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Increased bursting glutamatergic neurotransmission in an auditory forebrain area of the zebra finch (Taenopygia guttata) induced by auditory stimulation

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Abstract

The caudomedial nidopallium (NCM) is a telencephalic area involved in auditory processing and memorization in songbirds, but the synaptic mechanisms associated with auditory processing in NCM are largely unknown. To identify potential changes in synaptic transmission induced by auditory stimulation in NCM, we used a slice preparation for path-clamp recordings of synaptic currents in the NCM of adult zebra finches (Taenopygia guttata) sacrificed after sound isolation followed by exposure to conspecific song or silence. Although post-synaptic GABAergic and glutamatergic currents in the NCM of control and song-exposed birds did not present any differences regarding their frequency, amplitude and duration after song exposure, we observed a higher probability of generation of bursting glutamatergic currents after blockade of GABAergic transmission in song-exposed birds as compared to controls. Both song-exposed males and females presented an increase in the probability of the expression of bursting glutamatergic currents, however bursting was more commonly seen in males where they appeared even without blocking GABAergic transmission. Our data show that song exposure changes the excitability of the glutamatergic neuronal network, increasing the probability of the generation of bursts of glutamatergic currents, but does not affect basic parameters of glutamatergic and GABAergic synaptic currents.

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Abbreviations

aCSF:

Artificial cerebrospinal fluid

AMPA:

2-Amino-3-(5-methyl-3-oxo-1,2-oxazol-4-yl)propanoic acid

CMM:

Caudomedial mesopallium

DNQX:

6,7-Dinitroquinoxaline-2,3-dione

EPSC:

Excitatory post-synaptic current

mIPSC:

Miniature inhibitory post-synaptic current

NCM:

Nidopallium caudomedialis

sEPSC:

Spontaneous excitatory post-synaptic current

sIPSC:

Spontaneous inhibitory post-synaptic current

TTX:

Tetrodotoxin

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Acknowledgments

The animal handling and experimentation procedures were approved by the Ethics Committee on Animal Experimentation of the Ribeirão Preto School of Medicine of the University of São Paulo and by Oregon Health and Science University’s Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee, and are consistent with the National Institute of Health guidelines. Work supported by a grant from Fundação de Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (03/0419-0) to RML and a National Institute of Health-Fogarty International Collaborative Research Award (TW006955) to CVM and RML. AAD was supported by a fellowship from the Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior. We thank Drs. Carlos Eduardo L. Almado for discussing the statistical analysis and Christopher Kushmerick for reviewing the manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Departamento de Fisiologia, Faculdade de Medicina de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, Av. Bandeirantes 3900, Ribeirão Preto, SP, 14049-900, Brazil

    André A. Dagostin & Ricardo M. Leão

  2. Department of Behavioral Neuroscience, Oregon Health and Science University, Portland, OR, USA

    Claudio V. Mello

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  1. André A. Dagostin
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  2. Claudio V. Mello
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  3. Ricardo M. Leão
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Correspondence to Ricardo M. Leão.

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Dagostin, A.A., Mello, C.V. & Leão, R.M. Increased bursting glutamatergic neurotransmission in an auditory forebrain area of the zebra finch (Taenopygia guttata) induced by auditory stimulation. J Comp Physiol A 198, 705–716 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00359-012-0741-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00359-012-0741-2

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