Search results for "Action Potentials"

Modelling the spatial and temporal constrains of the GABAergic influence on neuronal excitability

2021

GABA (γ-amino butyric acid) is an inhibitory neurotransmitter in the adult brain that can mediate depolarizing responses during development or after neuropathological insults. Under which conditions GABAergic membrane depolarizations are sufficient to impose excitatory effects is hard to predict, as shunting inhibition and GABAergic effects on spatiotemporal filtering of excitatory inputs must be considered. To evaluate at which reversal potential a net excitatory effect was imposed by GABA (EGABAThr), we performed a detailed in-silico study using simple neuronal topologies and distinct spatiotemporal relations between GABAergic and glutamatergic inputs. These simulations revealed for GABAe…

A subset of ventral tegmental area dopamine neurons responds to acute ethanol

2015

The mechanisms by which alcohol drinking promotes addiction in humans and self-administration in rodents remain obscure, but it is well known that alcohol can enhance dopamine (DA) neurotransmission from neurons of the ventral tegmental area (VTA) and increase DA levels within the nucleus accumbens and prefrontal cortex. We recorded from identified DA neuronal cell bodies within ventral midbrain slices prepared from a transgenic mouse line (TH-GFP) using long-term stable extracellular recordings in a variety of locations and carefully mapped the responses to applied ethanol (EtOH). We identified a subset of DA neurons in the medial VTA located within the rostral linear and interfascicular n…

Effect of depolarizing GABAA-mediated membrane responses on excitability of Cajal-Retzius cells in the immature rat neocortex

2011

In immature neurons activation of ionotropic GABA receptors induces depolarizing membrane responses due to a high intracellular Cl− concentration ([Cl−]i). However, it is difficult to draw conclusions about the functional consequences of subthreshold GABAergic depolarizations, since GABAergic membrane shunting and additional effects on voltage-dependent ion channels or action potential threshold must be considered. To systematically investigate factors that determine the GABAergic effect on neuronal excitability we performed whole cell patch-clamp recordings from Cajal-Retzius cells in immature rat neocortex, using [Cl−]i between 10 and 50 mM. The effect of focal GABA application was quant…

Sequential acquisition of cacophony calcium currents, sodium channels and voltage-dependent potassium currents affects spike shape and dendrite growt…

2014

During metamorphosis the CNS undergoes profound changes to accommodate the switch from larval to adult behaviors. In Drosophila and other holometabolous insects, adult neurons differentiate either from respecified larval neurons, newly born neurons, or are born embryonically but remain developmentally arrested until differentiation during pupal life. This study addresses the latter in the identified Drosophila flight motoneuron 5. In situ patch-clamp recordings, intracellular dye fills and immunocytochemistry address the interplay between dendritic shape, excitability and ionic current development. During pupal life, changes in excitability and spike shape correspond to a stereotyped, progr…

Muscle activity in upper and lower rectus abdominus during abdominal exercises.

1996

Abstract Objective: To compare the intensity of the upper versus lower rectus abdominis (RA) muscle activity provoked by each of two different abdominal exercises and to contrast the intensity of contraction elicited by two different abdominal exercises on each RA muscle portion. Design: Nonrandomized control trial. Setting: Kinesiology laboratory in a university medicine faculty. Participants: Convenience sample of 33 healthy volunteers. Subjects who had practiced endurance or strength training activities (1.5 hours 3 days a week for 3 years) and those who had not accomplished that criterion comprised a high and a low physical activity group, respectively. Each of these two groups was divi…

Novel modes of rhythmic burst firing at cognitively-relevant frequencies in thalamocortical neurons.

2008

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) …

Three Patterns of Oscillatory Activity Differentially Synchronize Developing Neocortical Networks In Vivo

2009

Coordinated patterns of electrical activity are important for the early development of sensory systems. The spatiotemporal dynamics of these early activity patterns and the role of the peripheral sensory input for their generation are essentially unknown. We performed extracellular multielectrode recordings in the somatosensory cortex of postnatal day 0 to 7 rats in vivo and observed three distinct patterns of synchronized oscillatory activity. (1) Spontaneous and periphery-driven spindle bursts of 1-2 s in duration and approximately 10 Hz in frequency occurred approximately every 10 s. (2) Spontaneous and sensory-driven gamma oscillations of 150-300 ms duration and 30-40 Hz in frequency oc…

Metabolic aspects of the rhythmogenesis inAplysia pacemaker neurons

1973

Completely isolatedAplysia pacemaker neurons were used to investigate mechanisms of endogenous electrical rhythmicity. This preparation allows the study of pure pacemaker activity free from synaptic, ephaptic and/or humoral influences from the surrounding cells. The effect of some substances quite different in their mode of biochemical action were tested: sodium iodoacetate, phloridzin, dinitrophenol, heavy water, and ouabain. Each of these substances suppressed the spontaneous spike activity without any marked depolarizing or hyperpolarizing effect. Spontaneous spike activity of the neurons silenced after addition of one of these substances reappeared after addition of glucose. The restori…

Response of human ventricular heart muscle to histamine

1981

Temperature dependence of the toxic effects of phenytoin on peripheral neuromuscular function of the rat tail.

1990

We studied the acute effects of a single dose of phenytoin (250 mg/kg) on peripheral neuromuscular function. The evoked muscle action potentials of the dorsal segmental muscles in the rat tail, and the conduction velocity of the dorsal nerve trunk which innervates them, were measured before and after the intraperitoneal injection of phenytoin. The experiments were performed at different temperatures, 27 (physiological tail temperature), 36 and 37 degrees C (physiological central temperature) in different groups of animals. The amplitudes of the evoked muscle action potentials in the treated groups showed no significant modifications at 27 degrees C, at 36 degrees C a small nonsignificant de…