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Development of the perforating pathway: an ipsilaterally projecting pathway between the medial septum/diagonal band of Broca and the cingulate cortex that intersects the corpus callosum.

The perforating pathway (PFP) intersects the corpus callosum perpendicularly at the midline in the dorsoventral axis. Therefore axons in either the PFP or the corpus callosum make different axonal guidance decisions in the same anatomical region of the developing cortical midline. The mechanisms underlying these axonal choices are not known. To begin to identify these guidance mechanisms, we characterized the development of these two pathways in detail. The development of the corpus callosum and its pioneering projections has been described elsewhere (Shu and Richards [2001] J. Neurosci. 21:2749--2758; Rash and Richards [2001] J. Comp. Neurol. 434:147--157). Here we examine the development, origins, and projections of axons that make up the PFP. The majority of axons within the PFP originate from neurons in the medial septum and diagonal band of Broca complex. These neurons project in a topographic manner to the cingulate cortex. In contrast to previous reports, we find that a much smaller projection originating from the cingulate cortex also contributes to this pathway. The pioneering projections of the PFP and the corpus callosum arrive at the corticoseptal boundary at around the same developmental stage. These findings show that ipsilaterally projecting PFP axons and contralaterally projecting callosal axons make distinct guidance decisions at the same developmental stage when they reach the corticoseptal boundary.

Animals↗

Overexpression of myelin-associated glycoprotein after axotomy of the perforant pathway.

Myelin-associated glycoprotein (MAG) contributes to the prevention of axonal regeneration in the adult central nervous system (CNS). However, changes in MAG expression following lesions and the involvement of MAG in the failure of cortical connections to regenerate are still poorly understood. Here, we show that MAG expression is differently regulated in the entorhinal cortex (EC) and the hippocampus in response to axotomy of the perforant pathway. In the EC, MAG mRNA is transiently overexpressed by mature oligodendrocytes after lesion. In the hippocampus, MAG overexpression is accompanied by an increase in the number of MAG-expressing cells. Lastly, the participation of MAG in preventing axonal regeneration was tested in vitro, where neuraminidase treatment of axotomized entorhino-hippocampal cultures potentiates axonal regeneration. These results demonstrate that MAG expression is regulated in response to cortical axotomy, and indicate that it may limit axonal regeneration after CNS injury.

Animals↗

Neuroprotective effect of remacemide hydrochloride in a perforant pathway stimulation model of status epilepticus in the rat.

Previous studies have demonstrated that remacemide and its desglycinyl metabolite, AR-R 2495AA, reduce neuronal damage in animal models of ischemia, subarachnoid hemorrhage, and traumatic brain injury. The aim of the present study was to investigate whether remacemide hydrochloride also alleviates seizure-induced neuronal damage in a model of status epilepticus induced by the stimulation of the perforant pathway (PP) in the rat. Chronic oral remacemide treatment (3 x 25 mg/kg/day) was started either 2 days before or 2 h after the beginning of PP stimulation (2 mA, 20 Hz, 0.1 ms pulse duration for 60 min). The effects of remacemide treatment on the severity of seizures, electroencephalogram (EEG) parameters, seizure-induced neuronal damage in the temporal lobe regions, and memory impairment were compared to unstimulated and stimulated vehicle-treated controls, and carbamazepine-pre-treated (3 x 40 mg/kg/day) rats. Both remacemide and carbamazepine pretreatments, but not remacemide posttreatment, decreased pyramidal cell damage in the CA3 and CA1 subregions of the hippocampus (P < 0.05). In addition, overall neuronal damage in the extrahippocampal temporal lobe regions (the piriform cortex, entorhinal cortex, and the amygdaloid complex) was milder in remacemide-pretreated rats compared to stimulated control rats (P < 0.01). The neuroprotective effect was most evident on the side contralateral to stimulation. Remacemide or carbamazepine pretreatment had no evident effect on the number or duration of behavioral seizures during PP stimulation. Neither drug altered the spectral parameters of the baseline EEG or prevented status epilepticus-induced EEG slowing observed 2 weeks after PP stimulation. Nor did remacemide or carbamazepine treatment alleviate spatial memory impairment determined in a Morris water-maze task 2 weeks after PP stimulation. Our data provide evidence that pretreatment with remacemide has a moderate neuroprotective effect against status epilepticus-induced neuronal damage.

Acetamides↗

Synaptic recruitment during long-term potentiation at synapses of the medial perforant pathway in the dentate gyrus of the rat brain.

