The Journal of Neuroscience, July 15, 1998, 18(14):5212-5224
Response of Thalamocortical Neurons to Hypoxia: A Whole-Cell
Patch-Clamp Study
Gül
Erdemli and
Vincenzo
Crunelli
Physiology Unit, School of Molecular and Medical Biosciences,
University of Wales Cardiff, Cardiff, CF1 3US, United Kingdom
The effect of hypoxia (3-4 min of 95% N2, 5%
CO2) on thalamocortical (TC) neurons was
investigated using the whole-cell patch-clamp technique in rat dorsal
lateral geniculate nucleus slices kept submerged at 32°C. The
predominant feature of the response of TC neurons to hypoxia was an
increase in input conductance (
GN = 117 ± 15%, n = 33) that was accompanied by
an inward shift in baseline holding current
(IBH) at
65 and
57 mV
(
IBH =
45 ± 6 pA,
n = 18, and
25 ± 8 pA,
n = 33, respectively) but not at
40 mV. The
hypoxia-induced increase in GN (as well as
the shift in IBH) was abolished by
procedures that are known to block
Ih, i.e., bath application of
4-(N-ethyl-N-phenylamino)-1,2-dimethyl-6-(methylamino)-pyrimidinium chloride (100-300 µM) (
GN = 5 ± 13%, n = 11) and CsCl (2-3
mM) (
GN = 16 ± 16%,
n = 5), or low
[Na+]o
(
GN = 10 ± 10%,
n = 5), whereas bath application of
BaCl2 (0.1-2.0 mM) had no significant effect
(
GN = 128 ± 14%,
n = 8). The hypoxic response was also abolished in
low [Ca+2]o
(
GN = 25 ± 16%,
IBH =
6 ± 8 pA,
n = 13), but was unaffected by recording with
electrodes containing EGTA (10 mM), BAPTA (10-30 mM), Cs+, or Cl
, as
well as in the presence of external tetraethylammonium and 4-aminopyridine. Furthermore, preincubation of the slices with botulinum toxin A (100 nM), which is known to reduce
Ca2+-dependent transmitter release, blocked the
hypoxic response (
GN =
3 ± 15%,
IBH = 10 ± 5 pA,
n = 4).
We suggest that a positive shift in the voltage-dependence of
Ih and a change in its activation kinetics,
which transforms it into a fast activating current, may be responsible
for the hypoxia-induced changes in GN and
IBH, probably via an increase in
Ca+2-dependent transmitter release.
Key words:
hypoxia; Ih; inward
rectification; cesium; ZD 7288; dorsal lateral geniculate nucleus; botulinum toxin; transmitter release
Copyright © 1998 Society for Neuroscience 0270-6474/98/18145212-13$05.00/0