Cholinergic modulation of primary afferent glutamatergic transmission in rat medullary dorsal horn neurons.

Although muscarinic acetylcholine (mACh) receptors are expressed in trigeminal ganglia, it is still unknown whether mACh receptors modulate glutamatergic transmission from primary afferents onto medullary dorsal horn neurons. In this study, we have addressed the cholinergic modulation of primary afferent glutamatergic transmission using a conventional whole cell patch clamp technique. Glutamatergic excitatory postsynaptic currents (EPSCs) were evoked from primary afferents by electrical stimulation of trigeminal tract and monosynaptic EPSCs were recorded from medullary dorsal horn neurons of rat horizontal brain stem slices. Muscarine and ACh reversibly and concentration-dependently decreased the amplitude of glutamatergic EPSCs and increased the paired-pulse ratio. In addition, muscarine reduced the frequency of miniature EPSCs without affecting the current amplitude, suggesting that muscarine acts presynaptically to decrease the probability of glutamate release onto medullary dorsal horn neurons. The muscarine-induced decrease of glutamatergic EPSCs was significantly occluded by methoctramine or AF-DX116, M2 receptor antagonists, but not pirenzepine, J104129 and MT-3, selective M1, M3 and M4 receptor antagonists. The muscarine-induced decrease of glutamatergic EPSCs was highly dependent on the extracellular Ca2+ concentration. Physostigmine and clinically available acetylcholinesterase inhibitors, such as rivastigmine and donepezil, significantly shifted the concentration-inhibition relationship of ACh for glutamatergic EPSCs. These results suggest that muscarine acts on presynaptic M2 receptors to inhibit glutamatergic transmission by reducing the Ca2+ influx into primary afferent terminals, and that M2 receptor agonists and acetylcholinesterase inhibitors could be, at least, potential targets to reduce nociceptive transmission from orofacial tissues.

GABA(B) receptor-mediated presynaptic inhibition of glycinergic transmission onto substantia gelatinosa neurons in the rat spinal cord.

The GABA(B) receptor-mediated presynaptic inhibition of glycinergic transmission was studied from young rat substantia gelatinosa (SG) neurons using a conventional whole-cell patch clamp technique. Action potential-dependent glycinergic inhibitory postsynaptic currents (IPSCs) were recorded from SG neurons in the presence of 3 mM kynurenic acid and 10 microM SR95531. In these conditions, baclofen (30 microM), a selective GABA(B) receptor agonist, greatly reduced the amplitude of glycinergic IPSCs and increased the paired-pulse ratio. Such effects were completely blocked by 3 microM CGP55845, a selective GABA(B) receptor antagonist, indicating that the activation of presynaptic GABA(B) receptors decreases glycinergic synaptic transmission. Glycinergic IPSCs were largely dependent on Ca2+ influxes passing through presynaptic N- and P/Q-type Ca2+ channels, and these channels contributed equally to the baclofen-induced inhibition of glycinergic IPSCs. However, the baclofen-induced inhibition of glycinergic IPSCs was not affected by either 100 microM SQ22536, an adenylyl cyclase inhibitor, or 1 mM Ba2+, a G-protein coupled inwardly rectifying K+ channel blocker. During the train stimulation (10 pulses at 20 Hz), which caused a marked synaptic depression of glycinergic IPSCs, baclofen at a 30 microM concentration completely blocked glycinergic synaptic depression, but at a 3 microM concentration it largely preserved glycinergic synaptic depression. Such GABA(B) receptor-mediated dynamic changes in short-term synaptic plasticity of glycinergic transmission onto SG neurons might contribute to the central processing of sensory signals.