Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 17, 2026

Contribution of the Na+/K+ Pump to Rhythmic Bursting, Explored with Modeling and Dynamic Clamp Analyses
Published on: May 9, 2021
An intrinsic neuronal oscillator underlies dopaminergic neuron bursting
Christopher A Deister1, Mark A Teagarden, Charles J Wilson
1Neurosciences Institute, The University of Texas at San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas 78249, USA.
Abstract:
Dopaminergic neurons of the ventral midbrain fire high-frequency bursts when animals are presented with unexpected rewards, or stimuli that predict reward. To identify the afferents that can initiate bursting and establish therapeutic strategies for diseases affected by altered bursting, a mechanistic understanding of bursting is essential. Our results show that bursting is initiated by a specific interaction between the voltage sensitivity of NMDA receptors and voltage-gated ion channels that results in the activation of an intrinsic, action potential-independent, high-frequency membrane potential oscillation. We further show that the NMDA receptor is uniquely suited for this because of the rapid kinetics and voltage dependence imparted to it by Mg(2+) ion block and unblock. This mechanism explains the discrete nature of bursting in dopaminergic cells and demonstrates how synaptic signals may be reshaped by local intrinsic properties of a neuron before influencing action potential generation.
More Related Videos
08:44Patch Clamp Recording of Starburst Amacrine Cells in a Flat-mount Preparation of Deafferentated Mouse Retina
Published on: October 13, 2016
10:54Reliable Identification of Living Dopaminergic Neurons in Midbrain Cultures Using RNA Sequencing and TH-promoter-driven eGFP Expression
Published on: February 10, 2017
Related Concept Videos
Excitatory and Inhibitory Effects of Neurotransmitters
The Role of Ion Channels in Neuronal Computation
Sometimes a single EPSP is strong enough to induce an action potential in the postsynaptic neuron. However, multiple presynaptic inputs must often create EPSPs around the same time for the postsynaptic neuron to be sufficiently depolarized to fire an action potential.
Adrenergic Neurons: Neurotransmission
Synthesis: Catecholamine synthesis requires tyrosine, which is taken...
Neurons: The Axon
The axon attaches to the cell body at a cone-shaped elevation called the axon hillock. The initial part of the axon, closest to the hillock, is known as the initial segment.
Cholinergic Neurons: Neurotransmission
Neuronal Communication