scholarly journals New Insights and Methods for Recording and Imaging Spontaneous Spreading Depolarizations and Seizure-Like Events in Mouse Hippocampal Slices

2021 ◽  
Vol 15 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yi-Ling Lu ◽  
Helen E. Scharfman
Keyword(s):  
Dentate Gyrus ◽  
Optical Imaging ◽  
Hippocampal Slices ◽  
Extracellular Recording ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Optical Signal ◽  
Artificial Cerebrospinal Fluid ◽  
Acute Hippocampal Slices ◽  
Rats And Mice

Spreading depolarization (SD) is a sudden, large, and synchronous depolarization of principal cells which also involves interneurons and astrocytes. It is followed by depression of neuronal activity, and it slowly propagates across brain regions like cortex or hippocampus. SD is considered to be mechanistically relevant to migraine, epilepsy, and traumatic brain injury (TBI), but there are many questions about its basic neurophysiology and spread. Research into SD in hippocampus using slices is often used to gain insight and SD is usually triggered by a focal stimulus with or without an altered extracellular buffer. Here, we optimize an in vitro experimental model allowing us to record SD without focal stimulation, which we call spontaneous. This method uses only an altered extracellular buffer containing 0 mM Mg2+ and 5 mM K+ and makes it possible for simultaneous patch and extracellular recording in a submerged chamber plus intrinsic optical imaging in slices of either sex. We also add methods for quantification and show the quantified optical signal is much more complex than imaging alone would suggest. In brief, acute hippocampal slices were prepared with a chamber holding a submerged slice but with flow of artificial cerebrospinal fluid (aCSF) above and below, which we call interface-like. As soon as slices were placed in the chamber, aCSF with 0 Mg2+/5 K+ was used. Most mouse slices developed SD and did so in the first hour of 0 Mg2+/5 K+ aCSF exposure. In addition, prolonged bursts we call seizure-like events (SLEs) occurred, and the interactions between SD and SLEs suggest potentially important relationships. Differences between rats and mice in different chambers are described. Regarding optical imaging, SD originated in CA3 and the pattern of spread to CA1 and the dentate gyrus was similar in some ways to prior studies but also showed interesting differences. In summary, the methods are easy to use, provide new opportunities to study SD, new insights, and are inexpensive. They support previous suggestions that SD is diverse, and also suggest that participation by the dentate gyrus merits greater attention.

scholarly journals Methods for recording and imaging spreading depolarizations and seizure-like events in mouse hippocampal slices

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yi-Ling Lu ◽  
Helen E Scharfman
Keyword(s):  
Dentate Gyrus ◽  
Optical Imaging ◽  
Hippocampal Slices ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Electrophysiological Recordings ◽  
Artificial Cerebrospinal Fluid ◽  
Vitro Model ◽  
Acute Hippocampal Slices ◽  
Molecular Layers

Spreading depolarization (SD) is a sudden and synchronized depolarization of principal cells followed by depression of activity, which slowly propagates across brain regions like cortex or hippocampus. SD is considered to be mechanistically relevant to migraine, epilepsy, and traumatic brain injury. Interestingly, research into SD typically uses SD triggered immediately after a focal stimulus. Here we optimize an in vitro experimental model allowing us to record SD without focal stimulation. This method uses electrophysiological recordings and intrinsic optical imaging in slices. The method is also relatively easy and inexpensive. Acute hippocampal slices from mice or rats were prepared and used for extracellular and whole-cell recordings. Recordings were made in a submerged-style chamber with flow of artificial cerebrospinal fluid (aCSF) above and below the slices. Flow was fast (> 5ml/min), and temperature was 32°C. As soon as slices were placed in the chamber, aCSF containing 0 mM Mg2+ and 5 mM K+ (0 Mg2+/5 K+ aCSF) was used. Two major types of activity were observed: SD and seizure-like events (SLEs). Both occurred after many minutes of recording. Although both mouse and rat slices showed SLEs, only mouse slices developed SD and did so in the first hour of 0 Mg2+/5 K+ aCSF exposure. Intrinsic optical imaging showed that most SDs initiated in CA3 and could propagate into CA1 and dentate gyrus. In dentate gyrus, SD propagated in two separate waves: (1) into the hilus and (2) into granule cell and molecular layers simultaneously. This in vitro model can be used to better understand the mechanisms and relationship between SD and SLEs. It could also be useful in preclinical drug screening.

