QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

HOME  |   SEARCH  |   ARCHIVE  |   SUBSCRIBE  |   CONTACT  |   HELP

This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Submit an eLetter Alert me when this article is cited Alert me when eLetters are posted Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in Web of Science Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Web of Science (71) Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Feigenspan, A. Articles by Raviola, E. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Feigenspan, A. Articles by Raviola, E.

 Previous Article  |  Next Article 

The Journal of Neuroscience, September 1, 1998, 18(17):6776-6789

Spontaneous Activity of Solitary Dopaminergic Cells of the Retina

Andreas Feigenspan, Stefano Gustincich, Bruce P. Bean, and Elio Raviola

Department of Neurobiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115

Dopaminergic interplexiform amacrine cells were labeled in transgenic mice with human placental alkaline phosphatase and could therefore be identified after dissociation of the retina and used for whole-cell current and voltage clamp. In absence of synaptic inputs, dopaminergic amacrines spontaneously fired action potentials in a rhythmic pattern. This activity was remarkably robust in the face of inhibition of various voltage-dependent ion channels. It was minimally affected by external cesium or cobalt, suggesting no involvement of either the hyperpolarization-activated cation current I_h or voltage-dependent calcium channels. Inhibiting calcium-activated potassium channels by charybdotoxin or tetraethylammonium slowed the repolarizing phase of the action potentials and eliminated a slow afterhyperpolarization but had a scarce effect on the frequency of spontaneous firing. Voltage-clamp experiments showed that the interspike depolarization leading to threshold results from tetrodotoxin-sensitive sodium channels active at the interspike voltages of 60 to 40 mV. Because dopamine acts on distant targets in the retina, the pacemaker activity of dopaminergic amacrines may be necessary to ensure a tonic release of the modulator from their dendritic tree. Pacemaking is a property that this type of retinal amacrine cell shares with the dopaminergic mesencephalic neurons, but the ionic mechanisms responsible for the spontaneous firing are apparently different.

Key words: dopamine; retina; interplexiform amacrine cells; patch clamp; pacemaker activity; ion channels; subthreshold sodium current

---

Copyright © 1998 Society for Neuroscience  0270-6474/98/18176776-14$05.00/0

This article has been cited by other articles:

