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NEUROPHARMACOLOGY
Institut für Experimentelle und Klinische Pharmakologie und Toxikologie, Albert-Ludwigs-Universität, Freiburg, Germany
Globus pallidus neurons receive GABAergic input from the caudate-putamen via the striatopallidal pathway. Anatomical studies indicate that many CB1 cannabinoid receptors are localized on terminals of striatopallidal axons. Accordingly, the hypothesis of the present work was that activation of CB1 receptors presynaptically inhibits neurotransmission between striatopallidal axons and globus pallidus neurons. In sagittal mouse brain slices, striatopallidal axons were electrically stimulated in the caudate-putamen, and the resulting GABAergic inhibitory postsynaptic currents (IPSCs) were recorded in globus pallidus neurons. The synthetic cannabinoid receptor agonists R(+)-[2,3-dihydro-5-methyl-3-[(morpholinyl)methyl] pyrrolo[1,2,3-de]-1,4-benzoxazinyl]-(1-naphthalenyl)-methanone mesylate (WIN55212-2) and (-)-cis-3-[2-hydroxy-4-(1,1-dimethylheptyl)-phenyl]-trans-4-(3-hydroxy-propyl)-cyclohexanol (CP55940) decreased the amplitude of IPSCs. The CB1 receptor antagonist rimonabant prevented the inhibition by WIN55212-2, pointing to involvement of CB1 receptors. Depolarization of globus pallidus neurons induced a weak and short-lasting suppression of IPSCs [i.e., depolarization-induced suppression of inhibition (DSI) occurred]. Prevention of DSI by rimonabant indicates that endocannabinoids released from the postsynaptic neurons acted on CB1 receptors to suppress synaptic transmission. WIN55212-2 did not modify currents in globus pallidus neurons elicited by GABA released from its chemically bound ("caged") form by a flash pulse, suggesting that WIN55212-2 depressed neurotransmission presynaptically. For studying the mechanism of the inhibition of GABA release, terminals of striatopallidal axons were labeled with a calcium-sensitive fluorescent dye. WIN55212-2 depressed the action potential-evoked increase in axon terminal calcium concentration. The results show that activation of CB1 receptors by exogenous and endogenous cannabinoids leads to presynaptic inhibition of neurotransmission between striatopallidal axons and globus pallidus neurons. Depression of the action potential-evoked calcium influx into axon terminals is the probable mechanism of this inhibition.
Address correspondence to: Dr. Bela Szabo, Institut für Experimentelle und Klinische Pharmakologie und Toxikologie, Albert-Ludwigs-Universität, Albertstrasse 25, D-79104 Freiburg i. Br., Germany. E-mail: szabo{at}pharmakol.uni-freiburg.de
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