title: The application of in vivo microiontophoresis for the investigation of mast cell-neuron interactions in the rat brain.
abstract: Although mast cells are immune cells of hematopoietic origin, they can be found in parts of the central nervous system of many mammalian species. In the rat brain they are located in the thalamic region. Their function is not defined yet, although they are mostly known to secrete several chemicals, which may influence the surrounding neurons. There are no in vivo electrophysiological data available on the possible effects of brain mast cells on neurons. In this study, we used a combined method of microiontophoresis and extracellular single unit recording to simultaneously activate mast cells and record neuronal action potentials. Four-barrelled micropipettes were used for recording neuronal activity and for microiontophoretic application of mast cell degranulator Compound 48/80 (C48/80). Spike sorting routines were performed on-line and off-line to ensure that data were always recorded from a single neuron. C48/80 did not modify the firing rate of cortical neurons (no mast cells are found there), however, it caused excitation (n = 16/37, 43%), or inhibition (n = 9/37, 24%) in thalamic neurons possibly due to mast cell activation. Further investigations will clarify the biochemical nature of changes in neural excitability due to mast cell degranulation in the mammalian brain.
authors.affiliation: University of Pécs, Department of Experimental Zoology and Neurobiology, 6 Ifjúság street, H-7624, Pécs, Hungary.
authors.forename: Zsombor
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Koszegi
authors.forename: Péter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Kovács
authors.forename: Márta
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Wilhelm
authors.forename: Tamás
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Atlasz
authors.forename: Norbert
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Babai
authors.forename: Veronika
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Kállai
authors.forename: István
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Hernádi
mesh_terms: D000200:Action Potentials; D000818:Animals; D001921:Brain / Q000166:cytology* / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D002450:Cell Communication / Q000187:drug effects; D015550:Cell Degranulation / Q000187:drug effects; D005260:Female; D007478:Iontophoresis / Q000379:methods*; D008407:Mast Cells / Q000166:cytology* / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D009474:Neurons / Q000166:cytology* / Q000502:physiology*; D051381:Rats; D020318:Rats, Long-Evans; D013788:Thalamus / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D003189:p-Methoxy-N-methylphenethylamine / Q000494:pharmacology
chemical_list: D003189:p-Methoxy-N-methylphenethylamine