Abstract
Intracellular calcium is a ubiquitous and potent regulator of many cellular enzymes, channels, pumps, and structural elements. To perform such a variety of functions, the concentration of intracellular calcium ions ([Ca2+]i) must be carefully regulated. In vertebrate neurons, resting calcium levels are generally fixed between 5 and 10x10-8 M. However in an intact nervous system, neurons are seldom at rest and [Ca2+]i can vary with both time and spatial distribution within a neuron. Fluctuations of [Ca2+]i over orders of magnitude have been recorded from neurons in slices and in culture, in the absence of any external stimulus (Tank et al, 1988, Connor et al, 1987, Womack et al, 1988). These calcium transients can be driven by intrinsically-generated membrane oscillations or by synaptic activity. The studies described in this chapter address some of the mechanisms by which excitatory amino acid-mediated synaptic transmission might produce transient elevations of [Ca2+]i.
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MacDermott, A.B., Reichling, D.B., Arancio, O. (1990). Mechanisms Underlying Excitatory Amino Acid-Evoked Calcium Entry in Cultured Neurons from the Embryonic Rat Spinal Cord. In: Ben-Ari, Y. (eds) Excitatory Amino Acids and Neuronal Plasticity. Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology, vol 268. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4684-5769-8_14
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