Article
Chemistry, Analytical
Ke Li, Huiying Gong, Jinyu Qiu, Ruimin Li, Qili Zhao, Xin Zhao, Mingzhu Sun
Summary: This study proposes a method for pipette tip-cell contact in automated patch-clamp systems and designs corresponding algorithms and network models. Experimental results show that this method can improve the success rate in patch-clamp experiments.
Article
Neurosciences
Nicolas Fourcaud-Trocme, Mickael Zbili, Patricia Duchamp-Viret, Nicola Kuczewski
Summary: In the olfactory bulb, mitral cells (MCs) exhibit spontaneous bursting activity, characterized by bursts of action potentials (APs) intermixed with silent periods. The burst initiation threshold and duration are dependent on the membrane potential, which in turn is regulated by the inactivation state of voltage-dependent Na+ channels. The fast afterhyperpolarization (AHP) promotes burst firing, while the slow AHP contributes to burst termination.
Article
Chemistry, Medicinal
Juan Antonio Contreras Vite, Carlos Vega Valle, Happi Biekeu Mbem, Sarah-Maude Boivin, Robert Dumaine
Summary: Lamotrigine is commonly used for treating bipolar disorder and epilepsy. The US FDA has recently issued a warning regarding the drug's potential to cause conduction anomalies and Brugada syndrome in epileptic patients. In this study, researchers used patch clamp technique on rat cardiomyocytes to investigate the effect of Lamotrigine on cardiac sodium current (I-Na). The results showed that Lamotrigine inhibited I-Na peak amplitude, reduced cardiac excitability, and prolonged the action potential refractory period in epileptic rats.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Milica Gusic, Klaus Benndorf, Christian Sattler
Summary: Our study reveals that each occupied binding site contributes to channel activation in P2X7 receptors. While the occupation of a single binding site can activate the channels, three bound ligands maximally stabilize the open state, suggesting a stepwise activation process for P2X7 receptors.
BIOCHEMICAL AND BIOPHYSICAL RESEARCH COMMUNICATIONS
(2021)
Article
Neurosciences
Clara Bourrelly, Corentin Massot, Neeraj J. Gandhi
Summary: Sensorimotor transformation is the process of sensing and responding to stimuli, and this study investigates the neural activity in the superior colliculus during visually guided eye movements. The study compares spike bursts and local field potential (LFP) modulations along the dorsoventral axis of the superior colliculus and finds a transition from sensory to motor response in both signals, with the LFP transition occurring deeper than the spike burst transition. The results suggest a fast and efficient transformation between LFP modulation and spike burst during sensation, but not during action.
JOURNAL OF NEUROSCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Geriatrics & Gerontology
Yang Li, Shanchu Su, Jiaqi Yu, Minjing Peng, Shengjun Wan, Changbin Ke
Summary: The NMDG-HCl solution allowed successful patch-clamp recordings on dorsal horn neurons in middle-aged rat slices. The success rate was 34.6%, with some neurons showing GABAergic signals.
FRONTIERS IN AGING NEUROSCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Instruments & Instrumentation
Ian Delgadillo Bonequi, Abraham Stroschein, Lucas J. Koerner
Summary: This article describes a custom and open-source FPGA-based data acquisition system that is used for electrophysiology and closed-loop feedback experiments. The system combines FPGA acquisition and processing with high-speed analog and digital converters to enable real-time feedback. The digital approach simplifies experimental setup and repeatability by allowing for system identification and in situ tuning of filter bandwidths.
REVIEW OF SCIENTIFIC INSTRUMENTS
(2022)
Article
Neurosciences
Sophie Belin, Bruce A. Maki, James Catlin, Benjamin A. Rein, Gabriela K. Popescu
Summary: Research has found that mechanical forces can activate endogenous NMDAR currents in the central nervous system, even in the absence of synaptic glutamate release. This has important implications for understanding mechanotransduction and the physiological and pathological effects of mechanical forces on CNS cells.
