Biomedical subjects

Mu-Ming Poo

Publications and source records attributed to Mu-Ming Poo.

3 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2004

Spike timing-dependent plasticity of neural circuits.

Recent findings of spike timing-dependent plasticity (STDP) have stimulated much interest among experimentalists and theorists. Beyond the traditional correlation-based Hebbian plasticity, STDP opens up new avenues for understanding information coding and circuit plasticity that depend on the precise timing of neuronal spikes. Here we summarize experimental characterization of STDP at various synapses, the underlying cellular mechanisms, and the associated changes in neuronal excitability and dendritic integration. We also describe STDP in the context of complex spike patterns and its dependence on the dendritic location of the synapse. Finally, we discuss timing-dependent modification of neuronal receptive fields and human visual perception and the computational significance of STDP as a synaptic learning rule.

Action Potentials↗

PubMed2004

Rapid BDNF-induced retrograde synaptic modification in a developing retinotectal system.

In cultures of hippocampal neurons, induction of long-term synaptic potentiation or depression by repetitive synaptic activity is accompanied by a retrograde spread of potentiation or depression, respectively, from the site of induction at the axonal outputs to the input synapses on the dendrites of the presynaptic neuron. We report here that rapid retrograde synaptic modification also exists in an intact developing retinotectal system. Local application of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) to the Xenopus laevis optic tectum, which induced persistent potentiation of retinotectal synapses, led to a rapid modification of synaptic inputs at the dendrites of retinal ganglion cells (RGCs), as shown by a persistent enhancement of light-evoked excitatory synaptic currents and spiking activity of RGCs. This retrograde effect required TrkB receptor activation, phospholipase Cgamma activity and Ca2+ elevation in RGCs, and was accounted for by a selective increase in the number of postsynaptic AMPA-subtype glutamate receptors at RGC dendrites. Such retrograde information flow in the neuron allows rapid regulation of synaptic inputs at the dendrite in accordance to signals received at axon terminals, a process reminiscent of back-propagation algorithm for learning in neural networks.

Action Potentials↗

PubMed2003

Cyclic AMP/GMP-dependent modulation of Ca2+ channels sets the polarity of nerve growth-cone turning.

Signalling by intracellular second messengers such as cyclic nucleotides and Ca2+ is known to regulate attractive and repulsive guidance of axons by extracellular factors. However, the mechanism of interaction among these second messengers in determining the polarity of the guidance response is largely unknown. Here, we report that the ratio of cyclic AMP to cyclic GMP activities sets the polarity of netrin-1-induced axon guidance: high ratios favour attraction, whereas low ratios favour repulsion. Whole-cell recordings of Ca2+ currents at Xenopus spinal neuron growth cones indicate that cyclic nucleotide signalling directly modulates the activity of L-type Ca2+ channels (LCCs) in axonal growth cones. Furthermore, cGMP signalling activated by an arachidonate 12-lipoxygenase metabolite suppresses LCC activity triggered by netrin-1, and is required for growth-cone repulsion mediated by the DCC-UNC5 receptor complex. By linking cAMP and cGMP signalling and modulation of Ca2+ channel activity in growth cones, these findings delineate an early membrane-associated event responsible for signal transduction during bi-directional axon guidance.

Animals↗