Selective Modulation of Tonic and Phasic Inhibitions in Dentate Gyrus Granule Cells

2002 ◽  
Vol 87 (5) ◽  
pp. 2624-2628 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zoltan Nusser ◽  
Istvan Mody
Keyword(s):  
Dentate Gyrus ◽  
Granule Cells ◽  
Cerebellar Granule Cells ◽  
Hippocampal Slices ◽  
Tonic Inhibition ◽  
Adult Rats ◽  
Adult Rat ◽  
Phasic Inhibition ◽  
The Mean

In some nerve cells, activation of GABAA receptors by GABA results in phasic and tonic conductances. Transient activation of synaptic receptors generates phasic inhibition, whereas tonic inhibition originates from GABA acting on extrasynaptic receptors, like in cerebellar granule cells, where it is thought to result from the activation of extrasynaptic GABAA receptors with a specific subunit composition (α6βxδ). Here we show that in adult rat hippocampal slices, extracellular GABA levels are sufficiently high to generate a powerful tonic inhibition in δ subunit–expressing dentate gyrus granule cells. In these cells, the mean tonic current is approximately four times larger than that produced by spontaneous synaptic currents occurring at a frequency of ∼10 Hz. Antagonizing the GABA transporter GAT-1 with NO-711 (2.5 μM) selectively enhanced tonic inhibition by 330% without affecting the phasic component. In contrast, by prolonging the decay of inhibitory postsynaptic currents (IPSCs), the benzodiazepine agonist zolpidem (0.5 μM) augmented phasic inhibition by 66%, while leaving the mean tonic conductance unchanged. These results demonstrate that a tonic GABAA receptor–mediated conductance can be recorded from dentate gyrus granule cells of adult rats in in vitro slice preparations. Furthermore, we have identified distinct pharmacological tools to selectively modify tonic and phasic inhibitions, allowing future studies to investigate their specific roles in neuronal function.

scholarly journals Imaging calcium microdomains within entire astrocyte territories and endfeet with GCaMPs expressed using adeno-associated viruses

2013 ◽  
Vol 141 (5) ◽  
pp. 633-647 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eiji Shigetomi ◽  
Eric A. Bushong ◽  
Martin D. Haustein ◽  
Xiaoping Tong ◽  
Olan Jackson-Weaver ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Blood Vessels ◽  
Hippocampal Slices ◽  
Adult Mice ◽  
Neuronal Synapses ◽  
Primary Signal ◽  
Experimental Approaches ◽  
Acute Hippocampal Slices

Intracellular Ca2+ transients are considered a primary signal by which astrocytes interact with neurons and blood vessels. With existing commonly used methods, Ca2+ has been studied only within astrocyte somata and thick branches, leaving the distal fine branchlets and endfeet that are most proximate to neuronal synapses and blood vessels largely unexplored. Here, using cytosolic and membrane-tethered forms of genetically encoded Ca2+ indicators (GECIs; cyto-GCaMP3 and Lck-GCaMP3), we report well-characterized approaches that overcome these limitations. We used in vivo microinjections of adeno-associated viruses to express GECIs in astrocytes and studied Ca2+ signals in acute hippocampal slices in vitro from adult mice (aged ∼P80) two weeks after infection. Our data reveal a sparkling panorama of unexpectedly numerous, frequent, equivalently scaled, and highly localized Ca2+ microdomains within entire astrocyte territories in situ within acute hippocampal slices, consistent with the distribution of perisynaptic branchlets described using electron microscopy. Signals from endfeet were revealed with particular clarity. The tools and experimental approaches we describe in detail allow for the systematic study of Ca2+ signals within entire astrocytes, including within fine perisynaptic branchlets and vessel-associated endfeet, permitting rigorous evaluation of how astrocytes contribute to brain function.

scholarly journals An In Vitro Model of Hippocampal Sharp Waves: Regional Initiation and Intracellular Correlates

2005 ◽  
Vol 94 (1) ◽  
pp. 741-753 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chiping Wu ◽  
Marjan Nassiri Asl ◽  
Jesse Gillis ◽  
Frances K. Skinner ◽  
Liang Zhang
Keyword(s):  
Dentate Gyrus ◽  
Large Amplitude ◽  
Pyramidal Neurons ◽  
Slow Wave Sleep ◽  
Hippocampal Slices ◽  
Field Potentials ◽  
Sharp Wave ◽  
Sharp Waves ◽  
Hippocampal Circuitry

