Increased neuronal excitability during depolarization-induced suppression of inhibition in rat hippocampus

1. Depolarization-induced suppression of inhibition (DSI) is a form of plasticity of gamma-amino-butyric acid (GABAA)-mediated (henceforth 'GABAergic') responses in the CNS. We made whole-cell recordings from CA1 pyramidal neurons to investigate the effects of DSI on excitatory synaptic transmission in the hippocampal slice preparation. 2. Significant enhancement of the voltage-clamped excitatory postsynaptic current (EPSC) occurs during DSI of the temporally overlapping inhibitory postsynaptic current. With high levels of calcium chelators in the pipette solution, or bath application of bicuculline, EPSC enhancement is blocked, suggesting that it results from DSI and that the DSI process selectively affects GABAergic, but not glutamatergic, transmission. 3. The probability of synaptically evoked action potential firing is increased during DSI under current clamp. DSI could influence other excitatory phenomena as well.