Altered integration of excitatory inputs onto the basal dendrites of layer 5 pyramidal neurons in a mouse model of Fragile X syndrome.

ABSTRACT: Layer 5 (L5) pyramidal neurons receive predictive and sensory inputs in a compartmentalized manner at their apical and basal dendrites, respectively. To uncover how integration of sensory inputs is affected in autism spectrum disorders (ASD), we used two-photon glutamate uncaging to activate spines in the basal dendrites of L5 pyramidal neurons from a mouse model of Fragile X syndrome (FXS), the most common genetic cause of ASD. While subthreshold excitatory inputs integrate linearly in wild-type animals, surprisingly those with FXS summate sublinearly, contradicting what would be expected of sensory hypersensitivity classically associated with ASD. We next investigated the mechanism underlying this sublinearity by performing knockdown of the regulatory β4 subunit of BK channels, which res

SUBMITTER: Mitchell DE 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9926222 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature