Burst firing induces a slow after hyperpolarization in rat auditory thalamus

The Ca2+-activated slow after hyperpolarization (sAHP) is found in many CNS regions where it may induce post-spike suppression of neuronal firing over many seconds. Nevertheless, the presence of sAHP in sensory thalamus remains uncertain. Here we show that a robust sAHP could be evoked in the rat medial geniculate body of auditory thalamus in vitro following a low-threshold Ca2+ spike and burst firing. The evoked sAHP exhibited kinetic and pharmacological features similar to that found elsewhere in the CNS. The sAHP was resistant to TTX or apamin but eliminated by muscarine. Furthermore, activation of low-threshold Ca2+ conductance alone is sufficient to induce the sAHP. Therefore, the membrane conductance underlying sAHP is functionally expressed in lemniscal thalamic relay neurons which may be preferably activated during burst firing.