title: Properties of calcium spikes revealed during GABAA receptor antagonism in hippocampal CA1 neurons from guinea pigs.
abstract: Properties of calcium spikes revealed during GABAA receptor antagonism in hippocampal CA1 neurons from guinea pigs. J. Neurophysiol. 78: 2269-2279, 1997. Intracellular electrical responses and changes in intracellular calcium concentration ([Ca2+]i) in response to activation of synaptic inputs and to DC injections were recorded simultaneously from CA1 pyramidal neurons (n = 42) in guinea pig hippocampal slices. In the presence of the gamma-aminobutyric acid-A (GABAA) receptor antagonists, bicuculline (mu M) and picrotoxin (10 mu M, broad (>20 ms) all-or-none spikes were induced by activation of synaptic inputs (20 pulses, 30 Hz) and were accompanied by a simultaneous rapid and large rise in [Ca2+]i (34 of 34 cells). By contrast, direct depolarizing current (0.7 nA, 1 s) induced spikes having short duration, during which time the spike firing pattern was observed not to be significantly affected. When Na+ channels were blocked by QX-314 applied intracellularly through the recording microelectrode in the presence of GABAA receptor antagonists, broad spikes were frequently generated by activation of synaptic inputs (32 of 33 cells). These broad spikes were blocked by Cd2+ (200 mu M) or in Ca2+-free medium (6 of 6 cells) but were resistant to either tetrodotoxin (TTX; 1 micro M; 6 of 6 cells) or QX-314, whereas short-duration spikes were blocked by both TTX and QX-314. Based on these findings we conclude that broad and short-duration spikes are Ca2+ and Na+ spikes, respectively. To investigate the properties of the Ca2+ spikes, antagonists of a voltage-operated Ca2+ channel were applied to the evoked responses. Nifedipine (30 mu M), a L-type Ca2+ channel blocker, suppressed the generation of Ca2+ spikes, whereas Ni2+ (100 mu M), the T- and R-type Ca2+ channel blocker, and omega-agatoxin-IVA (omega-Aga-IVA, 60 nM), a P-type Ca2+ channel blocker, had little effect on the generation of Ca2+ spikes. Nifedipine suppressed the rise in [Ca2+]i induced by synaptic inputs up to 26% of the control in the soma and 18-32% in the dendrites (n = 5), respectively, whereas Ni2+ suppressed the rise by 12-27% (n = 5) in both soma and dendrites. omega-Aga-IVA showed little effect (less than a 10% change; n = 7). These results suggest that the GABAA inhibitory system tonically suppresses dendritic Ca2+ spikes, and the L-type Ca2+ channel plays a major role in the generation of Ca2+ spikes and in Ca2+ influx.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology, Yamagata University School of Medicine, Yamagata 990-23.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Miura
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Yoshioka
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Miyakawa
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kato
authors.forename: K I
authors.initials: KI
authors.lastname: Ito
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001640:Bicuculline / Q000494:pharmacology*; D002104:Cadmium / Q000494:pharmacology; D002118:Calcium / Q000378:metabolism*; D002121:Calcium Channel Blockers / Q000494:pharmacology; D004558:Electric Stimulation; D004594:Electrophysiology / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods; D005071:Evoked Potentials / Q000187:drug effects; D058787:GABA-A Receptor Antagonists; D006168:Guinea Pigs; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000502:physiology*; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D008012:Lidocaine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000494:pharmacology; D009543:Nifedipine / Q000494:pharmacology; D010852:Picrotoxin / Q000494:pharmacology*; D017966:Pyramidal Cells / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D026941:Sodium Channel Blockers; D013111:Spider Venoms / Q000494:pharmacology; D013779:Tetrodotoxin / Q000494:pharmacology; D010566:Virulence Factors, Bordetella / Q000494:pharmacology; D020867:omega-Agatoxin IVA
chemical_list: D001640:Bicuculline; D002104:Cadmium; D002118:Calcium; D002121:Calcium Channel Blockers; D058787:GABA-A Receptor Antagonists; D008012:Lidocaine; D009543:Nifedipine; D010852:Picrotoxin; D026941:Sodium Channel Blockers; D013111:Spider Venoms; D013779:Tetrodotoxin; D010566:Virulence Factors, Bordetella; D020867:omega-Agatoxin IVA; C012647:QX-314