Two distinct types of corticothalamic EPSPs and their contribution to short-term synaptic plasticity

The lateral posterior nucleus (LPN) is innervated by two different morphological types of cortical terminals that originate from cortical layers V and VI. Here we describe two distinct types of excitatory postsynaptic potentials (EPSPs) that were recorded in the LPN after stimulation of corticothalamic fibers. These types of EPSPs differed in amplitude, latency, rise time, and response to increasing levels of stimulus intensity. The most frequently encountered EPSP, type I, displayed a longer latency and slower rise time than the less frequently encountered type II EPSP. Type I EPSPs also showed a graded increase in amplitude with increasing levels of stimulation, whereas type II EPSPs showed an all-or-none response. In response to repetitive stimulation (0.5-20 Hz), type I EPSPs displayed frequency-dependent facilitation, whereas type II EPSPs displayed frequency-dependent depression. Further details of these distinct forms of short-term synaptic plasticity were explored using paired-pulse stimuli. Pharmacology experiments revealed that both N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) and non-NMDA glutamate receptors are involved in corticothalamic synaptic transmission in the LPN and contribute to both synaptic facilitation and depression. Taken together with the results of our previous anatomical studies, these results suggest that type I EPSPs arise from stimulation of layer VI afferents, whereas type II EPSPs arise from stimulation of layer V inputs. Moreover, type I and II EPSPs in the LPN may be functionally similar to corticogeniculate and retinogeniculate EPSPs, respectively.