Glutamatergic transmission is sustained at a later period of development of medial nucleus of the trapezoid body-lateral superior olive synapses in circling mice.

Synaptic transmission between the medial nucleus of the trapezoid body (MNTB) and the lateral superior olive (LSO) was investigated in circling mice, an animal model for inherited deafness, using the voltage-clamp technique. In postnatal day 9 (P9) approximately P11 homozygous (cir/cir) circling mice, perfusion with 10 microM DL-APV and 10 microM CNQX reduced the 10 min average of postsynaptic currents (PSCs) to 8.8 +/- 3.0% compared with controls (n = 6). In heterozygous (+/cir) mice in the same age range, the 10 min PSCs average was reduced to 87.5 +/- 3.7% compared with controls (n = 7). In P0 approximately P2 homozygous (cir/cir) and heterozygous (+/cir) mice, the 10 min PSCs averages were 11.0 +/- 2.6% (n = 9) and 84.1 +/- 4.6% (n = 11), respectively. The effects of a glutamate antagonist mixture were almost the same in single fiber stimulation of P9 approximately P11 mice, reducing mean PSCs to 5.2 +/- 3.1% (homozygous (cir/cir) mice, n = 8) and 78.3 +/- 4.3% (heterozygous (+/cir) mice, n = 12). Immunohistochemical study revealed that glycine receptor (GlyR) immunoreactivity in heterozygous (+/cir) mice was more prominent than in homozygous (cir/cir) mice, while immunoreactivities of NR1 and NR2A-type NMDAR of P16 homozygous (cir/cir) mice were more prominent than in heterozygous (+/cir) mice of the same age. No significant difference was found in the immunoreactivity of NR2B-type NMDAR. These results indicate that glutamatergic transmission is sustained at a later period of developing MNTB-LSO synapses in homozygous (cir/cir) mice.