Cannabinoid Receptor‐Mediated Synaptic Signaling and Neural Plasticity in Central Olfactory Neurons

Abstract

Our studies aim to understand integrative and computational mechanisms that allow main olfactory bulb neurons to respond to afferent input and synaptic or feedback signals. The endocannabinoid (eCB) signaling system has been functionally implicated in many brain regions but our understanding of the role of cannabinoid receptor type 1 (CB1R) in olfactory processing remains limited. Endocannabinoids are known to mediate retrograde signaling at synapses in several brain regions through a form of short‐term neural plasticity. Endocannabinoids are released from depolarized principal neurons and rapidly diffuse to presynaptic inhibitory interneurons to transiently reduce presynaptic firing and neurotransmitter (GABA) release (Depolarization‐Induced Suppression of Inhibition, DSI).We study the function of the endocannabinoid system in regulating neural activity at synapses in the main olfactory bulb, the first central relay station in the brain for the processing of olfactory information coming from the nose. Our experimental approach uses electrophysiological recording techniques, specifically whole cell patch‐clamp recordings. Previously, using anatomical approaches, we showed that CB1R is present in periglomerular processes of a GAD65‐positive population of interneurons but not in mitral cells, key output neurons. We detected eCBs in the mouse main olfactory bulb as well as the expression of CB1R and other genes associated with the cannabinoid signaling system.Output neurons such as mitral cells and tufted cells in the olfactory bulb are computational elements in brain circuits that integrate incoming signals with membrane properties to generate behaviorally relevant synaptic output. Our data support the notion that retrograde signaling is present in neural circuits involving mitral and tufted cells. Mitral and tufted cells release endocannabinoids and, through retrograde signaling, inhibit presynaptic interneurons such as periglomerular cells, which controls the GABA release of these presynaptic neurons. This, in turn, allows mitral and tufted cells to temporarily regulate their synaptic input and relieve them from synaptic inhibition. Endocannabinoids function as retrograde messengers to regulate neural signaling and mediate plasticity at olfactory bulb synapses with potential effects on olfactory threshold and behavior.