Changes in Neuronal Excitability by Activated Microglia: Differential Na(+) Current Upregulation in Pyramid-Shaped and Bipolar Neurons by TNF-α and IL-18.

Microglia are activated during pathological events in the brain and are capable of releasing various types of inflammatory cytokines. Here, we demonstrate that the addition of 5% microglia activated by 1 µg/ml lipopolysaccharides (LPS) to hippocampal cultures upregulates Na(+) current densities (INavD) of bipolar as well as pyramid-shaped neurons, thereby increasing their excitability. Deactivation of microglia by the addition of 10 ng/ml transforming growth factor-ß (TGF-ß) decreases INavD below control levels suggesting that the residual activated microglial cells influence neuronal excitability in control cultures. Preincubation of hippocampal cultures with 10 ng/ml tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), a major cytokine released by activated microglia, upregulated INavD significantly by ~30% in bipolar cells, whereas in pyramid-shaped cells, the upregulation only reached an increase of ~14%. Incubation of the cultures with antibodies against either TNF-receptor 1 or 2 blocked the upregulation of INavD in bipolar cells, whereas in pyramid-shaped cells, increases in INavD were exclusively blocked by antibodies against TNF-receptor 2, suggesting that both cell types respond differently to TNF-α exposure. Since additional cytokines, such as interleukin-18 (IL-18), are released from activated microglia, we tested potential effects of IL-18 on INavD in both cell types. Exposure to 5-10 ng/ml IL-18 for 4 days increased INavD in both pyramid-shaped as well as bipolar neurons, albeit the dose-response curves were shifted to lower concentrations in bipolar cells. Our results suggest that by secretion of cytokines, microglial cells upregulate Na(+) current densities in bipolar and pyramid-shaped neurons to some extent differentially. Depending on the exact cytokine composition and concentration released, this could change the balance between the activity of inhibitory bipolar and excitatory pyramid-shaped cells. Since bipolar cells show a larger upregulation of INavD in response to TNF-α as well as respond to smaller concentrations of IL-18, our results offer an explanation for the finding, that in certain conditions of brain inflammations periods of dizziness are followed by epileptic seizures.

Regulation of neuronal excitability by release of proteins from glial cells.

Effects of glial cells on electrical isolation and shaping of synaptic transmission between neurons have been extensively studied. Here we present evidence that the release of proteins from astrocytes as well as microglia may regulate voltage-activated Na(+) currents in neurons, thereby increasing excitability and speed of transmission in neurons kept at distance from each other by specialized glial cells. As a first example, we show that basic fibroblast growth factor and neurotrophin-3, which are released from astrocytes by exposure to thyroid hormone, influence each other to enhance Na(+) current density in cultured hippocampal neurons. As a second example, we show that the presence of microglia in hippocampal cultures can upregulate Na(+) current density. The effect can be boosted by lipopolysaccharides, bacterial membrane-derived stimulators of microglial activation. Comparable effects are induced by the exposure of neuron-enriched hippocampal cultures to tumour necrosis factor-α, which is released from stimulated microglia. Taken together, our findings suggest that release of proteins from various types of glial cells can alter neuronal excitability over a time course of several days. This explains changes in neuronal excitability occurring in states of thyroid hormone imbalance and possibly also in seizures triggered by infectious diseases.