Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Videos

Single channel properties at the synaptic site

H P Robinson1, N Kawai

  • 1Laboratory of Material Science, NTT Basic Research Laboratories, Tokyo, Japan.

EXS
|January 1, 1993
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

11C-acetate PET in the evaluation of brain glioma: comparison with 11C-methionine and 18F-FDG-PET.

Molecular imaging and biology·2008
Same author

Light-propagation characteristics of Y-branch defect waveguides in AlGaAs-based air-bridge-type two-dimensional photonic crystal slabs.

Optics letters·2007
Same author

Abdominal aortic aneurysm screening reduces mortality: meta-analyses of randomized, controlled trials.

European journal of vascular and endovascular surgery : the official journal of the European Society for Vascular Surgery·2006
Same author

Early hemostatic therapy using recombinant factor VIIa in a collagenase-induced intracerebral hemorrhage model in rats.

Acta neurochirurgica. Supplement·2006
Same author

An optical spectrum of the afterglow of a gamma-ray burst at a redshift of z = 6.295.

Nature·2006
Same author

Fibre-type composition of rabbit jaw muscles is related to their daily activity.

The European journal of neuroscience·2005
Same journal

Forensic toxicology.

EXS·2010
Same journal

Biological warfare agents.

EXS·2010
Same journal

Chemical warfare agents.

EXS·2010
Same journal

Drugs of abuse: management of intoxication and antidotes.

EXS·2010
Same journal

Biological testing for drugs of abuse.

EXS·2010
Same journal

Inhalation toxicology.

EXS·2010
See all related articles

This study quantifies single channel conductances in rat hippocampal neurons, revealing distinct values for non-N-methyl-D-aspartate (non-NMDA) and NMDA receptor channels, as well as chloride channels involved in synaptic currents.

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Cellular Electrophysiology
  • Ion Channel Physiology

Background:

  • Investigating spontaneous postsynaptic currents (sPSCs) is crucial for understanding neuronal communication.
  • Accurate characterization of single ion channel properties is essential for interpreting synaptic transmission.
  • Previous methods for analyzing synaptic currents had limitations in resolving individual channel behavior.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To determine the single channel conductance and kinetics of ion channels underlying excitatory and inhibitory postsynaptic currents in cultured rat hippocampal neurons.
  • To adapt and apply nonstationary fluctuation analysis for precise estimation of single channel properties during synaptic events.
  • To differentiate the conductances of channels involved in the non-NMDA, NMDA, and chloride phases of synaptic currents.

Related Experiment Videos

Main Methods:

  • Utilized low-noise whole-cell recordings in small cultured rat hippocampal neurons.
  • Modified nonstationary fluctuation analysis to separate gating and quantal fluctuations.
  • Estimated single channel amplitude from variance-current distributions and analyzed gating kinetics.
  • Directly resolved NMDA receptor channel openings due to low noise levels.

Main Results:

  • Identified distinct single channel conductances: 1.5 pS for non-NMDA channels, 42 pS for NMDA channels, and 14 pS for chloride channels.
  • The modified fluctuation analysis successfully separated channel gating from quantal variations.
  • Direct observation of NMDA channel openings confirmed the accuracy of the fluctuation method.
  • Measured single channel lifetime and amplitude distributions validated the findings.

Conclusions:

  • The study successfully characterized the single channel properties of key ion channels involved in synaptic transmission in hippocampal neurons.
  • The adapted nonstationary fluctuation analysis provides a robust method for studying channel behavior during synaptic events.
  • The distinct conductances identified contribute to a better understanding of the roles of different receptor types in excitatory and inhibitory signaling.