@article{320, abstract = {Fast-spiking, parvalbumin-expressing GABAergic interneurons (PV+-BCs) express a complex machinery of rapid signaling mechanisms, including specialized voltage-gated ion channels to generate brief action potentials (APs). However, short APs are associated with overlapping Na+ and K+ fluxes and are therefore energetically expensive. How the potentially vicious combination of high AP frequency and inefficient spike generation can be reconciled with limited energy supply is presently unclear. To address this question, we performed direct recordings from the PV+-BC axon, the subcellular structure where active conductances for AP initiation and propagation are located. Surprisingly, the energy required for the AP was, on average, only ∼1.6 times the theoretical minimum. High energy efficiency emerged from the combination of fast inactivation of Na+ channels and delayed activation of Kv3-type K+ channels, which minimized ion flux overlap during APs. Thus, the complementary tuning of axonal Na+ and K+ channel gating optimizes both fast signaling properties and metabolic efficiency. Hu et al. demonstrate that action potentials in parvalbumin-expressing GABAergic interneuron axons are energetically efficient, which is highly unexpected given their brief duration. High energy efficiency emerges from the combination of fast inactivation of voltage-gated Na+ channels and delayed activation of Kv3 channels in the axon. }, author = {Hu, Hua and Roth, Fabian and Vandael, David H and Jonas, Peter M}, journal = {Neuron}, number = {1}, pages = {156 -- 165}, publisher = {Elsevier}, title = {{Complementary tuning of Na+ and K+ channel gating underlies fast and energy-efficient action potentials in GABAergic interneuron axons}}, doi = {10.1016/j.neuron.2018.02.024}, volume = {98}, year = {2018}, } @article{1117, abstract = {GABAergic synapses in brain circuits generate inhibitory output signals with submillisecond latency and temporal precision. Whether the molecular identity of the release sensor contributes to these signaling properties remains unclear. Here, we examined the Ca^2+ sensor of exocytosis at GABAergic basket cell (BC) to Purkinje cell (PC) synapses in cerebellum. Immunolabeling suggested that BC terminals selectively expressed synaptotagmin 2 (Syt2), whereas synaptotagmin 1 (Syt1) was enriched in excitatory terminals. Genetic elimination of Syt2 reduced action potential-evoked release to ∼10%, identifying Syt2 as the major Ca^2+ sensor at BC-PC synapses. Differential adenovirus-mediated rescue revealed that Syt2 triggered release with shorter latency and higher temporal precision and mediated faster vesicle pool replenishment than Syt1. Furthermore, deletion of Syt2 severely reduced and delayed disynaptic inhibition following parallel fiber stimulation. Thus, the selective use of Syt2 as release sensor at BC-PC synapses ensures fast and efficient feedforward inhibition in cerebellar microcircuits. #bioimagingfacility-author}, author = {Chen, Chong and Arai, Itaru and Satterield, Rachel and Young, Samuel and Jonas, Peter M}, issn = {22111247}, journal = {Cell Reports}, number = {3}, pages = {723 -- 736}, publisher = {Cell Press}, title = {{Synaptotagmin 2 is the fast Ca2+ sensor at a central inhibitory synapse}}, doi = {10.1016/j.celrep.2016.12.067}, volume = {18}, year = {2017}, } @article{1118, abstract = {Sharp wave-ripple (SWR) oscillations play a key role in memory consolidation during non-rapid eye movement sleep, immobility, and consummatory behavior. However, whether temporally modulated synaptic excitation or inhibition underlies the ripples is controversial. To address this question, we performed simultaneous recordings of excitatory and inhibitory postsynaptic currents (EPSCs and IPSCs) and local field potentials (LFPs) in the CA1 region of awake mice in vivo. During SWRs, inhibition dominated over excitation, with a peak conductance ratio of 4.1 ± 0.5. Furthermore, the amplitude of SWR-associated IPSCs was positively correlated with SWR magnitude, whereas that of EPSCs was not. Finally, phase analysis indicated that IPSCs were phase-locked to individual ripple cycles, whereas EPSCs were uniformly distributed in phase space. Optogenetic inhibition indicated that PV+ interneurons provided a major contribution to SWR-associated IPSCs. Thus, phasic inhibition, but not excitation, shapes SWR oscillations in the hippocampal CA1 region in vivo.