Electrophysiological properties of cultured hippocampal neurons from Wistar Audiogenic Rats.
The main goal of this work was to analyze the electrophysiological properties of cultured hippocampal neurons from a particular epileptic rat strain, called Wistar Audiogenic Rats (WAR). The whole-cell patch-clamp technique was used to record both active and passive membrane responses in an attempt to detect alterations in their characteristics in relation to controls from Wistar rats. Neurons from WARs show a significant reduction in the magnitude of the inhibitory GABAergic currents ( approximately 45%), in spite of maintaining a normal level of the excitatory glutamatergic currents. In addition, the magnitude of potassium currents, measured at +80 mV, is reduced by about 30% in comparison to controls. Surprisingly, we also found important changes in the passive cellular properties in WAR neurons such as membrane potential (-50.0 mV in WARs and -63.1 mV in controls) and input resistance (647 MOmega in WARs and 408 MOmega in controls). The changes described here, could be the basis of the neurophysiological and behavioral alterations present in these hyperexcitable animals, contributing to a better understanding of epileptogenesis in this particular animal model.
Mesquita
Fernando
F
Departamento de Ciências Básicas da Saúde, Faculdade de Ciências Médicas, UFMT, Av. Fernando Correa da Costa, s/n 78060-900 Cuiabá, MT, Brazil. fermes@ibest.com.br
Aguiar
José F
JF
Oliveira
José A
JA
Garcia-Cairasco
Norberto
N
Varanda
Wamberto A
WA
D000200:Action Potentials / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn; D002462:Cell Membrane / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D017097:Electric Impedance; D020195:Epilepsy, Reflex / Q000503:physiopathology*; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease; D018698:Glutamic Acid / Q000378:metabolism / Q000494:pharmacology; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000166:cytology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D009433:Neural Inhibition / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D009474:Neurons / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D018408:Patch-Clamp Techniques; D015221:Potassium Channels / Q000502:physiology; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D018079:Receptors, GABA / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D009435:Synaptic Transmission / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D005680:gamma-Aminobutyric Acid / Q000378:metabolism / Q000494:pharmacology
D015221:Potassium Channels; D018079:Receptors, GABA; D018698:Glutamic Acid; D005680:gamma-Aminobutyric Acid