title: Long-range oscillatory Ca2+ waves in rat spinal dorsal horn.
abstract: Synchronous activity of large populations of neurons shapes neuronal networks during development. However, re-emergence of such activity at later stages of development could severely disrupt the orderly processing of sensory information, e.g. in the spinal dorsal horn. We used Ca2+ imaging in spinal cord slices of neonatal and young rats to assess under which conditions synchronous activity occurs in dorsal horn. No spontaneous synchronous Ca2+ transients were detected. However, increasing neuronal excitability by application of 4-aminopyridine after pretreatment of the slice with blockers of (RS)-alpha-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid (AMPA)/kainate, gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA)(A) and glycine receptors evoked repetitive Ca2+ waves in dorsal horn. These waves spread mediolaterally with a speed of 1.0 +/- 0.1 mm/s and affected virtually every dorsal horn neuron. The Ca2+ waves were associated with large depolarizing shifts of the membrane potential of participating neurons and were most likely synaptically mediated because they were abolished by blockade of action potentials or N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptors. They were most pronounced in the superficial dorsal horn and absent from the ventral horn. A significant proportion of the Ca2+ waves spread to the contralateral dorsal horn. This seemed to be enabled by disinhibition as primary afferent-induced dorsal horn excitation crossed the midline only when GABA(A) and glycine receptors were blocked. Interestingly, the Ca2+ waves occurred under conditions where AMPA/kainate receptors were blocked. Thus, superficial dorsal horn NMDA receptors are able to sustain synchronous neuronal excitation in the absence of functional AMPA/kainate receptors.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurophysiology, Center for Brain Research, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
authors.forename: Ruth
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Ruscheweyh
authors.forename: Jürgen
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Sandkühler
mesh_terms: D015761:4-Aminopyridine / Q000494:pharmacology; D000367:Age Factors; D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn; D001640:Bicuculline / Q000494:pharmacology; D002118:Calcium / Q000378:metabolism*; D020013:Calcium Signaling / Q000502:physiology*; D003952:Diagnostic Imaging / Q000379:methods; D004347:Drug Interactions; D004558:Electric Stimulation / Q000379:methods; D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology; D018691:Excitatory Amino Acid Antagonists / Q000494:pharmacology; D007839:Functional Laterality / Q000502:physiology; D018756:GABA Antagonists / Q000494:pharmacology; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D007211:Indoles / Q000494:pharmacology; D008564:Membrane Potentials / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D009415:Nerve Net / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D018408:Patch-Clamp Techniques / Q000379:methods; D020671:Posterior Horn Cells / Q000502:physiology*; D026902:Potassium Channel Blockers / Q000494:pharmacology; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D013116:Spinal Cord / Q000166:cytology*; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D013331:Strychnine / Q000494:pharmacology; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors; D018691:Excitatory Amino Acid Antagonists; D018756:GABA Antagonists; D007211:Indoles; D026902:Potassium Channel Blockers; D015761:4-Aminopyridine; D013331:Strychnine; D002118:Calcium; C000543:cyclopiazonic acid; D001640:Bicuculline