged depolarization, and action poten- neurons are distinguished from regular-spiking neurons by tials (Fig. 1B, e). Thus, the slow depolarizing response in action potential durations of <1.0 msec (at base), the ability pyramidal neurons is a voltage-dependent event that is small to generate high frequency (>250 Hz) trains of action or does not occur at membrane potentials hyperpolarized to potentials, and the presence of prominent spike afterhyper- approximately -65 mV. polarizations (27). Intracellular injections of the fluorescent The initial inhibitory response appears to be mediated dye Lucifer yellow CH (27, 28) revealed that the regular- through a rapid excitation of inhibitory interneurons because spiking neurons are pyramidal in morphology, while fast- it has a reversal potential similar to the hyperpolarizing spiking neurons are aspiny or sparsely spiny interneurons and response produced by GABA and is blocked by drugs that are similar or identical to those neurons that utilize the prevent GABAergic synaptic transmission (bicuculline, inhibitory neurotransmitter y-aminobutyric acid (GABA). picrotoxin, tetrodotoxin, high Mn2+, low Ca2+) (30). Appli- We use the terms pyramidal neuron and interneuron here to cation of AcCho to physiologically identified presumed indicate these two classes of cells. GABAergic interneurons results in short onset latency (typ- ically <50 msec) excitation (Fig. 1C) associated with a large RESULTS decrease in RN (Fig. ID). This response is increased or decreased in amplitude as Vm is increased or decreased, We have previously found that the actions of AcCho on respectively (Fig. 1 C and D), and can be reversed during presumed pyramidal and interneuron subtypes of cortical large current-imposed depolarizations. The duration of this cells differ dramatically (30). These results will be published excitation