title: Mechanisms generating the time course of dual component excitatory synaptic currents recorded in hippocampal slices.
abstract: We studied with the whole-cell recording techniques, the mechanisms underlying the time course of the slow N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA), and fast non-NMDA receptor-mediated excitatory postsynaptic currents (EPSCs) in hippocampal slices. The rising phase of the NMDA receptor-mediated component of the EPSC as well as the decaying phase of the NMDA and non-NMDA component were highly temperature-sensitive, suggesting that neither of these processes is determined by free diffusion of transmitter. Moreover, glutamate uptake blockers enhanced the responses to exogenously applied glutamate, but had no effect on the decay of either the NMDA or non-NMDA components of the EPSCs. On the other hand, open channel blockers known to modify NMDA channel kinetics reduced the EPSC decay time. Thus, the present results support a model in which the rise time and decay of the NMDA component are determined primarily by slow channel kinetics and the decay of the non-NMDA component is due either to channel kinetics or to desensitization.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology, University of California, San Francisco 94143.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hestrin
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Sah
authors.forename: R A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Nicoll
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001224:Aspartic Acid / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors; D003986:Dibenzocycloheptenes / Q000494:pharmacology; D016291:Dizocilpine Maleate; D004594:Electrophysiology; D005971:Glutamates / Q000378:metabolism / Q000494:pharmacology; D018698:Glutamic Acid; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000502:physiology*; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D007608:Kainic Acid / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000494:pharmacology; D007649:Ketamine / Q000494:pharmacology; D016202:N-Methylaspartate; D051381:Rats; D016194:Receptors, N-Methyl-D-Aspartate; D017981:Receptors, Neurotransmitter / Q000502:physiology; D013569:Synapses / Q000502:physiology*; D013696:Temperature; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D003986:Dibenzocycloheptenes; D005971:Glutamates; D016194:Receptors, N-Methyl-D-Aspartate; D017981:Receptors, Neurotransmitter; D001224:Aspartic Acid; D018698:Glutamic Acid; C020889:dihydrokainic acid; D016202:N-Methylaspartate; D007649:Ketamine; D016291:Dizocilpine Maleate; D007608:Kainic Acid