}, author = {Gan, Jian and Weng, Shih-Ming and Pernia-Andrade, Alejandro and Csicsvari, Jozsef L and Jonas, Peter M}, journal = {Neuron}, number = {2}, pages = {308 -- 314}, publisher = {Elsevier}, title = {{Phase-locked inhibition, but not excitation, underlies hippocampal ripple oscillations in awake mice in vivo}}, doi = {10.1016/j.neuron.2016.12.018}, volume = {93}, year = {2017}, } @article{749, abstract = {Synaptotagmin 7 (Syt7) is thought to be a Ca2+ sensor that mediates asynchronous transmitter release and facilitation at synapses. However, Syt7 is strongly expressed in fast-spiking, parvalbumin-expressing GABAergic interneurons, and the output synapses of these neurons produce only minimal asynchronous release and show depression rather than facilitation. To resolve this apparent contradiction, we examined the effects of genetic elimination of Syt7 on synaptic transmission at the GABAergic basket cell (BC)-Purkinje cell (PC) synapse in cerebellum. Our results indicate that at the BC-PC synapse, Syt7 contributes to asynchronous release, pool replenishment, and facilitation. In combination, these three effects ensure efficient transmitter release during high-frequency activity and guarantee frequency independence of inhibition. Our results identify a distinct function of Syt7: ensuring the efficiency of high-frequency inhibitory synaptic transmission}, author = {Chen, Chong and Satterfield, Rachel and Young, Samuel and Jonas, Peter M}, issn = {22111247}, journal = {Cell Reports}, number = {8}, pages = {2082 -- 2089}, publisher = {Cell Press}, title = {{Triple function of Synaptotagmin 7 ensures efficiency of high-frequency transmission at central GABAergic synapses}}, doi = {10.1016/j.celrep.2017.10.122}, volume = {21}, year = {2017}, } @article{1432, abstract = {CA3–CA3 recurrent excitatory synapses are thought to play a key role in memory storage and pattern completion. Whether the plasticity properties of these synapses are consistent with their proposed network functions remains unclear. Here, we examine the properties of spike timing-dependent plasticity (STDP) at CA3–CA3 synapses. Low-frequency pairing of excitatory postsynaptic potentials (EPSPs) and action potentials (APs) induces long-term potentiation (LTP), independent of temporal order. The STDP curve is symmetric and broad (half-width ~150 ms). Consistent with these STDP induction properties, AP–EPSP sequences lead to supralinear summation of spine [Ca2+] transients. Furthermore, afterdepolarizations (ADPs) following APs efficiently propagate into dendrites of CA3 pyramidal neurons, and EPSPs summate with dendritic ADPs. In autoassociative network models, storage and recall are more robust with symmetric than with asymmetric STDP rules. Thus, a specialized STDP induction rule allows reliable storage and recall of information in the hippocampal CA3 network.}, author = {Mishra, Rajiv Kumar and Kim, Sooyun and Guzmán, José and Jonas, Peter M}, journal = {Nature Communications}, publisher = {Nature Publishing Group}, title = {{Symmetric spike timing-dependent plasticity at CA3–CA3 synapses optimizes storage and recall in autoassociative networks}}, doi = {10.1038/ncomms11552}, volume = {7}, year = {2016}, } @article{1350, abstract = {The hippocampal CA3 region plays a key role in learning and memory. Recurrent CA3–CA3 synapses are thought to be the subcellular substrate of pattern completion. However, the synaptic mechanisms of this network computation remain enigmatic. To investigate these mechanisms, we combined functional connectivity analysis with network modeling. Simultaneous recording fromup to eight CA3 pyramidal neurons revealed that connectivity was sparse, spatially uniform, and highly enriched in disynaptic motifs (reciprocal, convergence,divergence, and chain motifs). Unitary connections were composed of one or two synaptic contacts, suggesting efficient use of postsynaptic space. Real-size modeling indicated that CA3 networks with sparse connectivity, disynaptic motifs, and single-contact connections robustly generated pattern completion.Thus, macro- and microconnectivity contribute to efficient memory storage and retrieval in hippocampal networks.