title: Rapid kinetics and inward rectification of miniature EPSCs in layer I neurons of rat neocortex.
abstract: With the use of the whole cell patch-clamp technique combined with visualization of neurons in brain slices, we studied the properties of miniature excitatory postsynaptic currents (mEPSCs) in rat neocortical layer I neurons. At holding potentials (-50 to -70 mV) near the resting membrane potential (RMP), mEPSCs had amplitudes of 5-100 pA and were mediated mostly by alpha-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazoleproprionate (AMPA) receptors. Amplitude histograms were skewed toward large events. An N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) component was revealed by depolarization to -30 mV or by the use of a Mg2+-free bathing solution. At RMP, averaged AMPA mEPSCs had a 10-90% rise time of approximately 0.3 ms (uncorrected for instrument filtering). The decay of averaged mEPSCs was best fit by double-exponential functions in most cases. The fast, dominating component had a decay time constant of approximately 1.2 ms and comprised approximately 80% of the total amplitude. A small slow component had a decay time constant of approximately 4 ms. Positive correlations were found between rise and decay times of both individual and averaged mEPSCs, indicative of dendritic filtering. Some large-amplitude mEPSCs and spontaneous EPSCs (recorded in the absence of tetrodotoxin) had slower kinetics, suggesting a role of asynchronous transmitter release in shaping EPSCs. The amplitudes of mEPSCs were much smaller at +60 mV than at -60 mV, indicating that synaptic AMPA-receptor-mediated currents were inwardly rectifying. These results suggest that neocortical layer I neurons receive both NMDA- and AMPA-receptor-mediated synaptic inputs. The rapid decay of EPSCs appears to be largely determined by AMPA receptor deactivation. The observed rectification of synaptic responses suggests that synaptic AMPA receptors in layer I neurons may lack GluR-2 subunits and may be Ca2+ permeable.
authors.affiliation: Neurobiology Research Center and Department of Physiology and Biophysics, University of Alabama at Birmingham, 35294, USA.
authors.forename: F M
authors.initials: FM
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.forename: J J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Hablitz
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002118:Calcium / Q000378:metabolism; D046508:Culture Techniques; D005071:Evoked Potentials / Q000502:physiology; D005625:Frontal Lobe / Q000166:cytology*; D006179:Gyrus Cinguli / Q000166:cytology*; D009433:Neural Inhibition / Q000502:physiology; D018408:Patch-Clamp Techniques; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D018091:Receptors, AMPA / Q000502:physiology; D016194:Receptors, N-Methyl-D-Aspartate / Q000502:physiology; D009435:Synaptic Transmission / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D018091:Receptors, AMPA; D016194:Receptors, N-Methyl-D-Aspartate; D002118:Calcium