TrkB as a potential synaptic and behavioral tag

Yuan Lu, Yuanyuan Ji, Sundar Ganesan, Robert Schloesser, Keri Martinowich, Mu Sun, Fan Mei, Moses V. Chao, Bai Lu

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

85 Scopus citations

Abstract

Late-phase long-term potentiation (L-LTP), a cellular model for long-term memory (LTM), requires de novo protein synthesis. An attractive hypothesis for synapse specificity of long-term memory is "synaptic tagging": synaptic activity generates a tag, which "captures" the PRPs (plasticity-related proteins) derived outside of synapses. Here we provide evidence that TrkB, the receptor of BDNF (brain-derived neurotrophic factor), may serve as a "synaptic tag." TrkB is transiently activated by weak theta-burst stimulation (TBS) that induces only early-phase LTP (E-LTP). This TrkB activation is independent of protein synthesis, and confined to stimulated synapses. Induction of L-LTP by strong stimulation in one synaptic pathway converts weak TBS-induced E-LTP to L-LTP in a second, independent pathway. Transient inhibition of TrkB around the time of weak TBS to the second pathway diminished L-LTP in that pathway without affecting the first one. Behaviorally, weak training, which induces short-term memory (STM) but not LTM, can be consolidated into LTM by exposing animals to novel but not familiar environment 1 h before training. Inhibition of TrkB during STM training blocked such consolidation. These results suggest TrkB as a potential tag for synapsespecific expression of L-LTP and LTM.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)11762-11771
Number of pages10
JournalJournal of Neuroscience
Volume31
Issue number33
DOIs
StatePublished - Aug 17 2011
Externally publishedYes

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • General Neuroscience

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