title: Inward rectification in rat nucleus accumbens neurons.
abstract: 1. Intracellular recordings were made from neurons in slices cut from the rat nucleus accumbens septi. Membrane currents were measured with a single-electrode voltage-clamp amplifier in the potential range -50 to -140 mV. 2. In control conditions (2.5 mM potassium), the resting membrane potential of the neurons was -83.4 +/- 1.1 (SE) mV (n = 157). Steady state membrane conductance was voltage dependent, being 34.8 +/- 1.7 nS (n = 25) at -100 mV and 8.0 +/- 0.7 nS (n = 25) at -60 mV. 3. Barium (1 microM) markedly reduced the inward rectification and caused a small inward current (40.6 +/- 8.7 pA, n = 8) at the resting potential. These effects became larger with higher barium concentrations, and, in 100 microM barium, the current-voltage relation was straight. 4. The block of the inward current by barium (at -130 mV) occurred with an exponential time course; the time constant was approximately 1 s at 1 microM barium and less than 90 ms with 100 microM. Strontium had effects similar to those of barium, but 1000-fold higher concentrations were required. Cesium chloride (2 mM) and rubidium chloride (2 mM) also blocked the inward rectification; their action reached steady state within 50 ms. 5. It is concluded that the nucleus accumbens neurons have a potassium conductance with many features of a typical inward rectifier and that this contributes to the potassium conductance at the resting potential.
authors.affiliation: Vollum Institute, Oregon Health Sciences University, Portland 97201.
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Uchimura
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Cherubini
authors.forename: R A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: North
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002413:Cations, Divalent / Q000494:pharmacology; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D008297:Male; D008564:Membrane Potentials / Q000187:drug effects; D009714:Nucleus Accumbens / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D011188:Potassium / Q000502:physiology*; D051381:Rats; D012686:Septal Nuclei / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D002413:Cations, Divalent; D011188:Potassium