BRAIN-DERIVED NEUROTROPHIC FACTOR RAPIDLY POTENTIATES SYNAPTIC TRANSMISSION THROUGH NMDA, BUT SUPPRESSES IT THROUGH NON-NMDA RECEPTORS IN RAT HIPPOCAMPAL NEURON

Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) rapidly enhances synaptic tra nsmission among the hippocampal neurons. In order to examine which com ponent of glutamate receptors participates in synaptic potentiation by BDNF, we have studied the effect of glutamate antagonists on excitato ry postsynaptic currents (EPSCs) enhanced by BDNF, using cultured embr yonic hippocampal neurons. In the presence of AP5, a N-methyl-D-aspart ate (NMDA) antagonist, BDNF depressed the EPSCs. In contrast, BDNF enh anced the EPSCs in the presence of a non-NMDA antagonist CNQX. Our res ults suggest that BDNF acutely activates synaptic transmission via NMD A, but suppresses it via non-NMDA receptors in the hippocampus. (C) 19 98 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.