Inflammatory demyelination alters subcortical visual circuits

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an inflammatory demyelinating disease classically associated with axonal damage and loss; more recently, however, synaptic changes have been recognized as additional contributing factors. An anatomical area commonly affected in MS is the visual pathway; yet, changes other than those associated with inflammatory demyelination of the optic nerve, i.e., optic neuritis, have not been described in detail.

Adult mice were subjected to a diet containing cuprizone to mimic certain aspects of inflammatory demyelination as seen in MS. Demyelination and inflammation were assessed by real-time polymerase chain reaction and immunohistochemistry. Synaptic changes associated with inflammatory demyelination in the dorsal lateral geniculate nucleus (dLGN) were determined by immunohistochemistry, Western blot analysis, and electrophysiological field potential recordings.

In the cuprizone model, demyelination was observed in retinorecipient regions of the subcortical visual system, in particular the dLGN, where it was found accompanied by microglia activation and astrogliosis. In contrast, anterior parts of the pathway, i.e., the optic nerve and tract, appeared largely unaffected. Under the inflammatory demyelinating conditions, as seen in the dLGN of cuprizone-treated mice, there was an overall decrease in excitatory synaptic inputs from retinal ganglion cells. At the same time, the number of synaptic complexes arising from gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA)-generating inhibitory neurons was found increased, as were the synapses that contain the N-methyl-d-aspartate receptor (NMDAR) subunit GluN2B and converge onto inhibitory neurons. These synaptic changes were functionally found associated with a shift toward an overall increase in network inhibition.

Using the cuprizone model of inflammatory demyelination, our data reveal a novel form of synaptic (mal)adaption in the CNS that is characterized by a shift of the excitation/inhibition balance toward inhibitory network activity associated with an increase in GABAergic inhibitory synapses and a possible increase in excitatory input onto inhibitory interneurons. In addition, our data recognize the cuprizone model as a suitable tool in which to assess the effects of inflammatory demyelination on subcortical retinorecipient regions of the visual system, such as the dLGN, in the absence of overt optic neuritis.