The auditory cortex (A1) encodes the acquired significance of sound for the perception and interpretation of sound. Nitric oxide (NO) is a gas molecule with free radical properties that functions as a transmitter molecule and can alter neural activity without direct synaptic connections. We used whole-cell recordings under voltage clamp to investigate the effect of NO on spontaneous GABAergic s...

Malinina E, Druzin M, Johansson S. Differential control of spontaneous and evoked GABA release by presynaptic L-type Ca channels in the rat medial preoptic nucleus. J Neurophysiol 104: 200–209, 2010. First published May 12, 2010; doi:10.1152/jn.00570.2009. To clarify the role of presynaptic L-type Ca channels in GABA-mediated transmission in the medial preoptic nucleus (MPN), spontaneous, minia...

The suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) of the hypothalamus is responsible for generating circadian rhythms in mammals, and GABA is the predominant neurotransmitter in the SCN. Properties of gamma-aminobutyric acid-A (GABAA) responses in SCN neurons were examined in acutely prepared hypothalamic slices from 3- to 8-wk-old rats with the use of whole cell voltage-clamp techniques. Zn2+ reduced the ampl...

objective(s): opioids and cannabinoids are two important compounds that have been shown to influence the activity of magnocellular neurons (mcns) of supraoptic nucleus (son). the interaction between opioidergic and cannabinoidergic systems in various structures of the brain and spinal cord is now well established, but not in the mcns of son. materials and methods: in this study, whole cell patc...

Muscarinic acetylcholine receptors (mAChRs) play an important role in the tonic regulation of nociceptive transmission in the spinal cord. However, how mAChR subtypes contribute to the regulation of synaptic glycine release is unknown. To determine their role, glycinergic spontaneous inhibitory postsynaptic currents (sIPSCs) were recorded in lamina II neurons by using whole-cell recordings in s...

The basolateral amygdala (BLA) is a critical component of the amygdaloid circuit, which is thought to be involved in fear conditioned responses. Using whole cell patch-clamp recording, we found that activation of nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) leads to an action potential-dependent increase in the frequency of spontaneous GABAergic currents in principal neurons in the BLA. These spo...

Neurons in substantia nigra pars reticulata (SNr) are synaptically coupled by local axon collaterals, providing a potential mechanism for local signal processing. Because SNr neurons fire spontaneously, these synapses are constantly active. To investigate their properties, we recorded spontaneous inhibitory postsynaptic currents (sIPSCs) from SNr neurons in brain slices, in which afferents from...

Tyszkiewicz, Joanna P. and Zhen Yan. -amyloid peptides impair PKC-dependent functions of metabotropic glutamate receptors in prefrontal cortical neurons. J Neurophysiol 93: 3102–3111, 2005. First published January 19, 2005; doi:10.1152/jn.00939.2004. The metabotropic glutamate receptors (mGluRs) have been implicated in cognition, memory, and some neurodegenerative disorders, including the Alzhe...

Eye opening and increased motor activity after the second postnatal week in rats imply an extensive development of motor control and coordination. We show a parallel development change in spontaneous IPSC (sIPSC) kinetics in cerebellar granule neurons. sIPSCs were studied by whole-cell recordings in cerebellar slices, prepared from 7-30 postnatal day old rats. Early in development, sIPSCs had s...

The metabotropic glutamate receptors (mGluRs) have been implicated in cognition, memory, and some neurodegenerative disorders, including the Alzheimer's disease (AD). To understand how the dysfunction of mGluRs contributes to the pathophysiology of AD, we examined the beta-amyloid peptide (Abeta)-induced alterations in the physiological functions of mGluRs in prefrontal cortical pyramidal neuro...