NR2A-containing NMDA receptors are required for LTP induction in rat dorsolateral striatum in vitro.

N-methyl-D-aspartate receptors (NMDARs) have been implicated in various forms of synaptic plasticity. In recent years, studies have been shown that NMDA receptor subunits play different roles in several forms of NMDAR-dependent synaptic plasticity. However, the contribution of NR2A and NR2B subunits in the induction of long-term potentiation (LTP) in the corticostriatal pathway remains unclear. The present study used patch-clamp recordings to study the role of NR2A-containing and NR2B-containing NMDARs in LTP induction in corticostriatal slices from 13-14-day old rats. High-frequency stimulation (HFS) of the corticostriatal pathway readily induced LTP of excitatory postsynaptic currents (EPSCs), and D-APV, a selective NMDAR antagonist, blocked LTP. Moreover, NR2B-containing NMDAR antagonists (Ro 25-6981 and ifenprodil) displayed no influence on LTP induction. However, LTP was not inducible in the presence of Zn(2+), an NR2A-containing NMDAR antagonist. These results suggest that the induction of LTP by HFS in the dorsolateral striatum is NMDAR-dependent and requires NR2A-containing NMDARs, not NR2B-containing NMDARs.