}, author = {Guzmán, José and Schlögl, Alois and Frotscher, Michael and Jonas, Peter M}, journal = {Science}, number = {6304}, pages = {1117 -- 1123}, publisher = {American Association for the Advancement of Science}, title = {{Synaptic mechanisms of pattern completion in the hippocampal CA3 network}}, doi = {10.1126/science.aaf1836}, volume = {353}, year = {2016}, } @article{1614, abstract = {GABAergic perisoma-inhibiting fast-spiking interneurons (PIIs) effectively control the activity of large neuron populations by their wide axonal arborizations. It is generally assumed that the output of one PII to its target cells is strong and rapid. Here, we show that, unexpectedly, both strength and time course of PII-mediated perisomatic inhibition change with distance between synaptically connected partners in the rodent hippocampus. Synaptic signals become weaker due to lower contact numbers and decay more slowly with distance, very likely resulting from changes in GABAA receptor subunit composition. When distance-dependent synaptic inhibition is introduced to a rhythmically active neuronal network model, randomly driven principal cell assemblies are strongly synchronized by the PIIs, leading to higher precision in principal cell spike times than in a network with uniform synaptic inhibition. }, author = {Strüber, Michael and Jonas, Peter M and Bartos, Marlene}, journal = {PNAS}, number = {4}, pages = {1220 -- 1225}, publisher = {National Academy of Sciences}, title = {{Strength and duration of perisomatic GABAergic inhibition depend on distance between synaptically connected cells}}, doi = {10.1073/pnas.1412996112}, volume = {112}, year = {2015}, } @article{2031, abstract = {A puzzling property of synaptic transmission, originally established at the neuromuscular junction, is that the time course of transmitter release is independent of the extracellular Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]o), whereas the rate of release is highly [Ca2+]o-dependent. Here, we examine the time course of release at inhibitory basket cell-Purkinje cell synapses and show that it is independent of [Ca2+]o. Modeling of Ca2+-dependent transmitter release suggests that the invariant time course of release critically depends on tight coupling between Ca2+ channels and release sensors. Experiments with exogenous Ca2+ chelators reveal that channel-sensor coupling at basket cell-Purkinje cell synapses is very tight, with a mean distance of 10–20 nm. Thus, tight channel-sensor coupling provides a mechanistic explanation for the apparent [Ca2+]o independence of the time course of release.}, author = {Arai, Itaru and Jonas, Peter M}, journal = {eLife}, publisher = {eLife Sciences Publications}, title = {{Nanodomain coupling explains Ca^2+ independence of transmitter release time course at a fast central synapse}}, doi = {10.7554/eLife.04057}, volume = {3}, year = {2014}, } @article{2062, abstract = {The success story of fast-spiking, parvalbumin-positive (PV+) GABAergic interneurons (GABA, γ-aminobutyric acid) in the mammalian central nervous system is noteworthy. In 1995, the properties of these interneurons were completely unknown. Twenty years later, thanks to the massive use of subcellular patch-clamp techniques, simultaneous multiple-cell recording, optogenetics, in vivo measurements, and computational approaches, our knowledge about PV+ interneurons became more extensive than for several types of pyramidal neurons. These findings have implications beyond the “small world” of basic research on GABAergic cells. For example, the results provide a first proof of principle that neuroscientists might be able to close the gaps between the molecular, cellular, network, and behavioral levels, representing one of the main challenges at the present time. Furthermore, the results may form the basis for PV+ interneurons as therapeutic targets for brain disease in the future. However, much needs to be learned about the basic function of these interneurons before clinical neuroscientists will be able to use PV+ interneurons for therapeutic purposes.