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TNF-alpha increases the frequency of spontaneous miniature synaptic currents in cultured rat hippocampal neurons
F Grassi1, A M Mileo, L Monaco
1Dipartimento di Medicina Sperimentale, Università di Roma La Sapienza,Italy.
Brain Research
|October 3, 1994
Abstract:
Tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) is a cytokine secreted by activated astrocytes and is known to alter evoked synaptic activity in slices of adult rat hippocampus. In this paper we show that TNF-alpha increases the frequency of spontaneous miniature synaptic currents in cultured hippocampal neurons, acting at nanomolar concentrations. In addition, we show that the mRNA for the 55 kDa TNF-alpha receptor (TNF-R1) is detected in embryonic rat hippocampal cultures, as well as in acutely dissected embryonic and adult rat hippocampi. Possible transduction pathways mediating the TNF-alpha effect are discussed.