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Synaptically triggered action potentials in dendrites

W Regehr1, J S Kehoe, P Ascher

  • 1Department of Physiology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia 19104-6085.

Neuron
|July 1, 1993
PubMed
Summary
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Action potentials in pyramidal cells initiate in apical dendrites, not somata. This finding challenges previous assumptions about neuronal electrical signaling and action potential generation.

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Cellular Electrophysiology

Background:

  • Pyramidal cells are key neuronal components in the cerebral cortex.
  • The precise initiation site of action potentials in pyramidal cells remains a subject of investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To test the hypothesis that action potentials originate in the apical dendrites of pyramidal neurons.

Main Methods:

  • Voltage clamp recordings from Layer V pyramidal cell somata in rat motor cortex slices.
  • Application of hyperpolarization and tetrodotoxin to basal dendrites and soma.
  • Stimulation via synaptic input, voltage steps, and direct electrical stimulation.

Main Results:

  • Synaptic input to apical dendrites evoked small synaptic currents at the soma.

Related Experiment Videos

  • Tetrodotoxin and hyperpolarization blocked later spike components but not the initial synaptically triggered Na+ spike in the apical dendrite.
  • Similar Na+ spikes were observed following voltage steps or direct stimulation, independent of somatic or basal dendritic conditions.

    • Conclusions:

    • Sodium (Na+) action potentials are initiated in the apical dendrite of pyramidal cells.
    • This apical dendritic initiation occurs in response to synaptic input.
    • Findings suggest a revised understanding of action potential generation in cortical pyramidal neurons.