Acting locally but sensing globally: impact of GABAergic synaptic plasticity on phasic and tonic inhibition in the thalamus.

We have discovered that adult thalamocortical relay neurones exhibit a sustained enhancement of synaptic inhibition triggered by transient action potential firing of a single thalamic relay neurone. The sustained activity-dependent increase in IPSC frequency (+48.3 +/- 11.4%, n = 32) was blocked by chelating calcium inside an individual cell, by scavenging nitric oxide or by blocking NMDA receptor activation in the thalamus. Surprisingly, the tonic inhibition that is known to result from extrasynaptic GABA(A) receptor activation in these cells was unaffected by this local form of plasticity. However, tonic inhibition was increased (+131.9 +/- 56.5%, n = 13) following widespread changes in GABA release across the thalamus. These data suggest that thalamocortical sleep-state oscillations requiring membrane hyperpolarization will be influenced by global sensing of GABA release acting through extrasynaptic GABA(A) receptors. In contrast, local changes in GABA release of the type observed following this novel form of activity-dependent plasticity will influence local integration of sensory information without changing levels of tonic inhibition.