Muscarinic slow EPSPs in neostriatal and hippocampal neurons in vitro

Cholinergic slow excitatory postsynaptic potentials (slow EPSPs) can be elicited by presynaptic tetanic stimulation in brain slices obtained from rat neostriatum or guinea pig hippocampus. Slow EPSPs are generated by a reduction of a K-leak-conductance. In hippocampal neurons slow EPSPs are amplified by the reduction of an outward current termed IAHP through the activation of a second muscarinic receptor subtype. While hippocampal slow EPSPs might be involved in information processing across hippocampal pathways, muscarinic modulation in the neostriatum consists of a presynaptic tuning of nicotinic fast synaptic transmission.