Transient enhancement of low-threshold calcium current in thalamic relay neurons after corticectomy.
1. The alterations of voltage-sensitive calcium currents produced in thalamic cells by injury were investigated under voltage clamp using patch-clamp recordings in the whole-cell configuration. 2. One day after unilateral cortical ablation in immature rats (postnatal day 7), low-threshold transient calcium (T) currents in acutely isolated thalamic relay neurons (RNs) were increased by 68% compared with contralateral controls (P < 0.001). Three days after the operation, T currents in injured neurons were at 44% of control levels (P < 0.001). On the other hand, high-threshold (L) calcium currents in RNs did not change over the same interval. 3. To investigate the mechanism for the increase of T current, both kinetics and voltage dependency of activation and inactivation were examined. At a test voltage of -40 mV, the activation time constant decreased from 4.1 to 3.2 ms (P < 0.05); however, this small change was insufficient to explain the large increase in T current. Time constants for both fast and slow inactivation did not change significantly, nor did voltage dependence of activation or inactivation of thalamic T currents. 4. Methyl-phenyl-succinimide (MPS, 1 mM), a compound known to block T currents, was used to examine possible alterations in the pharmacological properties of T channels after injury. MPS was more effective in reducing T currents in normal versus injured RNs (24 and 20% reductions, respectively; P < 0.05), suggesting that pharmacological properties of T channels in the injured RNs may be different from those of the normal RNs.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Chung
J M
JM
Department of Neurology and Neurological Sciences, Stanford University Medical Center, California 94305.
Huguenard
J R
JR
Prince
D A
DA
D000344:Afferent Pathways / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D000818:Animals; D000927:Anticonvulsants / Q000494:pharmacology; D002118:Calcium / Q000502:physiology; D015220:Calcium Channels / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D002541:Cerebral Decortication; D004292:Dominance, Cerebral / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D008564:Membrane Potentials / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D009416:Nerve Regeneration / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D009473:Neuronal Plasticity / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D009474:Neurons / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D012183:Retrograde Degeneration / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D013388:Succinimides / Q000494:pharmacology; D009435:Synaptic Transmission / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D013788:Thalamus / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D015854:Up-Regulation / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology
D000927:Anticonvulsants; D015220:Calcium Channels; D013388:Succinimides; C018504:N-desmethylmethsuximide; D002118:Calcium