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Electrical properties of oligodendrocytes in culture

  • Excitable Tissues and Central Nervous
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Abstract

The electrical properties of immunocytologically identified oligondendrocytes from embryonic mouse spinal cord maintained in culture for 3 to 6 weeks were studied by passing current and recording potential changes with two separate intracellular electrodes. The average input resistance was 3.3 M Ω and ranged from 0.7 to 16 M Ω (n=35). The input resistance increased by 19% with depolarization and decreased by 9% with hyperpolarization of 25 mV. The membrane time constant determined from the slope of the late exponential tail was 3.45±2.5 ms SD (n=15). The specific membrane resistance of three cells was determined by a simplified square pulse analysis combined with measurement of membrane area. Membrane area was estimated from photomicrographs of cells injected with Lucifer Yellow CH and stained with the cell surface-reactive antibody 04 and from electron micrographs. An average specific membrane resistance of 1.3×103 Ωcm2 and specific capacitance of 1.7 μF/cm2 were calculated. Increasing [K+]o depolarized the cells and decreased the input resistance and the time constant.

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Author notes

  1. R. K. Orkand

    Present address: Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine, Philadelphia, USA

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Neurobiology, University of Heidelberg, Im Neuenheimer Feld 504, D-6900, Heidelberg, Germany

    H. Kettenmann, U. Sonnhof, S. Kuhlmann, R. K. Orkand & M. Schachner

  2. Department of Neurophysiology, Max-Planck-Institute for Psychiatry, Kraepelinstrasse 2, D-8000, Munich 40, Germany

    H. Camerer

Authors
  1. H. Kettenmann
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  2. U. Sonnhof
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  3. H. Camerer
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  4. S. Kuhlmann
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  5. R. K. Orkand
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  6. M. Schachner
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Kettenmann, H., Sonnhof, U., Camerer, H. et al. Electrical properties of oligodendrocytes in culture. Pflugers Arch. 401, 324–332 (1984). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00584331

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00584331

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