Electrophysiological measurements of synaptic connectivity and plasticity in the longitudinal dentate gyrus network from mouse hippocampal slices

Summary: Longitudinal synaptic connections between dentate gyrus (DG) granule neurons in the hippocampus have been found to be correlated with increased anxiety. Here, we present a protocol to assess synaptic connectivity and plasticity in the longitudinal DG network. We detail the steps for (1) obtaining acute mouse hippocampal slices that contain longitudinal DG-DG connections, (2) measuring excitatory postsynaptic potentials using whole-cell patch clamp recording combined with two-photon microscopy and glutamate uncaging, and (3) assessing synaptic plasticity using extracellular field recording.For complete details on the use and execution of this protocol, please refer to Pak et al. (2022).1 : Publisher’s note: Undertaking any experimental protocol requires adherence to local institutional guidelines for laboratory safety and ethics.