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Updated: Jul 16, 2026
GABA-activated Single-channel and Tonic Currents in Rat Brain Slices
Published on: July 17, 2011
Theta-bursts induce a shift in reversal potentials for GABA-A receptor-mediated postsynaptic currents in rat
1Neuroscience Research Laboratory, Department of Anesthesiology, Pharmacology and Therapeutics, Faculty of Medicine, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada V6T 1Z3.
Abstract:
Theta-burst stimulation of the stratum radiatum induces a negative shift in the reversal potential (RP) of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA)-ergic postsynaptic currents (PSCs) in hippocampal CA1 neurons in brain slices from rats of age groups 3-4 days, 6-9 days and 3-4 weeks. Furosemide reversed the shift in the RP. The amplitude of the evoked PSC appeared to increase following the theta-burst stimulation but this increase was secondary to the change in the RP. These results indicate that the RP for GABA-ergic PSCs undergoes an activity-dependent plasticity in not only neonatal but also adult neurons presumably through an up-regulation of a K(+)-Cl(-) co-transporter. This plasticity can have significant implications for neuronal network activity in the central nervous system. Furthermore, these results indicate that studies on GABA-ergic synaptic efficacy require a careful, parallel monitoring of the RP.