Long-term potentiation (LTP) in synapses of the medial perforant pathway of the rat dentate gyrus has been studied using the whole-cell voltage clamp technique and a standard hippocampal slice preparation. The rate of LTP induction by 2-4 brief trains of stimuli at 100 Hz, paired with postsynaptic depolarization to -20 mV, in individual granule neurons was only 42% but the average magnitude was large. In a representative series of nine experiments the average potentiation was 339% (s.d. 255%). The variable magnitude of LTP appeared to be related to the relative size of the NMDA receptor dependent current in individual neurons. LTP was further characterized by the selective enhancement of the AMPA (but not the NMDA) component in the excitatory synaptic responses. This selective enhancement of the AMPA component and a graphical variance analysis suggest that the large magnitude of LTP in dentate gyrus can be best explained by recruitment of previously silent synapses by a combination of pre- and post-synaptic mechanisms.

Afferent Pathways↗

Expression of a familial Alzheimer's disease-linked presenilin-1 variant enhances perforant pathway lesion-induced neuronal loss in the entorhinal cortex.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is characterized by neuronal loss in the hippocampus and entorhinal cortex that is manifested by progressive memory impairment and cognitive decline. Autosomal-dominant, familial forms of AD (FAD) are caused by mutations in genes encoding amyloid precursor protein, presenilin-1 (PS1), and presenilin 2. Although it is established that expression of mutant PS1 variants leads to increased production of highly fibrillogenic amyloidbeta42 (Abeta42) peptides that deposit in the brains of patients with AD, the mechanism(s) by which Abeta deposition and expression of mutant genes induce lamina- and region-specific vulnerability of neuronal populations is not known. We have examined the hypothesis that expression of transgene-encoded FAD-linked mutant PS1 variants in entorhinal cortex neurons exacerbates the vulnerability of these cells to lesion-induced neuronal loss. To test this notion, we transected the perforant pathway (PP) of transgenic mice harboring either wild-type human PS1 (PS1HWT) or the FAD-linked mutant PS1DeltaE9 variant and examined neuronal survival in layer II of the entorhinal cortex (ECL2). Remarkably, PP transections lead to marked reductions in the numbers of ECL2 neurons in the ECL2 of mice expressing mutant PS1, compared with ECL2 neurons in PP-lesioned PS1HWT mice. Finally, and in contrast to studies in nontransgenic mice and in mice expressing PS1HWT, ECL2 neurons that express mutant PS1 and the calcium binding protein calbindin-D28k in ECL2 are also susceptible to lesion-induced neuronal loss. We conclude that expression of FAD-linked mutant PS1 variants enhances the vulnerability of neurons in the entorhinal cortex to PP lesion-induced cytotoxicity.

Alzheimer Disease↗

Evidence for two physiologically distinct perforant pathways to the fascia dentata.

The effects of paired and brief trains of stimuli were compared in the medial and lateral components of the perforant pathway to the rat fascia dentata, both in vivo, and in the vitro transverse hippocampal slice. In the intact preparation a sharp transition in response properties occurred at the midpoint of the medial to lateral range of input. In vitro this transition was found to correspond exactly to the transition in Timm stainability which characterizes the border of the medial and lateral termination zones in the outer 2/3 of the molecular layer. These data indicate that there are two physiologically distinct subdivisions of the perforant path. Evidence is presented that the interpathway differences are at least partly due to differential quantal contents of the EPSP under resting conditions.

Afferent Pathways↗

Accumulation of C-terminally truncated tau protein associated with vulnerability of the perforant pathway in early stages of neurofibrillary pathology in Alzheimer's disease.

Neurofibrillary pathology is a characteristic hallmark of Alzheimer's disease that is closely correlated with cognitive decline. We have analysed the density and distribution of neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs) that are immunoreactive with the monoclonal antibody (mAb) 423 in a prospectively analysed population of Alzheimer's disease (AD) cases and age-matched controls. NFTs were examined in allocortical and isocortical areas and correlated with Braak pathological stage and clinical severity of dementia. The mAb 423 was used as it recognises a C-terminally truncated tau fragment that is a major constituent of NFTs. Our results show that extracellular NFTs and, to a lesser extent, intracellular NFTs, correlated significantly with both Braak stages and the clinical index of severity. Furthermore, a differential distribution of the two types of tangles indicates that layer II of the entorhinal cortex and the transentorhinal area are particularly vulnerable to neurofibrillary degeneration. These areas serve as a point of connection between isocortex and hippocampus. Our findings, therefore, suggest that the perforant pathway may be substantially affected by the accumulation of truncated tau protein in AD and that this represents a neuropathological predictor for the clinical severity of dementia. When neurofibrillary pathology was examined by combined labelling with mAbs 423 and Alz-50 and the dye thiazin red, we were able to demonstrate various stages of tau aggregation. The different stages may represent a sequence of conformational changes that tau proteins undergo during tangle formation in the allocortex during the early development of dementia in AD.

Aged↗

The extent of neurofibrillary pathology in perforant pathway neurons is the key determinant of dementia in the very old.

