title: Contribution of outward currents to spike-frequency adaptation in hypoglossal motoneurons of the rat.
abstract: Contribution of outward currents to spike-frequency adaptation in hypoglossal motoneurons of the rat. J. Neurophysiol. 78: 2246-2253, 1997. Spike-frequency adaptation has been attributed to the actions of several different membrane currents. In this study, we assess the contributions of two of these currents: the net outward current generated by the electrogenic Na+-K+ pump and the outward current that flows through Ca2+-activated K+ channels. In recordings made from hypoglossal motoneurons in slices of rat brain stem, we found that bath application of a 4-20 microM ouabain solution produced a partial block of Na+-K+ pump activity as evidenced by a marked reduction in the postdischarge hyperpolarization that follows a period of sustained discharge. However, we observed no significant change in either the initial, early, or late phases of spike-frequency adaptation in the presence of ouabain. Adaptation also has been related to increases in the duration and magnitude of the medium-duration afterhyperpolarization (mAHP) mediated by Ca2+-activated K+ channels. When we replaced the 2 mM Ca2+ in the bathing solution with Mn2+, there was a significant decrease in the amplitude of the mAHP after a spike. The decrease in mAHP amplitude resulted in a decrease in the magnitude of the initial phase of spike-frequency adaptation as has been reported previously by others. However, quite unexpectedly we also found that reducing the mAHP resulted in a dramatic increase in the magnitude of both the early and late phases of adaptation. These changes could be reversed by restoring the normal Ca2+ concentration in the bath. Our results with ouabain indicate that the Na+-K+ pump plays little, if any, role in the three phases of adaptation in rat hypoglossal motoneurons. Our results with Ca2+ channel blockade support the hypothesis that initial adaptation is, in part, controlled by conductances underlying the mAHP. However, our failure to eliminate initial adaptation completely by blocking Ca2+ channels suggests that other membrane mechanisms also contribute. Finally, the increase in both the early and late phases of adaptation in the presence of Mn2+ block of Ca2+ channels lends further support to the hypothesis that the initial and later (i.e., early and late) phases of spike-frequency adaptation are mediated by different cellular mechanisms.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology and Biophysics, University of Washington, School of Medicine, Seattle, Washington 98195, USA.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sawczuk
authors.forename: R K
authors.initials: RK
authors.lastname: Powers
authors.forename: M D
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: Binder
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001933:Brain Stem / Q000502:physiology*; D002121:Calcium Channel Blockers / Q000494:pharmacology; D015220:Calcium Channels / Q000502:physiology; D005071:Evoked Potentials / Q000187:drug effects; D007002:Hypoglossal Nerve / Q000502:physiology*; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D008345:Manganese / Q000494:pharmacology; D009046:Motor Neurons / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D010042:Ouabain / Q000494:pharmacology; D015221:Potassium Channels / Q000502:physiology; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D000254:Sodium-Potassium-Exchanging ATPase / Q000378:metabolism; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D002121:Calcium Channel Blockers; D015220:Calcium Channels; D015221:Potassium Channels; D008345:Manganese; D010042:Ouabain; D000254:Sodium-Potassium-Exchanging ATPase