ENHANCEMENT OF NMDA RECEPTOR MATURATION BY BDNF IN CULTURED MOUSE CEREBELLAR GRANULE CELLS

THE N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) subtype of glutamate receptor, which i s essential during organogenesis for neuronal differentiation and form ation of synaptic connections in the developing brain, changes its rec eptor properties during development by differential expression of mult iple subunits. Using a combined electrophysiological and pharmacologic al approach on primary cultures of mouse cerebellar neurones, we inves tigated the evolution of the NMDA receptor and the potential effect of the neurotrophin BDNF on its expression. We showed that 1) the curren t density of NMDA responses increased with time of culture; 2) epsilon 1 subunit expression increased with time in culture relative to epsil on 2 subunit expression; and 3) the time course of the increase in NMD A responses was accelerated by about 2 days in the presence of BDNF.