During slow wave sleep and consummatory behaviors, electroencephalographic recordings from the rodent hippocampus reveal large amplitude potentials called sharp waves. The sharp waves originate from the CA3 circuitry and their generation is correlated with coherent discharges of CA3 pyramidal neurons and dependent on activities mediated by AMPA glutamate receptors. To model sharp waves in a relatively large hippocampal circuitry in vitro, we developed thick (1 mm) mouse hippocampal slices by separating the dentate gyrus from the CA2/CA1 areas while keeping the functional dentate gyrus-CA3-CA1 connections. We found that large amplitude (0.3–3 mV) sharp wave-like field potentials occurred spontaneously in the thick slices without extra ionic or pharmacological manipulation and they resemble closely electroencephalographic sharp waves with respect to waveform, regional initiation, pharmacological manipulations, and intracellular correlates. Through measuring tissue O2, K+, and synaptic and single cell activities, we verified that the sharp wave-like potentials are not a consequence of anoxia, nonspecific elevation of extracellular K+ and dissection-related tissue damage. Our data suggest that a subtle but crucial increase in the CA3 glutamatergic activity effectively recruits a population of neurons thus responsible for the generation of the sharp wave-like spontaneous field potentials in isolated hippocampal circuitry.

Effects of low concentrations of 4-aminopyridine on CA1 pyramidal cells of the hippocampus

1989 ◽  
Vol 61 (5) ◽  
pp. 953-970 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. Perreault ◽  
M. Avoli
Keyword(s):  
High Frequency ◽  
Hippocampal Slices ◽  
Extracellular Recording ◽  
Pyramidal Cells ◽  
Input Resistance ◽  
Peak Latency ◽  
Excitatory Postsynaptic Potential ◽  
Average Value ◽  
Bath Application

1. Intracellular and extracellular recording techniques were used to study the effects of bath application of 4-aminopyridine (4-AP) on pyramidal cells of the CA1 subfield of rat hippocampal slices maintained in vitro. The concentration of 4-AP used in most experiments was 50 microM. However, similar results were obtained with a concentration ranging from 5 to 100 microM. 2. Following 4-AP application, cells impaled with K-acetate-filled microelectrodes hyperpolarized by an average of 2.6 mV (from -68.7 to -71.3 mV, P less than or equal to 0.01). This change was accompanied by the appearance of high-frequency spontaneous hyperpolarizations. Conversely, when KCl-filled microelectrodes were used, an average depolarization of 5.8 mV [from -73.1 to -67.3 mV, not significant (NS)] associated with the occurrence of repetitive depolarizing potentials was observed. In both cases, these changes were concomitant with a small decrease in membrane input resistance, which was statistically significant only for cells impaled with K-acetate-filled microelectrodes. When synaptic transmission was blocked by tetrodotoxin (TTX), 4-AP induced in cells studied with K-acetate microelectrodes an average depolarization of 2.4 mV (from -62.8 to -60.4 mV, P less than or equal to 0.01) accompanied by a small increase in input resistance (from 32.0 to 35.8 M omega, P less than or equal to 0.05). High-frequency spontaneous potentials failed to occur under these conditions. During 4-AP application, the threshold and the latency of action potentials elicited by a depolarizing current pulse increased in 36% of the neurons studied (n = 14). 3. The amplitude of the stratum (s.) radiatum-induced excitatory postsynaptic potential (EPSP) was augmented by 4-AP. Both the early and late inhibitory postsynaptic potentials (IPSPs) evoked by orthodromic stimuli were also increased in amplitude and duration. In addition, a late (peak latency, 150-600 ms) and long-lasting (duration, 600-1,500 ms) depolarizing potential appeared between the early and the late IPSPs and progressively increased until it partially masked these hyperpolarizations. This long-lasting depolarization (LLD) could also be induced by antidromic stimulation, although in this case it was preceded by an additional, fast-rising, brief depolarization. 4. A similar brief depolarization preceded the orthodromically induced LLD in 69% of the neurons bathed in the presence of 4-AP. The average value of the peak latency of this potential was 62 +/- 27 (SD) ms for orthodromic and 110 +/- 70 ms for antidromic responses.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Physiology and pharmacology of epileptiform activity induced by 4-aminopyridine in rat hippocampal slices

1991 ◽  
Vol 65 (4) ◽  
pp. 771-785 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. Perreault ◽  
M. Avoli
Keyword(s):  
Mossy Fiber ◽  
Epileptiform Activity ◽  
Hippocampal Slices ◽  
Extracellular Recording ◽  
Neuronal Membrane ◽  
Frequency Of Occurrence ◽  
Receptor Antagonists ◽  
Postsynaptic Potentials ◽  
Ca3 Neurons

