Journal of neurophysiology
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There is a growing body of evidence that sensory neuropathy in diabetes is associated with abnormal calcium signaling in dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurons. Enhanced influx of calcium via multiple high-threshold calcium currents is present in sensory neurons of several models of diabetes mellitus, including the spontaneously diabetic BioBred/Worchester (BB/W) rat and the chemical streptozotocin (STZ)-induced rat. We believe that abnormal calcium signaling in diabetes has pathologic significance as elevation of calcium influx and cytosolic calcium release has been implicated in other neurodegenerative conditions characterized by neuronal dysfunction and death. ⋯ Direct measurement of GTPase activity using opiate-mediated GTPgamma[(35)S] binding, confirmed that G-protein activity was significantly diminished in STZ-induced diabetic neurons compared with age-matched nondiabetic controls. Diabetes did not alter the level of expression of mu opiate receptors and G-protein alpha subunits. These studies indicate that impaired regulation of calcium channels by G proteins is an important mechanism contributing to enhanced calcium influx in diabetes.
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C-type dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurons can generate tetrodotoxin-resistant (TTX-R) sodium-dependent action potentials. However, multiple sodium channels are expressed in these neurons, and the molecular identity of the TTX-R sodium channels that contribute to action potential production in these neurons has not been established. In this study, we used current-clamp recordings to compare action potential electrogenesis in Na(v)1.8 (+/+) and (-/-) small DRG neurons maintained for 2-8 h in vitro to examine the role of sodium channel Na(v)1.8 (alpha-SNS) in action potential electrogenesis. ⋯ Calculations based on the action potential overshoot in Na(v)1.8 (+/+) and (-/-) neurons, following blockade of Ca(2+) currents, indicate that Na(v)1.8 contributes a substantial fraction (80-90%) of the inward membrane current that flows during the rising phase of the action potential. We found that fast TTX-sensitive Na(+) channels can produce all-or-none action potentials in some Na(v)1.8 (-/-) neurons but, presumably as a result of steady-state inactivation of these channels, electrogenesis in Na(v)1.8 (-/-) neurons is more sensitive to membrane depolarization than in Na(v)1.8 (+/+) neurons, and, in the absence of Na(v)1.8, is attenuated with even modest depolarization. These observations indicate that Na(v)1.8 contributes substantially to action potential electrogenesis in C-type DRG neurons.
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The effects of a mild freeze injury to the skin on responses of nociceptive dorsal horn neurons to cold and heat stimuli were examined in anesthetized rats. Electrophysiological recordings were obtained from 72 nociceptive spinal neurons located in the superficial and deep dorsal horn. All neurons had receptive fields (RFs) on the glabrous skin of the hindpaw, and neurons were functionally divided into wide dynamic range (WDR) and high-threshold (HT) neurons. ⋯ WDR and HT neurons exhibited an 89% and a 192% increase in response across all cold stimuli, and a 93 and 92% increase in responses evoked across all heat stimuli, respectively. Our results demonstrate that many spinal neurons encode intensity of noxious cold as well as noxious heat over a broad range of stimulus temperatures. Enhanced responses of WDR and HT neurons to cold and heat stimuli after a mild freeze injury is likely to contribute to thermal hyperalgesia following a similar freeze injury in humans.
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Substance P stimulates respiration, in part by a direct action on the pre-Bötzinger complex (preBötC). This region of the medulla oblongata contains neurons that are strongly immunoreactive for the neurokinin-1 receptor (NK1R-ir), and a recent theory has postulated that these cells might be the adult form of excitatory interneurons that are essential for respiratory rhythmogenesis in neonates. Here we sought to determine whether preBötC respiratory neurons are indeed NK1R-ir in the adult rat. ⋯ The subtype of NK1R identified by the antibody is detectable only in a small minority of preBötC respiratory cells, most notably in pre-I interneurons. Given prior anatomical evidence, these NK1R-ir pre-I interneurons are most likely glutamatergic. The data are consistent with the possibility that the NK1R-ir pre-I interneurons of the adult preBötC could be the adult form of a class of inspiratory neurons that are rhythmogenic in the neonate (either the pacemakers and/or an excitatory subtype of follower neurons).
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Clinical Trial
Effects of apomorphine on subthalamic nucleus and globus pallidus internus neurons in patients with Parkinson's disease.
This study examines the effect of apomorphine (APO), a nonselective D(1)- and D(2)-dopamine receptor agonist, on the firing activity of neurons in the subthalamic nucleus (STN) and internal segment of the globus pallidus (GPi) in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD). Single-unit microelectrode recordings were conducted in 13 patients undergoing implantation of deep brain stimulation electrodes in STN and 6 patients undergoing a pallidotomy. Doses of APO (2.5-8 mg) were sufficient to produce an ON state, but not intended to induce dyskinetic movements. ⋯ During the OFF state, more than 15% of neurons tested (STN = 93, GPi = 63) responded to passive movement of two or more joints. After APO, this proportion decreased significantly to 7% of STN cells and 4% of GPi cells (STN = 28, GPi = 26). These findings suggest that the APO-induced amelioration of parkinsonian symptoms is not solely due to a decrease in overall activity in the GPi or STN as predicted by the current model of basal ganglia function in PD.