于翔研究组发表了题为“Postsynaptic spiking homeostatically induces cell-autonomous regulation of inhibitory inputs via retrograde signaling”的文章，文中阐述了神经网络电活动增强快速调控抑制性突触稳态可塑性的分子机制，这一研究成果公布在The Journal of Neuroscience杂志封面上。

发育中的神经网络需要兼顾生长与稳定这两种相辅相成的需求。稳态可塑性可通过调节兴奋性或抑制性突触传递从而维持神经网络的稳定。已报道的关于稳态可塑性机制方面的研究主要集中在其对兴奋性突触传递的调节，很少关注其对抑制性突触的调控。

研究人员发现，在体外培养的海马神经元中，持续增强神经元电活动4小时能够诱导抑制性突触传递的稳态上调，且这一过程明显早于兴奋性突触的变化。抑制性突触传递的稳态调节依赖于突触后神经元自身电活动的改变，是一种自我调节方式。这种调控通过突触后神经元分泌的脑源性神经营养因子（BDNF）逆突触作用于突触前的抑制性神经末梢，从而增强其自身的抑制性突触输入。重要的是，对幼年大鼠腹腔注射红藻氨酸，从而在体增强神经电活动，能够在海马CA1区域的锥体神经元中诱导出这种抑制性突触传递的稳态调控。这些结果提示，抑制性突触传递的自治性稳态调控是神经元应对网络电活动增强的一个快速代偿性保护反应。

原文出处：

The Journal of Neuroscience    doi:10.1523/JNEUROSCI.3085-10.2010

Postsynaptic Spiking Homeostatically Induces Cell-Autonomous Regulation of Inhibitory Inputs via Retrograde Signaling

Yi-Rong Peng,1,2 * Si-Yu Zeng,1,2 * He-Ling Song,1 Min-Yin Li,1,2 Maki K. Yamada,3,4 and Xiang Yu1

1Institute of Neuroscience and State Key Laboratory of Neuroscience, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200031, China, 2Graduate School of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200031, China, 3PRESTO (Precursory Research for Embryonic Science and Technology), Japan Science and Technology Agency, Saitama 332-0012, Japan, and 4Department of Cellular Neurobiology, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan

Correspondence should be addressed to Xiang Yu at the above address. Email: yuxiang@ion.ac.cn

Developing neural circuits face the dual challenge of growing in an activity-induced fashion and maintaining stability through homeostatic mechanisms. Compared to our understanding of homeostatic regulation of excitatory synapses, relatively little is known about the mechanism mediating homeostatic plasticity of inhibitory synapses, especially that following activity elevation. Here, we found that elevating neuronal activity in cultured hippocampal neurons for 4 h significantly increased the frequency and amplitude of mIPSCs, before detectable change at excitatory synapses. Consistently, we observed increases in presynaptic and postsynaptic proteins of GABAergic synapses, including GAD65, vGAT, and GABAAR1. By suppressing activity-induced increase of neuronal firing with expression of the inward rectifier potassium channel Kir2.1 in individual neurons, we showed that elevation in postsynaptic spiking activity is required for activity-dependent increase in the frequency and amplitude of mIPSCs. Importantly, directly elevating spiking in individual postsynaptic neurons, by capsaicin activation of overexpressed TRPV1 channels, was sufficient to induce increased mIPSC amplitude and frequency, mimicking the effect of elevated neuronal activity. Downregulating BDNF expression in the postsynaptic neuron or its extracellular scavenging prevented activity-induced increase in mIPSC frequency, consistent with a role of BDNF-dependent retrograde signaling in this process. Finally, elevating activity in vivo by kainate injection increased both mIPSC amplitude and frequency in CA1 pyramidal neurons. Thus, spiking-induced, cell-autonomous upregulation of GABAergic synaptic inputs, through retrograde BDNF signaling, represents an early adaptive response of neural circuits to elevated network activity.