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Related Concept Videos

The Role of Ion Channels in Neuronal Computation01:19

The Role of Ion Channels in Neuronal Computation

A postsynaptic neuron usually receives numerous impulses from several other presynaptic neurons. The axon hillock of the postsynaptic neuron integrates all these signals and determines the likelihood of firing an action potential.
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.
Voltage-gated Ion Channels01:26

Voltage-gated Ion Channels

Voltage-gated ion channels are transmembrane proteins that open and close in response to changes in the membrane potential. They are present on the membranes of all electrically excitable cells such as neurons, heart, and muscle cells.
Generally, all voltage-gated ion channels have a 'voltage-sensing domain' that spans the lipid bilayer. The charged residues in the sensor move in response to the membrane potential changes that open the channel allowing ions movement. There are several types of...
Ligand-Gated Ion Channel Receptor: Gating Mechanism01:30

Ligand-Gated Ion Channel Receptor: Gating Mechanism

Ligand-gated ion channels are transmembrane proteins that play a vital role in intercellular communication and functions of the nervous system. They allow the influx of ions across the membrane once the neurotransmitter binds, allowing the subsequent transmission of electrical excitation across the neurons. Other ligand-gated ion channels, like the γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) receptor, permit anions like chloride into the cells on the binding of the GABA molecule. Their entry into the cell...
Brain Imaging01:14

Brain Imaging

Brain imaging technologies provide critical insights into both the structure and function of the human brain, enabling medical professionals and researchers to diagnose, study, and treat neurological disorders or psychiatric disorders more effectively.
These technologies include computerized axial tomography (CAT or CT scans), positron-emission tomography (PET scans),  magnetic resonance imaging (MRI),  functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), and Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS).
Non-gated Ion Channels01:24

Non-gated Ion Channels

Ion channels are specialized proteins on the plasma membrane that allow charged ions to pass down their electrochemical gradient. Their main function is to maintain the membrane potential which is critical for cell viability. These channels are either gated or non-gated and can transport more than a thousand ions within milliseconds for the cellular event to occur.
Compared to the gated ion channels, the non-gated channels, also known as leakage or passive channels, have no gating mechanism.
Ion Channels01:19

Ion Channels

The movement of ions like sodium, potassium, and calcium into and out of the cell is essential to maintain the electrochemical gradient in living cells. The ion channels—a class of membrane transport proteins—help maintain this ionic gradient for the smooth functioning of physiological activities such as maintaining cell size and volume, conducting nerve impulses, and gas and nutrient exchange.
Ion channels are specialized integral membrane proteins on the plasma membrane that allow specific...

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GABA-activated Single-channel and Tonic Currents in Rat Brain Slices
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T-type Ca2+ channels in normal and abnormal brain functions.

Eunji Cheong1, Hee-Sup Shin

  • 1Department of Biotechnology, Translational Research Center for Protein Function Control, College of Life Science and Biotechnology, Yonsei University, Seoul, Republic of Korea. eunjicheong@yonsei.ac.kr

Physiological Reviews
|August 1, 2013
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Low-voltage-activated T-type calcium (Ca2+) channels regulate neuronal excitability and are crucial for brain rhythms during sleep and absence epilepsy. They also play a key role in pain signal transmission.

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Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Ion Channel Physiology

Background:

  • Low-voltage-activated T-type calcium (Ca2+) channels are prevalent in neurons.
  • These channels activate near resting membrane potential, influencing neuronal excitability.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review the role of T-type Ca2+ channels in physiological and pathological brain rhythms.
  • To discuss their involvement in sleep, absence epilepsy, and pain.
  • To briefly cover their role in cognition.

Main Methods:

  • Literature review of studies on T-type Ca2+ channels.
  • Analysis of their function in neuronal excitability and brain rhythms.
  • Examination of their role in neurological disorders and pain pathways.

Main Results:

  • T-type channels generate low-threshold Ca2+ spikes, triggering burst firing.
  • Burst firing is linked to thalamocortical circuit synchronization during sleep and absence seizures.
  • Abundant expression in pain pathways suggests a role in pain signal transmission.

Conclusions:

  • T-type Ca2+ channels are critical regulators of neuronal activity.
  • They are implicated in the generation of brain rhythms, epilepsy, and pain.
  • Further research is exploring their role in cognitive functions.