				H. Hirasawa, M. Puopolo, and E. Raviola Extrasynaptic Release of GABA by Retinal Dopaminergic Neurons J Neurophysiol, July 1, 2009; 102(1): 146 - 158. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				N. K. Archibald, M. P. Clarke, U. P. Mosimann, and D. J. Burn The retina in Parkinson's disease Brain, May 1, 2009; 132(5): 1128 - 1145. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				J. Petit-Jacques and S. A. Bloomfield Synaptic Regulation of the Light-Dependent Oscillatory Currents in Starburst Amacrine Cells of the Mouse Retina J Neurophysiol, August 1, 2008; 100(2): 993 - 1006. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				D. K. Mojumder, D. M. Sherry, and L. J. Frishman Contribution of voltage-gated sodium channels to the b-wave of the mammalian flash electroretinogram J. Physiol., May 15, 2008; 586(10): 2551 - 2580. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				M. J. Russo, E. Mugnaini, and M. Martina Intrinsic properties and mechanisms of spontaneous firing in mouse cerebellar unipolar brush cells J. Physiol., June 1, 2007; 581(2): 709 - 724. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				D. J. Margolis and P. B. Detwiler Different Mechanisms Generate Maintained Activity in ON and OFF Retinal Ganglion Cells J. Neurosci., May 30, 2007; 27(22): 5994 - 6005. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				M. Puopolo, E. Raviola, and B. P. Bean Roles of Subthreshold Calcium Current and Sodium Current in Spontaneous Firing of Mouse Midbrain Dopamine Neurons J. Neurosci., January 17, 2007; 27(3): 645 - 656. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				D.-Q. Zhang, T.-R. Zhou, and D. G. McMahon Functional Heterogeneity of Retinal Dopaminergic Neurons Underlying Their Multiple Roles in Vision J. Neurosci., January 17, 2007; 27(3): 692 - 699. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				E. Gingl and H. Tichy Continuous Tonic Spike Activity in Spider Warm Cells in the Absence of Sensory Input J Neurophysiol, September 1, 2006; 96(3): 989 - 997. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				L. Forti, E. Cesana, J. Mapelli, and E. D'Angelo Ionic mechanisms of autorhythmic firing in rat cerebellar Golgi cells J. Physiol., August 1, 2006; 574(3): 711 - 729. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				R. F. Miller, N. P. Staff, and T. J. Velte Form and Function of ON-OFF Amacrine Cells in the Amphibian Retina J Neurophysiol, May 1, 2006; 95(5): 3171 - 3190. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				M. Puopolo, B. P. Bean, and E. Raviola Spontaneous Activity of Isolated Dopaminergic Periglomerular Cells of the Main Olfactory Bulb J Neurophysiol, November 1, 2005; 94(5): 3618 - 3627. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				J. Petit-Jacques, B. Volgyi, B. Rudy, and S. Bloomfield Spontaneous Oscillatory Activity of Starburst Amacrine Cells in the Mouse Retina J Neurophysiol, September 1, 2005; 94(3): 1770 - 1780. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				A. Pignatelli, K. Kobayashi, H. Okano, and O. Belluzzi Functional properties of dopaminergic neurones in the mouse olfactory bulb J. Physiol., April 15, 2005; 564(2): 501 - 514. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				C. J. Habermann, B. J. O'Brien, H. Wassle, and D. A. Protti AII Amacrine Cells Express L-Type Calcium Channels at Their Output Synapses J. Neurosci., July 30, 2003; 23(17): 6904 - 6913. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				J. Vigh, E. Solessio, C. W. Morgans, and E. M. Lasater Ionic Mechanisms Mediating Oscillatory Membrane Potentials in Wide-Field Retinal Amacrine Cells J Neurophysiol, July 1, 2003; 90(1): 431 - 443. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				M.C.W. van Rossum, B. J. O'Brien, and R. G. Smith Effects of Noise on the Spike Timing Precision of Retinal Ganglion Cells J Neurophysiol, May 1, 2003; 89(5): 2406 - 2419. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				Y. Yamada, A. Koizumi, E. Iwasaki, S.-I. Watanabe, and A. Kaneko Propagation of Action Potentials From the Soma to Individual Dendrite of Cultured Rat Amacrine Cells Is Regulated by Local GABA Input J Neurophysiol, June 1, 2002; 87(6): 2858 - 2866. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				A. Koizumi, S.-I. Watanabe, and A. Kaneko Persistent Na+ Current and Ca2+ Current Boost Graded Depolarization of Rat Retinal Amacrine Cells in Culture J Neurophysiol, August 1, 2001; 86(2): 1006 - 1016. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				N. Flores-Herr, D. A. Protti, and H. Wassle Synaptic Currents Generating the Inhibitory Surround of Ganglion Cells in the Mammalian Retina J. Neurosci., July 1, 2001; 21(13): 4852 - 4863. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				I. M. Raman, A. E. Gustafson, and D. Padgett Ionic Currents and Spontaneous Firing in Neurons Isolated from the Cerebellar Nuclei J. Neurosci., December 15, 2000; 20(24): 9004 - 9016. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				B. D. Bennett, J. C. Callaway, and C. J. Wilson Intrinsic Membrane Properties Underlying Spontaneous Tonic Firing in Neostriatal Cholinergic Interneurons J. Neurosci., November 15, 2000; 20(22): 8493 - 8503. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				S.-I. Watanabe, A. Koizumi, S. Matsunaga, J. W. Stocker, and A. Kaneko GABA-Mediated Inhibition Between Amacrine Cells in the Goldfish Retina J Neurophysiol, October 1, 2000; 84(4): 1826 - 1834. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				B. A. Hughes, G. Kumar, Y. Yuan, A. Swaminathan, D. Yan, A. Sharma, L. Plumley, T. L. Yang-Feng, and A. Swaroop Cloning and functional expression of human retinal Kir2.4, a pH-sensitive inwardly rectifying K+ channel Am J Physiol Cell Physiol, September 1, 2000; 279(3): C771 - C784. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				I. Cohen and R. Miles Contributions of intrinsic and synaptic activities to the generation of neuronal discharges in in vitro hippocampus J. Physiol., April 15, 2000; 524(2): 485 - 502. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				B. Amini, J. W. Clark Jr., and C. C. Canavier Calcium Dynamics Underlying Pacemaker-Like and Burst Firing Oscillations in Midbrain Dopaminergic Neurons: A Computational Study J Neurophysiol, November 1, 1999; 82(5): 2249 - 2261. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				D. Fricker, J. A H Verheugen, and R. Miles Cell-attached measurements of the firing threshold of rat hippocampal neurones J. Physiol., June 15, 1999; 517(3): 791 - 804. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				G.-Y. Wang, B. A. Olshausen, and L. M. Chalupa Differential Effects of Apamin- and Charybdotoxin-Sensitive K+ Conductances on Spontaneous Discharge Patterns of Developing Retinal Ganglion Cells J. Neurosci., April 1, 1999; 19(7): 2609 - 2618. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				I. M. Raman and B. P. Bean Ionic Currents Underlying Spontaneous Action Potentials in Isolated Cerebellar Purkinje Neurons J. Neurosci., March 1, 1999; 19(5): 1663 - 1674. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				T. R. Cummins, J. R. Howe, and S. G. Waxman Slow Closed-State Inactivation: A Novel Mechanism Underlying Ramp Currents in Cells Expressing the hNE/PN1 Sodium Channel J. Neurosci., December 1, 1998; 18(23): 9607 - 9619. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home  |   Search  |   Archive  |   Subscribe  |   Contact  |   Help