Neuroscience research
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Neuroscience research · May 2015
Effects of riluzole on respiratory rhythm generation in the brainstem-spinal cord preparation from newborn rat.
The persistent sodium channel is an important pacemaker component in rhythm generation. In the present study, we examined the effects of a persistent sodium channel blocker, riluzole on pre-inspiratory (Pre-I) and inspiratory neurons in the rostral medulla as well as on 4th cervical ventral root (C4)-inspiratory activity in brainstem-spinal cord preparations. Preparations were isolated from postnatal day 0-3 Wistar rats and were superfused with artificial cerebrospinal fluid, equilibrated with 95% O2 and 5% CO2, pH 7.4, at 25-26 °C. ⋯ Under voltage clamp conditions, riluzole suppressed the negative-slope component of Pre-I neurons. Riluzole also depressed the intrinsic burst generation of Pre-I neurons in low calcium and high magnesium solution. Our findings indicate that the burst generation of Pre-I neurons is more sensitive than inspiratory burst generation to riluzole and thus suggested that persistent sodium channels have an important role in the burst generation of Pre-I neurons and are involved in the primary respiratory rhythm generation.