Title
Neuromodulatory changes in short-term synaptic dynamics may be mediated by two distinct mechanisms of presynaptic calcium entry.
Abstract
Although synaptic output is known to be modulated by changes in presynaptic calcium channels, additional pathways for calcium entry into the presynaptic terminal, such as non-selective channels, could contribute to modulation of short term synaptic dynamics. We address this issue using computational modeling. The neuropeptide proctolin modulates the inhibitory synapse from the lateral pyloric (LP) to the pyloric dilator (PD) neuron, two slow-wave bursting neurons in the pyloric network of the crab Cancer borealis. Proctolin enhances the strength of this synapse and also changes its dynamics. Whereas in control saline the synapse shows depression independent of the amplitude of the presynaptic LP signal, in proctolin, with high-amplitude presynaptic LP stimulation the synapse remains depressing while low-amplitude stimulation causes facilitation. We use simple calcium-dependent release models to explore two alternative mechanisms underlying these modulatory effects. In the first model, proctolin directly targets calcium channels by changing their activation kinetics which results in gradual accumulation of calcium with low-amplitude presynaptic stimulation, leading to facilitation. The second model uses the fact that proctolin is known to activate a non-specific cation current I ( MI ). In this model, we assume that the MI channels have some permeability to calcium, modeled to be a result of slow conformation change after binding calcium. This generates a gradual increase in calcium influx into the presynaptic terminals through the modulatory channel similar to that described in the first model. Each of these models can explain the modulation of the synapse by proctolin but with different consequences for network activity.
Year
DOI
Venue
2012
10.1007/s10827-012-0402-z
Journal of Computational Neuroscience
Keywords
Field
DocType
Neuromodulation,Proctolin,Short-term synaptic dynamics,Pyloric network
Synapse,Neuroscience,Calcium,Proctolin,Inhibitory postsynaptic potential,Excitatory synapse,Voltage-dependent calcium channel,T-type calcium channel,Calcium signaling,Mathematics
Journal
Volume
Issue
ISSN
33
3
1573-6873
Citations 
PageRank 
References 
0
0.34
4
Authors
4
Name
Order
Citations
PageRank
Myongkeun Oh181.27
Shunbing Zhao230.93
Victor Matveev3141.88
Farzan Nadim46820.17