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PMID: 20194128 Published · ppublish English Journal Article Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

Functional interplay between NMDA receptors, SK channels and voltage-gated Ca2+ channels regulates synaptic excitability in the medial prefrontal cortex.

The Journal of physiology ·Vol. 588 ·No. Pt 8 ·2010-04-15 ·Pages 1281-92

Faber ES

Abstract

Synaptic activity in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) is fundamental for higher cognitive functions such as working memory. The present study shows that small conductance (SK) calcium-activated potassium channels attenuate excitatory synaptic transmission at layer 2/3 and layer 5 inputs to layer 5 pyramidal neurons in the mPFC. SK channels are located postsynaptically at synapses where they are activated during synaptic transmission by calcium influx through NMDA receptors, L-type calcium channels, R-type calcium channels and by calcium release from IP(3)-sensitive stores. Removal of the SK channel-mediated shunt of synaptic transmission reveals significant NMDA receptor-mediated activation during basal synaptic transmission, which is greater at layer 5 inputs (approximately 30%) than at layer 2/3 inputs (approximately 20%). These findings show that interactions between NMDA receptors, SK channels and voltage-gated calcium channels play a critical role in regulating excitatory synaptic transmission in layer 5 pyramidal neurons in the mPFC.

MeSH Terms
Animals Calcium/metabolism Calcium Channels, L-Type/physiology Calcium Channels, R-Type/physiology Cell Communication Female Male Models, Animal Potassium Channels, Voltage-Gated/physiology Prefrontal Cortex/physiology Pyramidal Cells/cytology,physiology Rats Rats, Wistar Receptors, N-Methyl-D-Aspartate/physiology Small-Conductance Calcium-Activated Potassium Channels/physiology Synapses/physiology Synaptic Transmission/physiology
Chemicals
Calcium Channels, L-Type Calcium Channels, R-Type Potassium Channels, Voltage-Gated Receptors, N-Methyl-D-Aspartate Small-Conductance Calcium-Activated Potassium Channels Calcium
Authors & Affiliations
1 authors, click to expand affiliations / ORCID
Faber E S L
Queensland Brain Institute, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia. [email protected]
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Article Info
Journal
The Journal of physiology
Abbr.
J Physiol
ISSN
1469-7793
DOI
10.1113/jphysiol.2009.185645
Email
[email protected]
Published
2010-04-15
Epub
2010-00-01
Pages
1281-92
Language
English
Region
England
NLM ID
0266262
PMCID
PMC2872733
Subset
IM
External Links
PubMed source DOI: 10.1113/jphysiol.2009.185645 PMC Full Text View journal details
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