Li+ enhances GABAergic inputs to granule cells in the rat hippocampal dentate gyrus

Abstract

Defects in GABAergic interneurons are thought to be involved in the pathophysiology of bipolar disorder, and Li+ has been used as a primary therapeutic agent in the treatment. We used the patch clamp technique to investigate whether Li+ affects on spontaneous GABAergic synaptic inputs to granule cells (GCs) in hippocampal dentate gyrus. Extracellularly applied Li+ (25 mM) markedly increased the frequency and amplitude of spontaneous inhibitory postsynaptic currents (slPSCs), ail effect completely blocked by picrotoxin or bicuculline. Li+ increased slPSCs frequency in die presence of tetrodotoxin (TTX), but to a lesser extent than its absence. Li+ caused no change in the cumulative amplitude distribution of miniature IPSCs, indicating that a presynaptic mechanism is involved. When TTX was added in the presence of Li+, large-amplitude slPSCs (>30 pA) were abolished specifically with no effect on small-amplitude slPSCs (<20 pA). Intracellular Li+ (6 mM) applied via the patch pipette depolarized the resting membrane potential in fast-spiking interneurons, resulting in ail increase in spontaneous action potential (AP) firing. This change, however, was not observed in GCs. These results suggest that Li+-induced spontaneous AP firing in GABAergic interneurons contributes to the increase in GABAergic synaptic inputs to GCs. (C) 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.