Journal
JOURNAL OF NEUROSCIENCE
Volume 32, Issue 23, Pages 7782-7790Publisher
SOC NEUROSCIENCE
DOI: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.0839-12.2012
Keywords
-
Categories
Funding
- NIDA [DA029381]
- NICHD [HD065561]
- NINDS [NS077989]
- American Heart Association
- Whitehall Foundation
- Epilepsy Foundation
Ask authors/readers for more resources
GABAergic neurons in the thalamic reticular nucleus (TRN) form powerful inhibitory connections with several dorsal thalamic nuclei, thereby controlling attention, sensory processing, and synchronous oscillations in the thalamocortical system. TRN neurons are interconnected by a network of GABAergic synapses, but their properties and their role in shaping TRN neuronal activity are not well understood. Using recording techniques aimed to minimize changes in the intracellular milieu, we show that synaptic GABA(A) receptor activation triggers postsynaptic depolarizations in mouse TRN neurons. Immunohistochemical data indicate that TRN neurons express very low levels of the Cl- transporter KCC2. In agreement, perforated-patch recordings show that intracellular Cl- levels are high in TRN neurons, resulting in a Cl- reversal potential (E-Cl) significantly depolarized from rest. Additionally, we find that GABA(A) receptor-evoked depolarizations are amplified by the activation of postsynaptic T-type Ca2+ channels, leading to dendritic Ca2+ increases and the generation of burst firing in TRN neurons. In turn, GABA-evoked burst firing results in delayed and long-lasting feedforward inhibition in thalamic relay cells. Our results show that GABA-evoked depolarizations can interact with T-type Ca2+ channels to powerfully control spike generation in TRN neurons.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available