STDP in a Bistable Synapse Model Based on CaMKII and Associated Signaling Pathways

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Abstract
The calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CaMKII) plays a key role in the induction of long-term postsynaptic modifications following calcium entry. Experiments suggest that these long-term synaptic changes are all-or-none switch-like events between discrete states. The biochemical network involving CaMKII and its regulating protein signaling cascade has been hypothesized to durably maintain the evoked synaptic state in the form of a bistable switch. However, it is still unclear whether experimental LTP/LTD protocols lead to corresponding transitions between the two states in realistic models of such a network. We present a detailed biochemical model of the CaMKII autophosphorylation and the protein signaling cascade governing the CaMKII dephosphorylation. As previously shown, two stable states of the CaMKII phosphorylation level exist at resting intracellular calcium concentration, and high calcium transients can switch the system from the weakly phosphorylated (DOWN) to the highly phosphorylated (UP) state of the CaMKII (similar to a LTP event). We show here that increased CaMKII dephosphorylation activity at intermediate Ca2+ concentrations can lead to switching from the UP to the DOWN state (similar to a LTD event). This can be achieved if protein phosphatase activity promoting CaMKII dephosphorylation activates at lower Ca2+ levels than kinase activity. Finally, it is shown that the CaMKII system can qualitatively reproduce results of plasticity outcomes in response to spike-timing dependent plasticity (STDP) and presynaptic stimulation protocols. This shows that the CaMKII protein network can account for both induction, through LTP/LTD-like transitions, and storage, due to its bistability, of synaptic changes. Learning and memory have been hypothesized to occur thanks to synaptic modifications. The efficacy of synaptic transmission has been shown to change as a function of correlated activity between presynaptic and postsynaptic neurons. Long-lasting synaptic modifications can occur in both directions (long-term potentiation (LTP) and long-term depression (LTD)). Recent experiments suggest that these synaptic changes are all-or-none switch-like changes. This would mean that only two stable states of synaptic transmission efficacy exist, i.e., a low state, or “switched off”, and a high state, or “switched on”. LTP would correspond to switching on the synapse and LTD to switching off. We propose a realistic biochemical model of protein–protein interactions which exhibits two stable states. We then investigate conditions under which the model exhibits transitions between the two stable states. We show that experimental stimulation protocols known to evoke LTP and LTD lead to corresponding transitions in the model. This work supports the idea that the investigated intracellular protein network has a role in both induction and storage of synaptic changes, and hence in learning and memory storage.