1. Conventional intracellular and extracellular recording techniques were used to investigate the physiology and pharmacology of epileptiform bursts induced by 4-aminopyridine (4-AP, 50 microM) in the CA3 area of rat hippocampal slices maintained in vitro. 2. 4-AP-induced epileptiform bursts, consisting of a 25-to 80-ms depolarizing shift of the neuronal membrane associated with three to six fast action potentials, occurred at the frequency of 0.61 +/- 0.29 (SD)/s. The bursts were generated synchronously by CA3 neurons and were triggered by giant excitatory postsynaptic potentials (EPSPs). A second type of spontaneous activity consisting of a slow depolarization also occurred but at a lower rate (0.04 +/- 0.2/s). 3. The effects of 4-AP on EPSPs and inhibitory postsynaptic potentials (IPSPs) evoked by mossy fiber stimulation were studied on neurons impaled with a mixture of K acetate and 2(triethyl-amino)-N-(2,6-dimethylphenyl) acetamide (QX-314)-filled microelectrodes. After the addition of 4-AP, the EPSP became potentiated and was followed by the appearance of a giant EPSP. This giant EPSP completely obscured the early IPSP recorded under control conditions and inverted at -32 +/- 3.9 mV (n = 4), suggesting that both inhibitory and excitatory conductances were involved in its generation. IPSPs evoked by Schaffer collateral stimulation increased in amplitude and duration after 4-AP application. 4. The spontaneous field bursts and the stimulus-induced giant EPSP induced by 4-AP were not affected by N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor antagonists 3-3 (2-carboxy piperazine-4-yl) propyl-1-phosphonate (CPP) and DL-2-amino-5-phosphonovalerate (APV) but were blocked by quisqualate/kainate receptor antagonists 6-cyano-7-nitroquinoxaline-2,3-dione (CNQX) and 6,7-dinitroquinoxaline-2,3-dione (DNQX). CNQX also abolished the presence of small spontaneously occurring EPSPs, thereby disclosing the presence of bicuculline-sensitive (BMI, 20 microM) IPSPs. 5. Small, nonsynchronous EPSPs played an important role in the generation of 4-AP-induced epileptiform activity. 1) After the addition of 4-AP, small EPSPs appeared randomly on the baseline and then became clustered to produce a depolarizing envelope of irregular shape that progressively formed an epileptiform burst, 2) These small EPSPs were more numerous in the 100 ms period that preceded burst onset. 3) The frequency of occurrence of small EPSPs was positively correlated with the frequency of occurrence of synchronous bursts. 4) Small EPSPs and bursts were similarly decreased after the addition of different concentrations of CNQX (IC50 in both cases of approximately 1.2 microM).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Fabrication and Use of High-Speed, Concentric H+- and Ca2+-Selective Microelectrodes Suitable for In Vitro Extracellular Recording

2006 ◽  
Vol 96 (2) ◽  
pp. 919-924 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nataliya Fedirko ◽  
Nataliya Svichar ◽  
Mitchell Chesler
Keyword(s):  
Response Time ◽  
High Speed ◽  
Hippocampal Slices ◽  
Brain Slices ◽  
Extracellular Recording ◽  
Neurophysiological Studies ◽  
Sensitivity And Selectivity ◽  
Glass Drawing ◽  
Susceptibility To Noise

Ion-selective microelectrodes (ISMs) have been used extensively in neurophysiological studies. ISMs selective for H+ and Ca2+ are notable for their sensitivity and selectivity, but suffer from a slow response time, and susceptibility to noise because of the high electrical resistance of the respective ion exchange cocktails. These drawbacks can be overcome by using a “coaxial” or “concentric” inner micropipette to shunt the bulk of the ion exchanger resistance. This approach was used decades ago to record extracellular [Ca2+] transients in cat cortex, but has not been subsequently used. Here, we describe a method for the rapid fabrication of concentric pH- and Ca2+-selective microelectrodes useful for extracellular studies in brain slices or other work in vitro. Construction was simplified compared with previous implementations, by using commercially available, thin-walled borosilicate glass, drawing an outer barrel with a rapid taper (similar to a patch pipette), and by use of a quick and reliable silanization procedure. Using a piezoelectric stepper to effect a rapid solution change, the response time constants of the concentric pH and Ca2+-electrodes were 14.9 ± 1.3 and 5.3 ± 0.90 ms, respectively. Use of these concentric ISMs is demonstrated in rat hippocampal slices. Activity-dependent, extracellular pH, and [Ca2+] transients are shown to arise two- to threefold faster, and attain amplitudes two- to fourfold greater, when recorded by concentric versus conventional ISMs. The advantage of concentric ISMs for studies of ion transport and ion diffusion is discussed.

