Intracellular Ca2+ regulates spike encoding at cortical GABAergic neurons and cerebellar Purkinje cells differently

Biochem Biophys Res Commun. 2009 Mar 27;381(1):129-33. doi: 10.1016/j.bbrc.2009.02.058. Epub 2009 Feb 23.

Abstract

Spike encoding at GABAergic neurons plays an important role in maintaining the homeostasis of brain functions for well-organized behaviors. The rise of intracellular Ca2+ in GABAergic neurons causes synaptic plasticity. It is not clear how intracellular Ca2+ influences their spike encoding. We have investigated this issue at GFP-labeled GABAergic cortical neurons and cerebellar Purkinje cells by whole-cell recording in mouse brain slices. Our results show that an elevation of intracellular Ca2+ by infusing adenophostin-A lowers spike encoding at GABAergic cortical neurons and enhances encoding ability at cerebellar Purkinje cells. These differential effects of cytoplasmic Ca2+ on spike encoding are mechanistically associated with Ca2+-induced changes in the refractory periods and threshold potentials of sequential spikes, as well as with various expression ratios of CaM-KII to calcineurin in GABAergic cortical neurons and cerebellar Purkinje cells.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Action Potentials
  • Animals
  • Calcium / metabolism*
  • Calcium Signaling*
  • Cells, Cultured
  • Cerebral Cortex / cytology
  • Cerebral Cortex / metabolism
  • Cerebral Cortex / physiology*
  • Green Fluorescent Proteins / genetics
  • Green Fluorescent Proteins / metabolism
  • Mice
  • Mice, Inbred Strains
  • Neurons / metabolism
  • Neurons / physiology
  • Purkinje Cells / metabolism
  • Purkinje Cells / physiology*
  • gamma-Aminobutyric Acid / metabolism*

Substances

  • Green Fluorescent Proteins
  • gamma-Aminobutyric Acid
  • Calcium