Low threshold calcium spikes in medial vestibular nuclei neurones in vitro: a role in the generation of the vestibular nystagmus quick phase in vivo?
Intracellular recordings were obtained from medial vestibular nuclei neurones in guinea-pig brainstem slices. A subpopulation of neurones in this nucleus was found to have burst firing properties. Using ionic channel blockers the underlying mechanism was shown to be a low threshold calcium spike. It is speculated that this property could be implicated in the generation of the quick phase of the vestibular nystagmus in the behaving guinea-pig.
Serafin
M
M
Département de Physiologie, CMU, Genève, Switzerland.
Khateb
A
A
de Waele
C
C
Vidal
P P
PP
Mühlethaler
M
M
D000200:Action Potentials / Q000502:physiology; D000818:Animals; D001933:Brain Stem / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology; D002118:Calcium / Q000502:physiology*; D002121:Calcium Channel Blockers / Q000494:pharmacology; D002531:Cerebellum / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology; D006168:Guinea Pigs; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D009474:Neurons / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D009760:Nystagmus, Physiologic / Q000502:physiology*; D009799:Ocular Physiological Phenomena; D012018:Reflex / Q000502:physiology; D013779:Tetrodotoxin / Q000494:pharmacology; D013788:Thalamus / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology; D014726:Vestibular Nuclei / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology*
D002121:Calcium Channel Blockers; D013779:Tetrodotoxin; D002118:Calcium