JOURNAL OF NEUROSCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Neurosciences
Jie Li, Mark L. Baccei
Summary: In a subset of glutamatergic interneurons in the neonatal spinal superficial dorsal horn (SDH), there is intrinsic burst-firing activity regulated by persistent Na+ channels and inward-rectifying K+ channels, which decreases during postnatal development. While ascending lamina I projection neurons targeting the parabrachial nucleus (PB) or periaqueductal gray (PAG) can also display pacemaker activity in early life, the mechanisms driving this activity and its conservation across cell types in the spinal dorsal horn remain unclear. Our study demonstrates that adolescent projection neurons retain the ability to generate pacemaker activity, with differences in membrane properties compared to adjacent neurons lacking intrinsic burst-firing. Further research is needed to understand the mechanisms governing pacemaker activity in the major output neurons of the SDH network.
NEUROSCIENCE LETTERS
(2021)
Article
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Fiona O'Brien, Claire H. Feetham, Caroline A. Staunton, Kathryn Hext, Richard Barrett-Jolley
Summary: The transient receptor potential cation channel subfamily V Member 4 (Trpv4) in the paraventricular nucleus (PVN) of the hypothalamus plays an important role in temperature sensitivity of PVN neurons, affecting their activity frequency. At physiological temperatures, the activity frequency of PVN neurons is primarily regulated by Trpm2 channels, while at room temperature, it is mainly regulated by reduced Trpv4 activity.
FRONTIERS IN PHARMACOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Neurosciences
Prudhvi Raj Rayi, Hanoch Kaphzan
Summary: Angelman syndrome is a neurogenetic disorder characterized by developmental delay, speech impairment, and other symptoms. Studies have shown that hippocampal deficits in AS mice may be related to altered calcium dynamics and increased alpha 1-Na/K-ATPase expression levels. However, the causal link between hippocampal deficits and major behavioral phenotypes in AS is still unclear.
FRONTIERS IN CELLULAR NEUROSCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Kaori Takahashi, Kentaro Araki, Hideo Miyamoto, Rikimaru Shirakawa, Takashi Yoshida, Minoru Wakamori
Summary: The TRPV1 channel plays a crucial role in pain sensation, being regulated by capsaicin and protons, showing strong voltage dependency, and having specific activation characteristics.
FRONTIERS IN PHARMACOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Motoki Okui, Tatsuro Murakami, Hongxin Sun, Chiaki Ikeshita, Narisato Kanamura, Akiyuki Taruno
Summary: CALHM1 and 3 subunits are N-glycosylated at single Asn residues in their second extracellular loops, controlling the biosynthesis and gating kinetics of the CALHM1/3 channel. CALHM3 is reversibly palmitoylated at three intracellular Cys residues, with palmitoylation playing a critical role in CALHM1/3 activity.
Article
Neurosciences
Kevin Jehasse, Laurent Massotte, Sebastian Hartmann, Romain Vitello, Sofian Ringlet, Marie Vitello, Han Chow Chua, Stephan A. Pless, Dominique Engel, Jean-Francois Liegeois, Bernard Lakaye, Jochen Roeper, Vincent Seutin
Summary: The research showed that the compound XG selectively inhibits the pacemaking of dopamine neurons without affecting their bursting behavior. It demonstrated specificity in its effects on different types of neurons and seemed to target a small subthreshold XG-sensitive current carried by Na+ and Cl- ions. The molecular target of XG and its precise mechanism of action remain to be elucidated, but these findings represent a significant step towards understanding pacemaking in dopamine neurons.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Dieter Janzen, Benedikt Slavik, Markus Zehe, Christoph Sotriffer, Helene M. Loos, Andrea Buettner, Carmen Villmann
Summary: This study analyzed the modulatory potential of 11 SQTs at GABA(A) receptors to characterize their potential neurotropic activity. The research found differences in receptor modulation by SQTs in HEK293 cells and neurons, with the presence of gamma(2) and delta subunits being important for SQT modulation. Additionally, the study provided insight into how nutritional digestion can affect the neurotropic potential of natural compounds.
JOURNAL OF NEUROCHEMISTRY
(2021)