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Characterization of Rebound Depolarization in Neurons of the Rat Medial Geniculate Body In Vitro

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Abstract

Rebound depolarization (RD) is a response to the offset from hyperpolarization of the neuronal membrane potential and is an important mechanism for the synaptic processing of inhibitory signals. In the present study, we characterized RD in neurons of the rat medial geniculate body (MGB), a nucleus of the auditory thalamus, using whole-cell patch-clamp and brain slices. RD was proportional in strength to the duration and magnitude of the hyperpolarization; was effectively blocked by Ni2+ or Mibefradil; and was depressed when the resting membrane potential was hyperpolarized by blocking hyperpolarization-activated cyclic nucleotide-gated (HCN) channels with ZD7288 or by activating G-protein-gated inwardly-rectifying K+ (GIRK) channels with baclofen. Our results demonstrated that RD in MGB neurons, which is carried by T-type Ca2+ channels, is critically regulated by HCN channels and likely by GIRK channels.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by the National Basic Research Development Program of China (2011CB504506 and 2012CB932502), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (81570915, 81371503 and 31170965) and the Open Fund from CAS Key Laboratory of Brain Function and Diseases, China (2012-3).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. CAS Key Laboratory of Brain Function and Diseases, School of Life Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, 230027, China

    Xin-Xing Wang, Ming Wang & Lin Chen

  2. Auditory Research Laboratory, School of Life Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, 230027, China

    Yan Jin, Ming Wang & Lin Chen

  3. Department of Physiology, Binzhou Medical University, Yantai, 264003, China

    Hui Sun & Chunlei Ma

  4. Department of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, MI, 48201, USA

    Jinsheng Zhang

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  1. Xin-Xing Wang
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  2. Yan Jin
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Correspondence to Lin Chen.

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Wang, XX., Jin, Y., Sun, H. et al. Characterization of Rebound Depolarization in Neurons of the Rat Medial Geniculate Body In Vitro . Neurosci. Bull. 32, 16–26 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12264-015-0006-5

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