| Title |
Methylmercury reduces synaptic transmission and neuronal excitability in rat hippocampal slices
|
|---|---|
| Published in |
Pflügers Archiv - European Journal of Physiology, April 2018
|
| DOI | 10.1007/s00424-018-2144-x |
| Pubmed ID | |
| Authors |
J. Gutiérrez, A. M. Baraibar, E. Albiñana, P. Velasco, J. M. Solís, J. M. Hernández-Guijo |
| Abstract |
In a previous study, we pointed out that the neurotoxic action evoked by methylmercury (MeHg), a potent environmental pollutant responsible for fatal food poisoning, is associated with alterations of cellular excitability by irreversible blockade of sodium and calcium currents. Here, we investigated the MeHg effects on synaptic transmission and neuronal plasticity using extracellular field recording in CA1 area of rat hippocampal slices. MeHg caused a fast and drastic depression of evoked field excitatory postsynaptic potentials (fEPSPs) in a concentration-dependent manner with an IC50 of 25.7 μM. This depression was partially caused by the irreversible reduction of axon recruitment deduced from the decrement of the fiber volley (FV) amplitude. Nevertheless, this MeHg-induced synaptic depression represents a true reduction of synaptic efficacy, as judged by input/output curves. In addition, a reduction on presynaptic release of glutamate was detected with the paradigm of paired-pulse facilitation during MeHg application. Moreover, MeHg also reduced population spike (PS) ampxlitude, and this effect was more prominent when the PS was evoked by ortodromic stimulation than by antidromic stimulation. Interestingly, despite these strong effects of MeHg on synaptic transmission and excitability, this compound did not modify the induction of long-term synaptic potentiation (LTP). The effects described here for MeHg were irreversible or very slowly reversible after drug wash-out. In summary, the blockade of sodium and calcium channels by MeHg affects synaptic transmission and cellular excitability but not synaptic plasticity. |
X Demographics
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Geographical breakdown
| Country | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| Unknown | 1 | 100% |
Demographic breakdown
| Type | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| Members of the public | 1 | 100% |
Mendeley readers
The data shown below were compiled from readership statistics for 18 Mendeley readers of this research output. Click here to see the associated Mendeley record.
Geographical breakdown
| Country | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| Unknown | 18 | 100% |
Demographic breakdown
| Readers by professional status | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| Student > Postgraduate | 3 | 17% |
| Student > Master | 3 | 17% |
| Student > Bachelor | 3 | 17% |
| Other | 1 | 6% |
| Student > Doctoral Student | 1 | 6% |
| Other | 1 | 6% |
| Unknown | 6 | 33% |
| Readers by discipline | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology | 2 | 11% |
| Agricultural and Biological Sciences | 2 | 11% |
| Social Sciences | 2 | 11% |
| Earth and Planetary Sciences | 1 | 6% |
| Psychology | 1 | 6% |
| Other | 2 | 11% |
| Unknown | 8 | 44% |
Attention Score in Context
This research output has an Altmetric Attention Score of 1. This is our high-level measure of the quality and quantity of online attention that it has received. This Attention Score, as well as the ranking and number of research outputs shown below, was calculated when the research output was last mentioned on 22 April 2018.
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#21,164,509
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Outputs from Pflügers Archiv - European Journal of Physiology
#1,798
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#290,181
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Outputs of similar age from Pflügers Archiv - European Journal of Physiology
#17
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