VGluT1 Deficiency Impairs Visual Attention and Reduces the Dynamic Range of Short-Term Plasticity at Corticothalamic Synapses.

ABSTRACT: The most common excitatory neurotransmitter in the central nervous system, glutamate, is loaded into synaptic vesicles by vesicular glutamate transporters (VGluTs). The primary isoforms, VGluT1 and 2, are expressed in complementary patterns throughout the brain and correlate with short-term synaptic plasticity. VGluT1 deficiency is observed in certain neurological disorders, and hemizygous (VGluT1+/-) mice display increased anxiety and depression, altered sensorimotor gating, and impairments in learning and memory. The synaptic mechanisms underlying these behavioral deficits are unknown. Here, we show that VGluT1+/- mice had decreased visual processing speeds during a sustained visual-spatial attention task. Furthermore, in vitro recordings of corticothalamic (CT) synapses revealed dramati

SUBMITTER: Lindstrom SH 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7132919 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature