Effect of Adenosine A1R Receptor Deficiency on Induction of Long-term Depression in Freely Behaving Mice

This paper addresses the role of adenosine A
1
receptors (A
1
R) in long-term depression (LTD), a phenomen on described as a decrease in synaptic efficacy, within the hippocampus. When adenosine, an endogenous purine, binds to adenosine receptors the results are usually inhibitory. This inhibition is most prominent when activation occurs at the A
1
R sites within glutamatergic pathways found in the hippocampus. Consequently, glutamate activates N-methyl-D-asparatate (NMDA) receptor which is theorized to lead to LTD. Thus, the elimination of the inhibitory factor, A
1
R receptors, would ultimately lead to greater enhancement of LTD. In order to investigate the adenosine's role in learning and memory, LTD will be induced in freely behaving wild type (WT) and knockout mice(KO).