Nitric oxide modulation of the spontaneous firing of rat medial vestibular nuclear neurons.
Modulation of the spontaneous activity of rat medial vestibular nuclear neurons by nitric oxide was investigated using the whole-cell patch-clamp technique. The spike frequency was increased by sodium nitroprusside (SNP), a nitric oxide liberating agent, and it was also increased by another nitric oxide liberating agent, sodium-nitroso-N-acetylpenicillamine. L-Arginine, the substrate of nitric oxide synthase, increased the firing of the neurons. The increased SNP-induced firing was inhibited by 1H-[1,2,4]oxadiazolo[4,3-a]quinozalin-1-one (ODQ), a specific inhibitor of guanylate cyclase. These results suggest that nitric oxide increases the neuronal excitability of the neurons by a cGMP-dependent mechanism.
Kim
Hoo Won
HW
Department of Neurology, Chosun University College of Medicine, Gwangju 501-759, Korea.
Park
Jong-Seong
JS
Jeong
Han-Seong
HS
Jang
Myung Joo
MJ
Kim
Byeong-Chae
BC
Kim
Myeong-Kyu
MK
Cho
Ki-Hyun
KH
Kim
Tae Sun
TS
Park
Sung Wook
SW
D000200:Action Potentials / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D000818:Animals; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D009474:Neurons / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D009569:Nitric Oxide / Q000502:physiology*; D009599:Nitroprusside / Q000494:pharmacology; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D014726:Vestibular Nuclei / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*
D009599:Nitroprusside; D009569:Nitric Oxide