Neurofibrillary pathology as found in Alzheimer's disease (AD) is also found in the normal elderly, suggesting that these changes may be part of the aging process. In this study, we assessed the densities and distribution of structures recognized by the monoclonal antibody (mAb) to phosphorylated tau (AT8) in the hippocampal formation and medial temporal isocortex of 19 centenarians. Of these, 4 cases were demented and 15 non-demented. AT8 immunoreactivity correlated with the global deterioration scale (GDS). The density of both intraneuronal neurofibrillary tangles (I-NFTs) and neuritic clusters (NCs) significantly correlated with the GDS in the layer II of the entorhinal cortex (r = 0.66, P = 0.005 and r= 0.611, P = 0.01, respectively). Density of I-NFTs in the subiculum (r = 0.491; P = 0.034) also correlated significantly. No other area was found to be statistically significant. Importantly, no correlation was found when demented and non-demented centenarian cases were analyzed separately, suggesting that the difference marks a fundamental shift between AD and non-demented individuals. This assertion is supported by the significantly higher densities of I-NFTs and NCs in the transentorhinal (P = 0.043 and P = 0.011, respectively) and layer II of the entorhinal cortex (P = 0.02 and P = 0.007, respectively), and I-NFTs in the subiculum (P < 0.001) and CAI (P = 0.011) in the demented group when compared with the non-demented cases. Granular diffuse deposits, an early stage parameter of the neurofibrillary pathology involving accumulation of non-fibrillar abnormally phosphorylated tau protein did not correlate with the GDS or between the two groups studied. This study, combining morphometric and confocal analyses, not only provides further evidence that, in the brains of patients with AD, the perforant pathway is highly sensitive to tau pathology but also that involvement is distinct from the changes of normal aging, even of the oldest old.

Aged↗

Synthesis and transport of GAP-43 in entorhinal cortex neurons and perforant pathway during lesion-induced sprouting and reactive synaptogenesis.

Metabolic labeling and quantitative 2D gel autoradiography were used to assess changes in the synthesis and transport of GAP-43 in entorhinal cortex (EC) neurons and perforant pathway during lesion-induced sprouting and reactive synaptogenesis. In normal adult rats, there is a high constitutive level of GAP-43 synthesis and transport in EC neurons projecting to the hippocampus. Following unilateral EC lesions, there is a 2-fold (100%) increase in the transport of newly synthesized GAP-43 to the contralateral or 'sprouting' hippocampus. The timing of this upregulation (between 6 and 15 days) suggests that changes in GAP-43 expression occur in response to the growth of presynaptic terminals during sprouting.

Animals↗

A macromolecular synthesis-dependent late phase of long-term potentiation requiring cAMP in the medial perforant pathway of rat hippocampal slices.

Memory storage consists of a short-term phase that is independent of new protein synthesis and a long-term phase that requires the synthesis of new proteins and RNA. A cellular representation of these two phases has been demonstrated recently for long-term potentiation (LTP) in both the Schaffer collateral and the mossy fibers of the hippocampus, a structure widely thought to contribute to memory consolidation. By contrast, much less information is available about the medial perforant pathway (MPP), one of the major inputs to the hippocampus. We found that both a short-lasting and a long-lasting potentiation (L-LTP) can be induced in the MPP of rat hippocampal slices by applying repeated tetanization in reduced levels of magnesium. This potentiation was dependent on the activation of NMDA receptors. The early, transient phase of LTP in the MPP did not require either protein or RNA synthesis, and it was independent of protein kinase A activation. By contrast, L-LTP required the synthesis of proteins and RNA, and was selectively blocked by inhibitors of cAMP-dependent protein kinase (PKA). Forskolin, an adenylate cyclase activator, also induced a L-LTP that was attenuated by inhibition of transcription. Our results demonstrate that, like LTP in the Schaffer collateral and mossy fiber pathways, MPP LTP also consists of a late phase that is dependent on protein and RNA synthesis and PKA activity. Thus, cAMP-mediated transcription appears to be a common mechanism for the late form of LTP in all three pathways within the hippocampus.

Animals↗

Functional alterations in Alzheimer's disease: decreased glucose transporter 3 immunoreactivity in the perforant pathway terminal zone.

Positron emission tomography (PET) studies measuring glucose utilization have demonstrated cerebral hypometabolism in Alzheimer's disease (AD). The anatomic and biochemical basis for this observation remains unknown. We have examined the distribution in the hippocampal formation of the neuron-specific glucose transporter 3 (Glut3) protein. Using quantitative immunohistochemistry, we find a large reduction (49.5%) in Glut3 immunoreactivity in the outer portion of the molecular layer of the dentate gyrus in AD brains. This region corresponds to the terminal zone of the perforant pathway, whose cells of origin in layer II of the entorhinal cortex are selectively destroyed in AD. Because glucose uptake reflects metabolic demand, these results suggest a decrement of functional activity in the deafferented dentate gyrus granule cells. Generalizing from this observation, decreased glucose uptake seen on PET studies may reflect, in part, decreased glucose transport and utilization in functionally deafferented cortical fields.

