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The Journal of Neuroscience, April 15, 2009, 29(15):4945-4952; doi:10.1523/JNEUROSCI.5154-08.2009

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Behavioral/Systems/Cognitive
Persistent Firing Supported by an Intrinsic Cellular Mechanism in a Component of the Head Direction System

Motoharu Yoshida and Michael E. Hasselmo

Center for Memory and Brain, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts 02215

Correspondence should be addressed to Motoharu Yoshida, Center for Memory and Brain, 2 Cummington Street, Boston University, Boston, MA 02215. Email: motoharu{at}bu.edu

The rat postsubiculum has head direction cells that fire persistently when the rat's head is oriented in particular directions. This persistent firing is maintained even if the rat is motionless, when spatial cues are removed from the environment and in the dark, but the mechanism that supports persistent firing of the head direction cells is still unclear. Here, using in vitro whole-cell patch recording, we found that a short-triggering stimulus (as few as five induced spikes) can initiate persistent firing in cells of the postsubiculum. Pharmacological results indicated that this persistent firing is driven by a calcium-sensitive nonselective cation current. The distribution of cells with persistent firing in superficial and deep layers in the postsubiculum was similar to that of head direction cells. These results suggest that persistent firing of head direction cells in the postsubiculum could be supported by an intrinsic mechanism.

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Received Oct. 24, 2008; revised March 19, 2009; accepted March 20, 2009.

Correspondence should be addressed to Motoharu Yoshida, Center for Memory and Brain, 2 Cummington Street, Boston University, Boston, MA 02215. Email: motoharu{at}bu.edu

This article has been cited by other articles:

				D. Fricker, Cél. Dinocourt, E. Eugène, J. Wood, and R. Miles Pyramidal cells of rodent presubiculum express a tetrodotoxin-insensitive Na+ current J. Physiol., September 1, 2009; 587(17): 4249 - 4264. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

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