title: The rat spinal cord slice: Its use in generating pharmacological evidence for cholinergic transmission using the alpha7 subtype of nicotinic receptors in the central autonomic nucleus.
abstract: Lamina X surrounds the central canal of the spinal cord and is an important site for the convergence of somatic and visceral afferent inputs relaying nociceptive information. Lamina X contains sympathetic preganglionic neurons (SPN) in the so-called central autonomic nucleus which may participate to viscero-autonomic reflexes. Here, we describe a transversal slice preparation of postnatal rat thoracolumbar spinal cord which allows the detailed characterization of the morphology, electrophysiological properties, synaptic activities and receptor pharmacology of neurons surrounding the central canal. By means of the patch clamp technique, in its whole cell configuration, and by the use of various pharmacological tools, we show here that lamina X neurons of the central autonomic nucleus express functional alpha7 nicotinic receptors which are located postsynaptically on SPNs where they are involved in a fast cholinergic transmission. Thus, this in vitro preparation is useful to study the mechanisms and the pharmacology of viscero-autonomic reflexes.
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire de Neurophysiologie Cellulaire et Intégrée, UMR 7519 CNRS/ULP, 21 rue R.Descartes, 67084 Strasbourg Cedex, France.
authors.forename: Amyaouch
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bradaïa
authors.forename: Riad
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Seddik
authors.forename: Rémy
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Schlichter
authors.forename: Jérôme
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Trouslard
mesh_terms: D000157:Aconitine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000494:pharmacology; D000818:Animals; D001341:Autonomic Nervous System / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D004558:Electric Stimulation; D004594:Electrophysiology; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D008564:Membrane Potentials / Q000502:physiology; D018733:Nicotinic Antagonists / Q000494:pharmacology; D010275:Parasympathetic Nervous System / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D018408:Patch-Clamp Techniques; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D011978:Receptors, Nicotinic / Q000187:drug effects*; D013116:Spinal Cord / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D009435:Synaptic Transmission / Q000187:drug effects*; D064569:alpha7 Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptor
chemical_list: C579165:Chrna7 protein, rat; D018733:Nicotinic Antagonists; D011978:Receptors, Nicotinic; D064569:alpha7 Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptor; C054634:methyllycaconitine; D000157:Aconitine