Aged↗

Enhanced acetylcholinesterase staining in the hippocampal perforant pathway zone after combined lesions of the septum and entorhinal cortex.

A lesion of the septum or a transection of the fimbria-fornix diminishes most, but not all, acetylcholinesterase (AChE) staining in the hippocampal formation. The residual AChE is located in the outer part of the molecular layer of the hippocampal CA1 zone and adjacent subicular field (zone 31). We report that following combined lesions of the septum and entorhinal cortex, the residual hippocampal AChE staining pattern expands and occupies the zone innervated normally by perforant pathway terminals from the entorhinal cortex.

Acetylcholinesterase↗

Perforant pathway kindling transiently induces the mRNA expression of GABA-B receptor subtypes R1A and R2 in the adult rat hippocampus.

We examined the gene expression responses of GABA-B R1A, R1B and R2 receptor subtypes in the hippocampus of perforant pathway-kindled rats at 24 h and 28 days after 15 consecutive daily stimulations. We found R1A expression, but not R1B expression, to be significantly induced in the dentate gyrus at 24 h. No change in the expression of R1A or R1B was observed at 28 days. R2 expression was induced throughout the hippocampus at 24 h, but also returned to control levels by 28 days. Thus, our results show that kindling induces a transient increase in GABA-B receptor mRNA in the hippocampus.

Age Factors↗

Naloxone blocks the induction of long-term potentiation in the lateral but not in the medial perforant pathway in the anesthetized rat.

The possible importance of opioid peptides in the induction of long-term potentiation (LTP) was investigated in the perforant path-granule cell system. A high-frequency train (400 Hz) was delivered to the lateral or medial perforant path, during push-pull perfusion of the dentate molecular layer with artificial cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) alone, or with CSF containing naloxone (10(-4) M). Naloxone effectively blocked the induction, but not the maintenance of LTP in the lateral perforant path, a putative proenkephalin system. Naloxone did not affect the production of LTP in the medial pathway. These findings suggest that activation of naloxone-sensitive receptors is necessary for the full expression of LTP in the lateral perforant pathway.

Animals↗

Increased extracellular release of hippocampal NE is associated with tetanization of the medial perforant pathway in the freely moving adult male rat.

The induction of long-term potentiation (LTP) within the dentate gyrus of the hippocampal formation is modulated by many afferent influences from a number of subcortical structures known to be intimately involved in hippocampal-dependent learning and memory. It has been demonstrated in slice and anesthetized preparations that norepinephrine (NE) is one of these major neuromodulators involved in the induction of LTP. However, the majority of these studies have not been conducted in the freely moving animal. Recently, we developed surgical procedures and instrumentation techniques to simultaneously record electrophysiological and neurochemical data from the hippocampal formation. The present study uses these techniques to examine the underlying neurochemical changes in the hippocampus associated with the induction of hippocampal dentate LTP in the freely moving adult rat. These findings establish baseline levels of NE that can be used to evaluate the impact of various tetanization paradigms as well as the effect of a variety of insults on hippocampal plasticity.

Animals↗

[Comparative characteristics of the direct influences of the perforant pathway on neurons in hippocampal fields CA1 and CA3 in vitro].

The effect of the perforant path stimulation on the CA1 and CA3 neurons was investigated in incubated slices of the guinea pig hippocampus. Spike generation was observed in both fields during stimulation of the perforant path. The majority of the CA1 neurons followed rhythmic stimulation up to 30-80/c. The CA3 neurons responded only to low-frequency stimulation (up to 5/c). The posttetanic potentiation of responses to the perforant path stimulation was observed in both hippocampal fields.

Afferent Pathways↗

Perforant pathway lamination in the dentate gyrus is unaffected by prenatal ethanol exposure.

The entorhinal (perforant path) projection to the dentate gyrus was labeled with an anterograde horseradish peroxidase method to test whether prenatal exposure to ethanol affected the normal development of afferent lamination. Mean ethanol consumption of the ethanol-consuming dams was 12.7 g/kg +/- 0.3 g per day during days 1-21 of gestation. Adult offspring of normal and pair-fed controls as well as ethanol-exposed rats were analyzed. Computer-assisted image analysis of the entorhinal terminal field organization revealed no permanent changes in the development of the afferent lamination pattern in the dentate gyrus molecular layer in spite of the heavy in utero ethanol exposure.

Animals↗