title: Nitric oxide modulation of the spontaneous firing of rat medial vestibular nuclear neurons.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Chosun University College of Medicine, Gwangju 501-759, Korea.
authors.forename: Hoo Won
authors.initials: HW
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Jong-Seong
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Park
authors.forename: Han-Seong
authors.initials: HS
authors.lastname: Jeong
authors.forename: Myung Joo
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Jang
authors.forename: Byeong-Chae
authors.initials: BC
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Myeong-Kyu
authors.initials: MK
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Ki-Hyun
authors.initials: KH
authors.lastname: Cho
authors.forename: Tae Sun
authors.initials: TS
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Sung Wook
authors.initials: SW
authors.lastname: Park
mesh_terms: 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*
chemical_list: D009599:Nitroprusside; D009569:Nitric Oxide