title: Vanilloid-sensitive afferents activate neurons with prominent A-type potassium currents in nucleus tractus solitarius.
abstract: Cranial visceral afferents innervate second-order nucleus tractus solitarius (NTS) neurons via myelinated (A-type) and unmyelinated (C-type) axons in the solitary tract (ST). A- and C-type afferents often evoke reflexes with distinct performance differences, especially with regard to their frequency-dependent properties. In horizontal brainstem slices, we used the vanilloid receptor 1 agonist capsaicin (CAP; 100 nm) to identify CAP-sensitive and CAP-resistant ST afferent pathways to second-order NTS neurons and tested whether these two groups of neurons had similar intrinsic potassium currents. ST stimulation evoked monosynaptic EPSCs identified by minimal synaptic jitter (<150 microsec) and divided into two groups: CAP-sensitive (n = 37) and CAP-resistant (n = 22). EPSCs in CAP-sensitive neurons had longer latencies (5.1 +/- 0.3 vs 3.6 +/- 0.3 msec; p = 0.001) but similar jitter (p = 0.57) compared with CAP-resistant neurons, respectively. Transient outward currents (TOCs) were significantly greater in CAP-sensitive than in CAP-resistant neurons. Steady-state currents were similar in both groups. 4-Aminopyridine or depolarized conditioning blocked the TOC, but tetraethylammonium had no effect. Voltage-dependent activation and inactivation of TOC were consistent with an A-type K+ current, I(KA). In current clamp, the activation of I(KA) reduced neuronal excitability and action potential responses to ST transmission. Our results suggest that the potassium-channel differences of second-order NTS neurons contribute to the differential processing of A- and C-type cranial visceral afferents beginning as early as this first central neuron. I(KA) can act as a frequency transmission filter and may represent a key target for the modulation of temporal processing of reflex responsiveness such as within the baroreflex arc.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Oregon Health and Science University, Portland, Oregon 97201-3098, USA.
authors.forename: Timothy W
authors.initials: TW
authors.lastname: Bailey
authors.forename: Young-Ho
authors.initials: YH
authors.lastname: Jin
authors.forename: Mark W
authors.initials: MW
authors.lastname: Doyle
authors.forename: Michael C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Andresen
mesh_terms: D000200:Action Potentials / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D000818:Animals; D002211:Capsaicin / Q000494:pharmacology*; D004558:Electric Stimulation; D019706:Excitatory Postsynaptic Potentials / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D006257:Head / Q000294:innervation; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D008297:Male; D009412:Nerve Fibers / Q000502:physiology; D009413:Nerve Fibers, Myelinated / Q000502:physiology; D009474:Neurons / Q000145:classification / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism*; D009475:Neurons, Afferent / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D018408:Patch-Clamp Techniques; D011188:Potassium / Q000378:metabolism; D026902:Potassium Channel Blockers / Q000494:pharmacology; D015221:Potassium Channels / Q000378:metabolism*; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D011930:Reaction Time / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D017552:Solitary Nucleus / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism*; D009435:Synaptic Transmission / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D026902:Potassium Channel Blockers; D015221:Potassium Channels; D011188:Potassium; D002211:Capsaicin