}, author = {Hu, Hua and Gan, Jian and Jonas, Peter M}, journal = {Science}, number = {6196}, publisher = {American Association for the Advancement of Science}, title = {{Fast-spiking parvalbumin^+ GABAergic interneurons: From cellular design to microcircuit function}}, doi = {10.1126/science.1255263}, volume = {345}, year = {2014}, } @article{2228, abstract = {Fast-spiking, parvalbumin-expressing GABAergic interneurons, a large proportion of which are basket cells (BCs), have a key role in feedforward and feedback inhibition, gamma oscillations and complex information processing. For these functions, fast propagation of action potentials (APs) from the soma to the presynaptic terminals is important. However, the functional properties of interneuron axons remain elusive. We examined interneuron axons by confocally targeted subcellular patch-clamp recording in rat hippocampal slices. APs were initiated in the proximal axon ∼20 μm from the soma and propagated to the distal axon with high reliability and speed. Subcellular mapping revealed a stepwise increase of Na^+ conductance density from the soma to the proximal axon, followed by a further gradual increase in the distal axon. Active cable modeling and experiments with partial channel block revealed that low axonal Na^+ conductance density was sufficient for reliability, but high Na^+ density was necessary for both speed of propagation and fast-spiking AP phenotype. Our results suggest that a supercritical density of Na^+ channels compensates for the morphological properties of interneuron axons (small segmental diameter, extensive branching and high bouton density), ensuring fast AP propagation and high-frequency repetitive firing.}, author = {Hu, Hua and Jonas, Peter M}, issn = {10976256}, journal = {Nature Neuroscience}, number = {5}, pages = {686--693}, publisher = {Nature Publishing Group}, title = {{A supercritical density of Na^+ channels ensures fast signaling in GABAergic interneuron axons}}, doi = {10.1038/nn.3678}, volume = {17}, year = {2014}, } @article{2229, abstract = {The distance between Ca^2+ channels and release sensors determines the speed and efficacy of synaptic transmission. Tight "nanodomain" channel-sensor coupling initiates transmitter release at synapses in the mature brain, whereas loose "microdomain" coupling appears restricted to early developmental stages. To probe the coupling configuration at a plastic synapse in the mature central nervous system, we performed paired recordings between mossy fiber terminals and CA3 pyramidal neurons in rat hippocampus. Millimolar concentrations of both the fast Ca^2+ chelator BAPTA [1,2-bis(2-aminophenoxy)ethane- N,N, N′,N′-tetraacetic acid] and the slow chelator EGTA efficiently suppressed transmitter release, indicating loose coupling between Ca^2+ channels and release sensors. Loose coupling enabled the control of initial release probability by fast endogenous Ca^2+ buffers and the generation of facilitation by buffer saturation. Thus, loose coupling provides the molecular framework for presynaptic plasticity.}, author = {Vyleta, Nicholas and Jonas, Peter M}, issn = {00368075}, journal = {Science}, number = {6171}, pages = {665 -- 670}, publisher = {American Association for the Advancement of Science}, title = {{Loose coupling between Ca^2+ channels and release sensors at a plastic hippocampal synapse}}, doi = {10.1126/science.1244811}, volume = {343}, year = {2014}, } @article{2254, abstract = {Theta-gamma network oscillations are thought to represent key reference signals for information processing in neuronal ensembles, but the underlying synaptic mechanisms remain unclear. To address this question, we performed whole-cell (WC) patch-clamp recordings from mature hippocampal granule cells (GCs) in vivo in the dentate gyrus of anesthetized and awake rats. GCs in vivo fired action potentials at low frequency, consistent with sparse coding in the dentate gyrus. GCs were exposed to barrages of fast AMPAR-mediated excitatory postsynaptic currents (EPSCs), primarily relayed from the entorhinal cortex, and inhibitory postsynaptic currents (IPSCs), presumably generated by local interneurons. EPSCs exhibited coherence with the field potential predominantly in the theta frequency band, whereas IPSCs showed coherence primarily in the gamma range. Action potentials in GCs were phase locked to network oscillations. Thus, theta-gamma-modulated synaptic currents may provide a framework for sparse temporal coding of information in the dentate gyrus.}, author = {Pernia-Andrade, Alejandro and Jonas, Peter M}, issn = {08966273}, journal = {Neuron}, number = {1}, pages = {140 -- 152}, publisher = {Elsevier}, title = {{Theta-gamma-modulated synaptic currents in hippocampal granule cells in vivo define a mechanism for network oscillations}}, doi = {10.1016/j.neuron.2013.09.046}, volume = {81}, year = {2014}, }