1,721,037 research outputs found
POSTNATAL-DEVELOPMENT OF THE T-CALCIUM CURRENT IN CAT THALAMOCORTICAL CELLS RID A-7258-2010
Cholinergic and monoaminergic modulation of tonic GABAA inhibition in the rat dorsal lateral geniculate nucleus
5-HT/GABA interaction in epilepsy
Epilepsy is a neurological condition characterized by synchronous neuronal oscillations (seizures) in the electroencephalogram. Seizures are classified in focal or generalized (depending on the brain territory interested during seizures), and in convulsive and/or not convulsive (depending on the presence or not of involuntary movements). The current pharmacological treatments are mainly based on GABA modulation although different neurotransmitters are also involved in epilepsy, including serotonin. However despite much extensive progress in the understanding of epilepsy mechanisms, still, a percentage of people with epilepsy are pharmaco-resistant calling for the need for new therapeutic targets. Here we review preclinical and human evidence showing that serotonin modulates epilepsy that this likely happens via a major modulation/interaction with GABA
5-HT/GABA interaction in neurodevelopment and plasticity
The adult brain is the result of a multistages complex neurodevelopmental process involving genetic, molecular and microenvironmental factors as well as diverse patterns of electrical activity. In the postnatal life, immature neuronal circuits undergo an experience-dependent maturation during critical periods of plasticity, but the brain still retains plasticity during adult life. In all these stages, the neurotransmitter GABA plays a pivotal role. In this chapter, we will describe the interaction of 5-HT with GABA in regulating neurodevelopment and plasticity
ON THE EXCITATORY POSTSYNAPTIC POTENTIAL EVOKED BY STIMULATION OF THE OPTIC TRACT IN THE RAT LATERAL GENICULATE-NUCLEUS RID A-7258-2010
CL(-)-DEPENDENT AND K+-DEPENDENT INHIBITORY POSTSYNAPTIC POTENTIALS-EVOKED BY INTERNEURONES OF THE RAT LATERAL GENICULATE-NUCLEUS RID A-7258-2010
Postnatal development of membrane properties and delta oscillations in thalamocortical neurons of the cat dorsal lateral geniculate nucleus RID A-7258-2010
The development of membrane properties, firing patterns, and delta oscillations in neurons of the cat dorsal lateral geniculate nucleus (dLGN) was investigated in vitro during the first 7 postnatal weeks. Compared with adult neurons, the resting membrane potential was more depolarized at postnatal days 1-9 (P1-P9), the input resistance was higher at P1-P7, and action potentials had a higher threshold and a smaller amplitude at P1-P3 and a longer duration at P1-P9. At P1-P3 trains longer than 200 msec were rarely observed, and trains with more than three action potentials were only present in 41% of the neurons, whereas at P1-P7 the normalized slope of the instantaneous frequencies al the first five interspike intervals was smaller than in the adult. A long-lasting (up to 6 sec) afterhyperpolarization followed a short train of action potentials in 88 and 30% of neurons at P1-P3 and P30-P32, respectively, but it was rarely observed in the adult. The low-threshold Ca2+ potential could evoke a burst of action potentials since P1. However, at P1-P7 the number of action potentials per burst was smaller (range, one to five), and at P1-P9 their maximum instantaneous frequency was lower (<190 Hz) than in the adult (range, six to eight, and 344 Hz, respectively). No delta oscillations were observed until P17, and their frequency (0.36 Hz) was lower than that in the adult (1.8 Hz). The percentage of neurons displaying delta oscillations and their frequency reached adult values by the end of the seventh postnatal week, i.e., well after the maturation of the membrane properties and firing patterns (second postnatal week). In conclusion, the maturation of the electrophysiological properties of thalamocortical neurons in the cat dLGN is completed later than the retinogeniculate axon segregation (Shatz CJ, 1983), and the immaturity of the oscillatory, and not of the burst-firing, activity is a limiting factor in the development of delta waves (Jouvet-Mounier et al., 1970)
THE VENTRAL AND DORSAL LATERAL GENICULATE-NUCLEUS OF THE RAT - INTRACELLULAR-RECORDINGS INVITRO RID A-7258-2010
Novel modes of rhythmic burst firing at cognitively-relevant frequencies in thalamocortical neurons.
It is now widely accepted that certain types of cognitive functions are intimately related to synchronized neuronal oscillations at both low (alpha/theta) (4-7/8-13 Hz) and high (beta/gamma) (18-35/30-70 Hz) frequencies. The thalamus is a key participant in many of these oscillations, yet the cellular mechanisms by which this participation occurs are poorly understood. Here we describe how, under appropriate conditions, thalamocortical (TC) neurons from different nuclei can exhibit a wide array of largely unrecognised intrinsic oscillatory activities at a range of cognitively-relevant frequencies. For example, both metabotropic glutamate receptor (mGluR) and muscarinic Ach receptor (mAchR) activation can cause rhythmic bursting at alpha/theta frequencies. Interestingly, key differences exist between mGluR- and mAchR-induced bursting, with the former involving extensive dendritic Ca2+ electrogenesis and being mimicked by a non-specific block of K+ channels with Ba2+, whereas the latter appears to be more reliant on proximal Na+ channels and a prominent spike afterdepolarization (ADP). This likely relates to the differential somatodendritic distribution of mGluRs and mAChRs and may have important functional consequences. We also show here that in similarity to some neocortical neurons, inhibiting large-conductance Ca2+-activated K+ channels in TC neurons can lead to fast rhythmic bursting (FRB) at approximately 40 Hz. This activity also appears to rely on a Na+ channel-dependent spike ADP and may occur in vivo during natural wakefulness. Taken together, these results show that TC neurons are considerably more flexible than generally thought and strongly endorse a role for the thalamus in promoting a range of cognitively-relevant brain rhythms
Extrasynaptic GABAA receptor gain-of-function in absence epilepsy: GHB and thip pharmacological models
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