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Characterisation of rebound depolarisation in mice deep dorsal horn neurons in vitro

  • Neuroscience
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Abstract

Spinal dorsal horn neurons constitute the first relay for pain processing and participate in the processing of other sensory, motor and autonomic information. At the cellular level, intrinsic excitability is a factor contributing to network function. In turn, excitability is set by the array of ionic conductance expressed by neurons. Here, we set out to characterise rebound depolarisation following hyperpolarisation, a feature frequently described in dorsal horn neurons but never addressed in depth. To this end, an in vitro preparation of the spinal cord from mice pups was used combined with whole-cell recordings in current and voltage clamp modes. Results show the expression of H- and/or T-type currents in a significant proportion of dorsal horn neurons. The expression of these currents determines the presence of rebound behaviour at the end of hyperpolarising pulses. T-type calcium currents were associated to high-amplitude rebounds usually involving high-frequency action potential firing. H-currents were associated to low-amplitude rebounds less prone to elicit firing or firing at lower frequencies. For a large proportion of neurons expressing both currents, the H-current constitutes a mechanism to ensure a faster response after hyperpolarisations, adjusting the latency of the rebound firing. We conclude that rebound depolarisation and firing are intrinsic factors to many dorsal horn neurons that may constitute a mechanism to integrate somatosensory information in the spinal cord, allowing for a rapid switch from inhibited-to-excited states.

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Acknowledgments

Research was supported by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (Grant No. BFU 2012–37905) and the University of Alcala (Grant No. CCG2013/BIO-059). Golgi staining was performed by Sol Castillejo.

Ethical standards

Experiments were designed following the European Union and Spanish Government regulations, and the experimental protocols were approved by the University of Alcala Ethics Committee.

Conflicts of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biología de Sistemas (Área Fisiología) Edificio de Medicina, Universidad de Alcala, 28871, Alcalá de Henares, Madrid, Spain

    Ivan Rivera-Arconada & Jose A. Lopez-Garcia

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  1. Ivan Rivera-Arconada
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  2. Jose A. Lopez-Garcia
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Correspondence to Jose A. Lopez-Garcia.

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Rivera-Arconada, I., Lopez-Garcia, J.A. Characterisation of rebound depolarisation in mice deep dorsal horn neurons in vitro. Pflugers Arch - Eur J Physiol 467, 1985–1996 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00424-014-1623-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00424-014-1623-y

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