Computational Investigation of Effects of AMPA Receptor Desensitization on Synaptic Integration in Striatal Medium Spiny Neurons

The nucleus accumbens (NAcc) constitutes the major subdivision of the ventral striatum and it plays an important role in the reward circuit. It is also considered as the major site of action for many drugs of abuse. The principal neuronal cell type in the NAcc is the Medium Spiny Neuron (MSN), which is its primary output cell. MSNs perform a central role in sensorimotor processing by integrating many excitatory inputs located across their dendritic arbor to fire an action potential. Synaptic responses can summate linearly, sublinearly or supralinearly depending on the spatiotemporal pattern of activity. AMPA receptor (AMPAR) desensitization affects integration process. The effect of AMPAR desensitization is explored in modulating the temporal integration window for synaptic inputs in MSN. It seems to exert a major constraint on the integration window of the MSN such that action potentials are generated only when inputs are activated within a narrow latency, requiring greater synchrony of inputs for excitation. Key Wordsintegration, MSN, nucleus accumbens.