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NMDA spikes enhance action potential generation during sensory input
- Source :
- Nature Neuroscience
- Publication Year :
- 2013
-
Abstract
- Recent evidence in vitro suggests that the tuft dendrites of pyramidal neurons are capable of evoking local NMDA receptor-dependent electrogenesis, so-called NMDA spikes. However, it has so far proved difficult to demonstrate their existence in vivo. Moreover, it is not clear whether NMDA spikes are relevant to the output of pyramidal neurons. We found that local NMDA spikes occurred in tuft dendrites of layer 2/3 pyramidal neurons both spontaneously and following sensory input, and had a large influence on the number of output action potentials. Using two-photon activation of an intracellular caged NMDA receptor antagonist (tc-MK801), we found that isolated NMDA spikes typically occurred in multiple branches simultaneously and that sensory stimulation substantially increased their probability. Our results demonstrate that NMDA receptors have a vital role in coupling the tuft region of the layer 2/3 pyramidal neuron to the cell body, enhancing the effectiveness of layer 1 input. © 2014 Nature America, Inc.
- Subjects :
- Patch-Clamp Techniques
Action Potentials
Biology
Somatosensory system
Receptors, N-Methyl-D-Aspartate
Mice
Cellular neuroscience
Evoked Potentials, Somatosensory
medicine
Animals
Patch clamp
Rats, Wistar
Sensory stimulation therapy
General Neuroscience
Pyramidal Cells
Dendrites
Somatosensory Cortex
Electrophysiological Phenomena
Rats
Up-Regulation
Coupling (electronics)
medicine.anatomical_structure
nervous system
Cerebral cortex
NMDA receptor
Neuroscience
Intracellular
Subjects
Details
- ISSN :
- 15461726
- Volume :
- 17
- Issue :
- 3
- Database :
- OpenAIRE
- Journal :
- Nature neuroscience
- Accession number :
- edsair.doi.dedup.....b0bcaf397265f89c7be3ebf375182143