Induction mechanism of long term depression in cultured Purkinje neurons

The induction mechanism of cerebellar long term depression (LTD) has been analysed in a cerebellar culture. Using nitr-5, a photolabile Ca chelator, we demonstrated that an increase in postsynaptic Ca together with glutamate application is sufficient to induce the LTD of glutamate responsiveness in Purkinje cells. It has also been shown that one subtype of genetically defined metabotropic glutamate receptor, mGluR1, is involved in the LTD induction. We raised antibodies which specifically recognized mGluR1 and inactivated its function. The antibodies suppressed the LTD induction in the cultured Purkinje cells.