Elsevier

Neuroscience

Volume 76, Issue 1, 5 December 1996, Pages 1-5
Neuroscience

Letter to Neuroscience
Cortical afferents modulate striatal gap junction permeability via nitric oxide

https://doi.org/10.1016/S0306-4522(96)00433-2Get rights and content

Abstract

Nitric oxide is a ubiquitous cellular messenger that plays a role in a variety of biological mechanisms.[3]Within the central nervous system, it is formed in glia and neuronal cells and can diffuse away from its site of origin to modulate membrane conductances,[8]neurotransmitter release,[27]behavior,[20]or to control the blood flow within its region of action.[2]Nitric oxide has been shown to modulate gap junction conductance in the retina7, 19and cortex,[26]an action it shares with a number of neurotransmitters.[21]In this study, we found that the activation of cortical afferents increased dye coupling between rat neostriatal neurons recorded in vitro. This effect was mimicked by a nitric oxide donor and prevented by a nitric oxide synthase inhibitor, suggesting that activation of corticostriatal fibers may open putative gap junctions in the striatum via release of nitric oxide. This is the first report showing that synaptic modulation of gap junctions can be mediated by nitric oxide, and may provide a mechanism to explain cortical modulation of subcortical pattern formation within this highly integrative structure.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by NIH grants MH45156 and MH01055 (A.A.G.), a Tourette's Syndrome Association grant (P.O'D.) and a NARSAD Young Investigator Award (P.O'D.).

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