The development of the Core INAP CS-2 standard and the corresponding conformance test suites by expert teams at the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) are historical breakthroughs for the use of SDL and MSC within the international telecommunications standardization process. For the rst time, the textual description of a standard has no priority over the corresponding SDL sp...

In this study, we examined the functional coupling between Na(+)-activated potassium (KNa) channels and Na(+) influx through voltage-dependent Na(+) channels in Kenyon cells isolated from the mushroom body of the cricket Gryllus bimaculatus. Single-channel activity of KNa channels was recorded with the cell-attached patch configuration. The open probability (Po) of KNa channels increased with i...

Tetrodotoxin-sensitive persistent sodium currents, INaP, that activate at subthreshold voltages, have been detected in numerous vertebrate and invertebrate neurons. These currents are believed to be critical for regulating neuronal excitability. However, the molecular mechanism underlying INaP is controversial. In this study, we identified an INaP with a broad range of voltage dependence, from ...

Muscarinic modulation of persistent Na+ current (INaP) was studied using whole cell recordings from acutely isolated pyramidal cells of rat neocortex. After suppression of Ca2+ and K+ currents, INaP was evoked by slow depolarizing voltage ramps or by long depolarizing voltage steps. The cholinergic agonist, carbachol, produced an atropine-sensitive decrease of INaP at all potentials. When appli...

The signaling properties of thalamocortical (TC) neurons depend on the diversity of ion conductance mechanisms that underlie their rich membrane behavior at subthreshold potentials. Using patch-clamp recordings of TC neurons in brain slices from mice and a realistic conductance-based computational model, we characterized seven subthreshold ion currents of TC neurons and quantified their individ...

The brainstem respiratory network can operate in multiple functional states engaging different state-dependent neural mechanisms. These mechanisms were studied in the in situ perfused rat brainstem-spinal cord preparation using sequential brainstem transections and administration of riluzole, a pharmacological blocker of persistent sodium current (INaP). Dramatic transformations in the rhythmog...

We examined the effect of the anticonvulsant phenytoin (PT) (20-200 microM) on the persistent Na+ current (INaP), INaP-dependent membrane potential responses and repetitive firing in layer 5 pyramidal neurons in a slice preparation of rat sensorimotor cortex. INaP measured directly with voltage-clamp was reduced in a concentration-dependent manner with an apparent EC50 value of 78 microM. Clear...