Effects of the novel NMDA receptor antagonist, CGP 39551, on field potentials and the induction and expression of LTP in the dentate gyrus in vivo.

The effects of the novel competitive N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor antagonist, CGP 39551 [the carboxyethylester of CGP 37849; DL-(E)-2-amino-4-methyl-5-phosphono-3-pentenoic acid], on extracellular field potentials and long-term potentiation (LTP) induced in the dentate gyrus by stimulation of the perforant path were studied in anesthetized rats. CGP 39551 attenuated the population spike (PS) and excitatory postsynaptic potential (EPSP) amplitude of dentate field potentials, reduced the NMDA receptor-mediated component of train-evoked burst potentials, and prevented the induction of LTP. The decrease in PS and EPSP amplitude produced by CGP 39551 was observed mainly in non-potentiated synaptic populations; potentiated field potentials were only minimally affected by drug treatment. These results are consistent with receptors may contribute in a tonic manner to the state of dentate granule cell excitability. Finally, the differential modulation of potentiated and non-potentiated synapses by CGP 39551 suggests that a change in some properties of postsynaptic AMPA receptors is involved in the expression of LTP.