Effects of small concentrations of volatile anesthetics on action potential firing of neocortical neurons in vitro.
BACKGROUND
Volatile general anesthetics depress neuronal activity in the mammalian central nervous system and enhance inhibitory Cl- currents flowing across the gamma-aminobutyric acid A (GABA(A)) receptor-ion channel complex. The extent to which an increase in GABA(A)-mediated synaptic inhibition contributes to the decrease in neuronal firing must be determined, because many further effects of these agents have been reported on the molecular level.


METHODS
The actions of halothane, isoflurane, and enflurane on the firing patterns of single neurons were investigated by extracellular recordings in organotypic slice cultures derived from the rat neocortex.


RESULTS
Volatile anesthetics depressed spontaneous action potential firing of neocortical neurons in a concentration-dependent manner. The estimated median effective concentration (EC50) values were about one half the EC50 values for general anesthesia. In the presence of the GABA(A) antagonist bicuculline (20 microM), the effectiveness of halothane, isoflurane, and enflurane in reducing the discharge rates were diminished by 48-65%, indicating that these drugs act via the GABA(A) receptor.


CONCLUSIONS
Together with recent investigations, our results provide evidence that halothane, isoflurane, and enflurane reduced spontaneous action potential firing of neocortical neurons in cultured brain slices mainly by increasing GABA(A)-mediated synaptic inhibition. At concentrations, approximately one half the EC50 for general anesthesia, volatile anesthetics increased overall GABA(A)-mediated synaptic inhibition about twofold, thus decreasing spontaneous action potential firing by half.
Antkowiak
B
B
Max-Planck Institut für biologische Kybernetik, Tübingen, Germany. bernd.antkowiak@tuebingen.mpg.de
Helfrich-Förster
C
C
D015763:2-Amino-5-phosphonovalerate / Q000494:pharmacology; D000200:Action Potentials / Q000187:drug effects; D018685:Anesthetics, Inhalation / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000818:Animals; D001640:Bicuculline / Q000494:pharmacology; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D003470:Culture Media; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004737:Enflurane / Q000494:pharmacology; D018691:Excitatory Amino Acid Antagonists / Q000494:pharmacology; D018756:GABA Antagonists / Q000494:pharmacology; D058787:GABA-A Receptor Antagonists; D006221:Halothane / Q000494:pharmacology; D007530:Isoflurane / Q000494:pharmacology; D008274:Magnesium / Q000494:pharmacology; D019579:Neocortex / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D009474:Neurons / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D009435:Synaptic Transmission / Q000187:drug effects
D018685:Anesthetics, Inhalation; D003470:Culture Media; D018691:Excitatory Amino Acid Antagonists; D018756:GABA Antagonists; D058787:GABA-A Receptor Antagonists; D015763:2-Amino-5-phosphonovalerate; D004737:Enflurane; D007530:Isoflurane; D008274:Magnesium; D006221:Halothane; D001640:Bicuculline