title: In vitro electrophysiology of neurons in the lateral dorsal tegmental nucleus.
abstract: The lateral dorsal tegmental nucleus (LDT) provides ascending cholinergic projections to forebrain structures such as prefrontal cortex, septum, habenula, and thalamus, but relatively little is known of the physiology of LDT neurons. Intracellular recordings from LDT neurons in guinea pig brain slices found that most neurons fired action potentials either tonically or in bursts. The voltage dependent characteristics of the neurons suggest that a prolonged afterhyperpolarization due to an outward potassium current and a low-threshold calcium conductance contributed to these two modes of firing. Intracellular injections of Lucifer Yellow and subsequent staining for NADPH-diaphorase activity permitted positive identification of cholinergic neurons.
authors.affiliation: E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company, Medical Products Department, Wilmington, DE 19898.
authors.forename: K S
authors.initials: KS
authors.lastname: Wilcox
authors.forename: S J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Grant
authors.forename: B A
authors.initials: BA
authors.lastname: Burkhart
authors.forename: G R
authors.initials: GR
authors.lastname: Christoph
mesh_terms: D000200:Action Potentials / Q000187:drug effects; D000818:Animals; D002799:Cholinergic Fibers / Q000166:cytology / Q000201:enzymology / Q000502:physiology*; D004558:Electric Stimulation; D005456:Fluorescent Dyes; D006168:Guinea Pigs; D006651:Histocytochemistry; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D008297:Male; D009252:NADPH Dehydrogenase / Q000378:metabolism; D013681:Tegmentum Mesencephali / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D013779:Tetrodotoxin / Q000494:pharmacology
chemical_list: D005456:Fluorescent Dyes; D013779:Tetrodotoxin; D009252:NADPH Dehydrogenase