Characterization of Voltage-Gated Ca2+ Conductances in Layer 5 Neocortical Pyramidal Neurons from Rats

• DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0004841
• Publication Date: 2009-03-31T22:40:31Z
• Authors: Mara Almog; Alon Korngreen
• Keywords: Neurons; 0303 health sciences; Patch-Clamp Techniques; Science; Q; R; Neocortex; In Vitro Techniques; Rats; Kinetics; 03 medical and health sciences; Barium; Medicine; Animals; Calcium; Rats, Wistar; Ion Channel Gating; Research Article

Neuronal voltage-gated Ca2+ channels are involved in electrical signalling and converting these signals into cytoplasmic calcium changes. One important function of is generating regenerative dendritic spikes. However, the dependent mechanisms used to create spikes only partially understood. To start investigating this mechanism, we set out kinetically pharmacologically identify sub-types somatic pyramidal neurons from layer 5 rat somatosensory cortex, using nucleated configuration patch-clamp technique. The activation kinetics total Ba2+ current revealed conductance at medium high voltages suggesting that T-type were not present patches. Steady-state inactivation protocols combination with pharmacology expression R-type channels. Furthermore, pharmacological experiments identified channel – L-, N-, R- P/Q-type. Finally, conductances was examined physiologically derived voltage-clamp including a spike protocol mock back-propagating action potential (mBPAP) protocol. These enable us suggest possible contribution five flow during under physiological conditions.