In addition to cognitive impairments, neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs) often result in sensory processing deficits. However, the biological mechanisms that underlie impaired sensory processing associated with NDDs are generally understudied and poorly understood. We found that SYNGAP1 haploinsufficiency in humans, which causes a sporadic neurodevelopmental disorder defined by cognitive impairment, autistic features, and epilepsy, also leads to deficits in tactile-related sensory processing. In vivo neurophysiological analysis in Syngap1 mouse models revealed that upper-lamina neurons in somatosensory cortex (SSC) weakly encode information related to touch. This was caused by reduced synaptic connectivity and impaired intrinsic excitability within upper-lamina SSC neurons. These results were unexpected given that Syngap1 heterozygosity is known to cause circuit hyperexcitability in brain areas more directly linked to cognitive functions. Thus, Syngap1 heterozygosity causes a range of circuit-specific pathologies, including reduced activity within cortical neurons required for touch processing, which may contribute to sensory phenotypes observed in patients.
SYNGAP1 is a major genetic risk factor for global developmental delay, autism spectrum disorder, and epileptic encephalopathy. De novo loss-of-function variants in this gene cause a neurodevelopmental disorder defined by cognitive impairment, social-communication disorder, and early-onset seizures. Cell biological studies in mouse and rat neurons have shown that Syngap1 regulates developing excitatory synapse structure and function, with loss-of-function variants driving formation of larger dendritic spines and stronger glutamatergic transmission. However, studies to date have been limited to mouse and rat neurons. Therefore, it remains unknown how SYNGAP1 loss of function impacts the development and function of human neurons. To address this, we used CRISPR/Cas9 technology to ablate SYNGAP1 protein expression in neurons derived from a commercially available induced pluripotent stem cell line (hiPSC) obtained from a human female donor. Reducing SynGAP protein expression in developing hiPSC-derived neurons enhanced dendritic morphogenesis, leading to larger neurons compared with those derived from isogenic controls. Consistent with larger dendritic fields, we also observed a greater number of morphologically defined excitatory synapses in cultures containing these neurons. Moreover, neurons with reduced SynGAP protein had stronger excitatory synapses and expressed synaptic activity earlier in development. Finally, distributed network spiking activity appeared earlier, was substantially elevated, and exhibited greater bursting behavior in SYNGAP1 null neurons. We conclude that SYNGAP1 regulates the postmitotic maturation of human neurons made from hiPSCs, which influences how activity develops within nascent neural networks. Alterations to this fundamental neurodevelopmental process may contribute to the etiology of SYNGAP1-related disorders.
SUMMARY Imbalance between the dopamine and serotonin (5-HT) neurotransmitter systems has been implicated in the comorbidity of Parkinson’s disease (PD) and psychiatric disorders. L-DOPA, the leading treatment of PD, facilitates the production and release of dopamine. This study assessed the action of L-DOPA on monoamine synaptic transmission in mouse brain slices. Application of L-DOPA augmented the D2 receptor-mediated inhibitory postsynaptic current (IPSC) in dopamine neurons of the substantia nigra. This augmentation was largely due to dopamine release from 5-HT terminals. Selective optogenetic stimulation of 5-HT terminals evoked dopamine release producing D2 receptor-mediated IPSCs following treatment with L-DOPA. In the dorsal raphe, L-DOPA produced a long-lasting depression of the 5-HT1A receptor-mediated IPSC in 5-HT neurons. When D2 receptors were expressed in the dorsal raphe, application of L-DOPA resulted in a D2 receptor-mediated IPSC. Thus, treatment with L-DOPA caused ectopic dopamine release from 5-HT terminals and a loss of 5-HT-mediated synaptic transmission.
Background:Targeting dorsal raphe 5-HT1A receptors, which are coupled to G-protein inwardly rectifying potassium (GIRK) channels, has revealed their contribution not only to behavioral and functional aspects of depression but also to the clinical response to its treatment. Although GIRK channels containing GIRK2 subunits play an important role controlling excitability of several brain areas, their impact on the dorsal raphe activity is still unknown. Thus, the goal of the present study was to investigate the involvement of GIRK2 subunit-containing GIRK channels in depression-related behaviors and physiology of serotonergic neurotransmission.Methods:Behavioral, functional, including in vivo extracellular recordings of dorsal raphe neurons, and neurogenesis studies were carried out in wild-type and GIRK2 mutant mice.Results:Deletion of the GIRK2 subunit promoted a depression-resistant phenotype and determined the behavioral response to the antidepressant citalopram without altering hippocampal neurogenesis. In dorsal raphe neurons of GIRK2 knockout mice, and also using GIRK channel blocker tertiapin-Q, the basal firing rate was higher than that obtained in wild-type animals, although no differences were observed in other firing parameters. 5-HT1A receptors were desensitized in GIRK2 knockout mice, as demonstrated by a lower sensitivity of dorsal raphe neurons to the inhibitory effect of the 5-HT1A receptor agonist, 8-OH-DPAT, and the antidepressant citalopram.Conclusions:Our results indicate that GIRK channels formed by GIRK2 subunits determine depression-related behaviors as well as basal and 5-HT1A receptor-mediated dorsal raphe neuronal activity, becoming alternative therapeutic targets for psychiatric diseases underlying dysfunctional serotonin transmission.
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