Enhancement of Excitatory Synaptic Integration by GABAergic Inhibition in the Subthalamic Nucleus

• DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.1163-05.2005
• Publication Date: 2005-09-14T22:12:44Z
• Authors: Jérôme Baufreton; Jeremy F. Atherton; D. James Surmeier; Mark D. Bevan
• Keywords: Subthalamic Nucleus; Interneuron

The activity patterns of subthalamic nucleus (STN) neurons, which are intimately related to normal movement and abnormal in Parkinson's disease (PD), sculpted by feedback GABAergic inhibition from the reciprocally connected globus pallidus (GP). To understand principles underlying integration inputs, we used gramicidin-based patch-clamp recording STN neurons rat brain slices. Voltage-dependent Na + (Na v ) channels actively truncated synthetic IPSPs were required for autonomous activity. In contrast, hyperpolarization-activated cyclic nucleotide-gated class 3 voltage-dependent Ca 2+ contributed minimally single or low-frequency trains Interestingly, modified action potentials (APs) a manner that suggested enhanced postsynaptic channel availability. This possibility was confirmed acutely isolated using current-clamp recordings containing as voltage-clamp waveforms. Tetrodotoxin-sensitive subthreshold spike-associated currents declined during spiking but indeed transiently boosted after IPSPs. A functional consequence inhibition-dependent augmentation excitability EPSP–AP coupling dramatically improved when preceded EPSPs. Because neuronal exhibits coherence with cortical β-oscillations PD, tested how rhythmic sequences EPSPs integrated absence presence inhibition. consistently entrained only These observations suggest GP is critical emergence coherent between cortex PD.