The Journal of Neuroscience, February 1, 2001, 21(3):1076-1085
Adenosine-Mediated Presynaptic Modulation of Glutamatergic
Transmission in the Laterodorsal Tegmentum
Elda
Arrigoni1,
Donald G.
Rainnie1, 2,
Robert W.
McCarley1, and
Robert W.
Greene1
1 Harvard Medical School and Veterans
Administration Medical Center, Department of Psychiatry,
Brockton, Massachusetts 02401, and 2 Emory University,
Department of Psychiatry, Atlanta, Georgia 30322
The laterodorsal tegmentum (LDT) neurons supply most of the
cholinergic tone to the brainstem and diencephalon necessary for physiological arousal. It is known that application of adenosine in the
LDT nucleus increases sleep in vivo (Portas et al.,
1997) and directly inhibits LDT neurons in vitro by
activating postsynaptic adenosine A1 receptors (Rainnie et
al., 1994). However, adenosine effects on synaptic inputs to LDT
neurons has not been previously reported. We found that both evoked
glutamatergic EPSCs and GABAergic IPSCs were reduced by adenosine (50 µM). A presynaptic site of action for adenosine
A1 receptors on glutamatergic afferents was suggested by
the following: (1) adenosine did not affect exogenous glutamate-mediated current, (2) adenosine reduced glutamatergic miniature EPSC (mEPSC) frequency, without affecting the
amplitude, and (3) inhibition of the evoked EPSC was mimicked by the
A1 agonist N6-cyclohexyladenosine (100 nM) but
not by the A2 agonist
N6-[2-(3,5-dimethoxyphenyl)-2-(methylphenyl)-ethyl]-adenosine (10 nM).
The A1 receptor antagonist 8-cyclopentyltheophylline (CPT;
200 nM) potentiated the evoked EPSCs, suggesting the
presence of a tonic activation of presynaptic A1 receptors
by endogenous adenosine. The adenosine kinase inhibitor,
5-iodotubercidin (10 µM), mimicked adenosine presynaptic
and postsynaptic effects. These effects were antagonized by CPT or
adenosine deaminase (0.8 IU/ml), suggesting mediation by increased
extracellular endogenous adenosine. Together, these data suggest that
the activity of LDT neurons is under inhibitory tone by endogenous
adenosine through the activation of both presynaptic A1
receptors on excitatory terminals and postsynaptic A1
receptors. Furthermore, an alteration of adenosine kinase activity
modifies the degree of this inhibitory tone.
Key words:
adenosine; evoked EPSC; synaptic modulation; laterodorsal tegmental (LDT) nucleus; sleep; electrophysiology; A1
receptors; adenosine kinase inhibitor
Copyright © 2001 Society for Neuroscience 0270-6474/01/2131076-10$05.00/0