TY - JOUR T1 - Endogenous Neurotrophins Are Required for the Induction of GABAergic Long-Term Potentiation in the Neonatal Rat Hippocampus JF - The Journal of Neuroscience JO - J. Neurosci. SP - 5796 LP - 5802 DO - 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.0824-05.2005 VL - 25 IS - 24 AU - Paolo Gubellini AU - Yehezkel Ben-Ari AU - Jean-Luc Gaïarsa Y1 - 2005/06/15 UR - http://www.jneurosci.org/content/25/24/5796.abstract N2 - In the developing rat hippocampus, GABAergic synapses undergo a Ca2+-dependent long-term potentiation (LTPGABA-A); this form of synaptic plasticity is induced in CA3 pyramidal neurons by delivering repetitive depolarizing pulses (DPs) to the recorded neuron, and it is expressed as a long-lasting increase in the frequency and amplitude of spontaneous GABAA receptor-mediated postsynaptic currents. In the present study, we examined the role of endogenous tropomyosin-related kinase receptor B (TrkB) receptor ligands and associated protein tyrosine kinases (PTKs) in the induction of LTPGABA-A. The application of Lavendustin A, a broad spectrum PTK inhibitor, blocked the induction of LTPGABA-A, whereas Lavendustin B, its inactive form, had no effect. Moreover, k-252a and k-252b, two alkaloids that inhibit the kinase activity of the Trk receptor family, also prevented the induction of LTPGABA-A. On hippocampal slices incubated with the soluble form of TrkB receptor IgG (TrkB-IgG), which prevents the activation of TrkB receptors by endogenous ligands, DPs failed to induce LTPGABA-A, whereas the incubation with TrkA-IgG or TrkC-IgG had no such effect. Altogether, these data indicate that endogenous TrkB ligands and associated PTK activity are necessary for the induction of GABAergic LTP in the developing rat hippocampus. ER -