Presynaptic GABA(B) Receptors Regulate Hippocampal Synapses during Associative Learning in Behaving Mice

GABA(B) receptors are the G-protein-coupled receptors for GABA, the main inhibitory neurotransmitter in the central nervous system. Pharmacological activation of GABA(B) receptors regulates neurotransmission and neuronal excitability at pre- and postsynaptic sites. Electrophysiological activation of GABA(B) receptors in brain slices generally requires strong stimulus intensities. This raises the question as to whether behavioral stimuli are strong enough to activate GABA(B) receptors. Here we show that GABA(B1a)(-/-) mice, which constitutively lack presynaptic GABA(B) receptors at glutamatergic synapses, are impaired in their ability to acquire an operant learning task. In vivo recordings during the operant conditioning reveal a deficit in learning-dependent increases in synaptic strength at CA3-CA1 synapses. Moreover, GABA(B1a)(-/-) mice fail to synchronize neuronal activity in the CA1 area during the acquisition process. Our results support that activation of presynaptic hippocampal GABA(B) receptors is important for acquisition of a learning task and for learning-associated synaptic changes and network dynamics.