V-037
Audiovisual stimulation at 40 Hz promotes circuit plasticity in the aging dentate gyrus
Odra Santander1, Magalí Herrero1, Alejandro Schinder1, Mariela Trinchero1
  1. Neuronal Plasticity Laboratory, Leloir Institute (CONICET) – Buenos Aires – Argentina
Presenting Author:
Odra Santander Castillo
osantander@leloir.org.ar
Non-invasive audiovisual stimulation at 40 Hz (AuViS) has emerged as a promising strategy to restore gamma oscillations in the cortex and hippocampus, reduce amyloid-beta plaque load, and improve memory in mouse models of Alzheimer’s disease. In 8-month-old (8M) animals, in which cognition is already compromised, we found that only 3 weeks of AuViS can restore novel object recognition (NOR) test performance. We hypothesized that AuViS promotes the remodeling of hippocampal circuits that could underlie these beneficial effects. To test this idea, we characterized neurotransmission at the perforant path to dentate granule cell (GC) synapse, the gateway to hippocampal processing. We performed whole-cell patch-clamp recordings in response to pulse trains delivered at different frequencies in 8M animals exposed to 6 weeks of AuViS or control conditions. Our preliminary results indicate that aging increases summation of excitatory postsynaptic potentials, a phenotype that was reversed by chronic AuViS. This effect is likely mediated by a shift in the excitation/inhibition balance through enhanced inhibitory synaptic transmission. These findings suggest that AuViS promotes activity-dependent synaptic plasticity in the aging hippocampus, which would ultimately contribute to its cognitive benefits.