Document Type
Article
Publication Date
2017
College/Unit
School of Medicine
Department/Program/Center
Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery
Abstract
In many excitatory synapses, mobile zinc is found within glutamatergic vesicles and is coreleased with glutamate. Ex vivo studies established that synaptically released (synaptic) zinc inhibits excitatory neurotransmission at lower frequencies of synaptic activity but enhances steady state synaptic responses during higher frequencies of activity. However, it remains unknown how synaptic zinc affects neuronal processing in vivo. Here, we imaged the sound-evoked neuronal activity of the primary auditory cortex in awake mice. We discovered that synaptic zinc enhanced the gain of sound-evoked responses in CaMKII-expressing principal neurons, but it reduced the gain of parvalbumin- and somatostatin-expressing interneurons. This modulation was sound intensity-dependent and, in part, NMDA receptor-independent. By establishing a previously unknown link between synaptic zinc and gain control of auditory cortical processing, our findings advance understanding about cortical synaptic mechanisms and create a new framework for approaching and interpreting the role of the auditory cortex in sound processing.
Digital Commons Citation
Anderson, Charles T.; Kumar, Manoj; Xiong, Shanshan; and Tzounopolos, Thanos, "Cell-specific gain modulation by synaptically released zinc in cortical circuits of audition" (2017). Faculty & Staff Scholarship. 1412.
https://researchrepository.wvu.edu/faculty_publications/1412
Source Citation
Anderson, C. T., Kumar, M., Xiong, S., & Tzounopoulos, T. (2017). Cell-specific gain modulation by synaptically released zinc in cortical circuits of audition. eLife, 6. https://doi.org/10.7554/elife.29893
Comments
© 2017, Anderson et al.
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