Tw. Margrie et al., PRESYNAPTIC LONG-TERM DEPRESSION AT A CENTRAL GLUTAMATERGIC SYNAPSE -A ROLE FOR CAMKII, Nature neuroscience, 1(5), 1998, pp. 378-383
CaMKII is a calcium-activated kinase that is abundant in neurons and h
as been strongly implicated in memory and learning. Here we show that
low-frequency stimulation of glutamatergic afferents in hippocampal sl
ices from juvenile domestic chicks results in long-term depression of
synaptic transmission. This reduction does not require activation of N
MDA or metabotropic glutamate receptors and does not require a rise in
postsynaptic calcium. However, buffering presynaptic calcium prevents
the reduction of the excitatory postsynaptic potential or current tha
t is induced by low-frequency stimulation. in addition, application of
the calmodulin antagonist calmidazolium, or the specific CaMKII antag
onist KN-93, completely blocks long-term depression. These findings de
monstrate a newsy discovered form of long-term synaptic depression in
the avian hippocampus.