PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Motoharu Yoshida
AU  - Michael E. Hasselmo
TI  - Persistent Firing Supported by an Intrinsic Cellular Mechanism in a Component of the Head Direction System
AID  - 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.5154-08.2009
DP  - 2009 Apr 15
TA  - The Journal of Neuroscience
PG  - 4945--4952
VI  - 29
IP  - 15
4099  - http://www.jneurosci.org/content/29/15/4945.short
4100  - http://www.jneurosci.org/content/29/15/4945.full
SO  - J. Neurosci.2009 Apr 15; 29
AB  - 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.