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Patch-clamp Capacitance Measurements and Ca2+ Imaging at Single Nerve Terminals in Retinal Slices

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Published on: January 19, 2012

Dentate Granule Cell Capacitance Is Stable across the Light/Dark Cycle.

Jose C Gonzalez¹, Reagan L Pennock¹, Asan F Abdulkareem^1,2

¹Department of Neurobiology and McKnight Brain Institute, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama 35294.

|September 10, 2025

Summary

Neuronal capacitance in dentate granule cells (dGCs) remains stable across the light/dark cycle. Daily changes in neuronal excitability are instead driven by fluctuations in membrane resistance, not capacitance.

Keywords:

circadian dentate gyrus excitability integration intrinsic

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Area of Science:

Neuroscience
Cellular Electrophysiology

Background:

The plasma membrane's capacitive properties are crucial for neuronal excitability and signal propagation.
Neuronal capacitance, often used as a proxy for cell size, was recently proposed to fluctuate across the light/dark cycle, impacting synaptic integration.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate whether dentate granule cell (dGC) capacitance changes across the light/dark cycle.
To determine the underlying mechanisms of daily changes in membrane time constant and neuronal excitability.

Main Methods:

Analysis of a large dataset of dGC recordings from adult male and female mice across the light cycle.
Utilized voltage-clamp and current-clamp approaches to assess neuronal capacitance.
Induced changes in dGC membrane area via acute axotomy and genetic manipulation to validate capacitance measurements.

Main Results:

Daily fluctuations in the membrane time constant are attributed to changes in membrane resistance, not capacitance.
Neuronal capacitance in dGCs was confirmed to be stable throughout the light/dark cycle.
Demonstrated the ability to resolve capacitance changes induced by alterations in dGC membrane area.

Conclusions:

The capacitance of dentate granule cells remains stable across the light/dark cycle.
Daily variations in neuronal excitability and membrane time constant are primarily mediated by fluctuations in membrane resistance.