Adrenergic enhancement of inhibitory transmission in the accessory olfactory bulb

Noradrenergic modulation of dendrodendritic synapses between the mitral and granule cells in the accessory olfactory bulb (AOB) is postulated to play a key role in the formation of memory in olfactory-mediated behaviors. Current models propose that noradrenaline (NA) increases excitation of mitral/tufted cells (M/TCs) by decreasing the release of GABA from granule cells. However, surprisingly little is known about the actions of NA at the cellular level in the AOB. Here, in recordings from AOB slices, we show that NA decreases the firing frequency of M/TCs in response to stimulation. This effect is attributable to an increase in the GABA inhibitory input to M/TCs. Application of NA ( 10 mu M) produced an similar to 20-fold increase in the frequency of GABA-induced miniature IPSCs (mIPSCs) without changing their amplitude. A pharmacological analysis indicated that the increase in mIPSCs frequency results from activation of alpha 1 adrenergic receptors. In addition to increasing the mIPSC frequency, NA also potentiated GABA inhibitory currents induced by direct stimulation of granule cells. Together, our results suggest that NA increases the release of GABA from granule cells by acting on presynaptic receptors. Thus, the role of the noradrenergic activity in the AOB may be opposite than suggested previously: we find that the overall effect of NA in the AOB is inhibition of M/TCs.