scholarly journals Parvalbumin expression and gamma oscillation occurrence increase over time in a neurodevelopmental model of NMDA receptor dysfunction

PeerJ ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
pp. e5543
Author(s):  
Ben van Lier ◽  
Andreas Hierlemann ◽  
Frédéric Knoflach
Keyword(s):  
Synaptic Transmission ◽  
Peak Power ◽  
Hippocampal Slices ◽  
Gamma Oscillations ◽  
Peak Frequency ◽  
Oscillatory Activity ◽  
Therapeutic Drugs ◽  
Acute Hippocampal Slices ◽  
Over Time

Dysfunction of the N-methyl-d-aspartate receptor (NMDAR) is thought to play a role in the pathophysiology of neurodevelopmental diseases like schizophrenia. To study the effects of NMDAR dysfunction on synaptic transmission and network oscillations, we used hippocampal tissue of NMDAR subunit GluN2A knockout (KO) mice. Field excitatory postsynaptic potentials were recorded in acute hippocampal slices of adult animals. Synaptic transmission was impaired in GluN2A KO slices compared to wild-type (WT) slices. Further, to investigate whether NMDAR dysfunction would alter neurodevelopment in vitro, we used organotypic hippocampal slice cultures of WT and GluN2A KO mice. Immunostaining performed with cultures kept two, seven, 14, 25 days in vitro (DIV) revealed an increasing expression of parvalbumin (PV) over time. As a functional readout, oscillatory activity induced by the cholinergic agonist carbachol was recorded in cultures kept seven, 13, and 26 DIV using microelectrode arrays. Initial analysis focused on the occurrence of delta, theta, beta and gamma oscillations over genotype, DIV and hippocampal area (CA1, CA3, dentate gyrus (DG)). In a follow-up analysis, we studied the peak frequency and the peak power of each of the four oscillation bands per condition. The occurrence of gamma oscillations displayed an increase by DIV similar to the PV immunostaining. Unlike gamma occurrence, delta, theta, and beta occurrence did not change over time in culture. The peak frequency and peak power in the different bands of the oscillations were not different in slices of WT and GluN2A KO mice. However, the level of PV expression was lower in GluN2A KO compared to WT mice. Given the role of PV-containing fast-spiking basket cells in generation of oscillations and the decreased PV expression in subjects with schizophrenia, the study of gamma oscillations in organotypic hippocampal slices represents a potentially valuable tool for the characterization of novel therapeutic drugs.

scholarly journals In vitro hippocampal uptake of tritiated serotonin (3H-5HT): A morphological, biochemical, and pharmacological approach to specificity.

1980 ◽  
Vol 28 (7) ◽  
pp. 636-644 ◽  
Author(s):  
E C Azmitia ◽  
W F Marovitz
Keyword(s):  
Dentate Gyrus ◽  
Linear Regression Analysis ◽  
Hippocampal Slices ◽  
Stratum Radiatum ◽  
Ammon's Horn ◽  
Uptake Mechanism ◽  
Cingulum Bundle ◽  
Specific Uptake ◽  
Ammon’S Horn

The in vitro uptake of tritiated serotonin (3H-5HT) into hippocampal slices was measured in Ringer's solution (37 degrees C) containing pargyline, ascorbic acid, and dextrose. The specific uptake of 3H-5HT rose asymptotically as the 3H-5HT molarity was increased from 5 x 10(-10) to 1.5 x 10(-6) M. Linear regression analysis gave a Km value for the specific uptake of 1.4 x 10(-7) M. The nonspecific binding (NSB) was the amount of 3H-5HT retained by the slices following incubation in a medium with a very large excess of unlabeled 5-HT added to dilute the specific uptake of 3H-5HT. This NSB increased with increasing molarity of 3H-5HT, and was linearly related to 3H-5HT concentrations between 5 x 10(-9) and 1.5 x 10(-6) M. The ratio of specific uptake to NSB was highest at 5 x 10(-8) M (2.75) and lowest at 1.5 x 10(-6) M of 3H-5HT (0.54). Competition studies with noradrenaline, desipramine (a noradrenergic uptake blocker), fluoxetine (a 5-HT uptake blocker), and tryptophan confirmed the specificity of the 3H-5HT uptake mechanism. Radioautographic studies of in vitro incubated hippocampal slices showed silver grain aggregates at 3H-5HT specific uptake sites. Addition of an excess of unlabeled 5-HT to the slices, or the use of hippocampi from 5,7-dihydroxytryptamine intracerebral microinjected rats (5 microgram/400 nl into the fornix-fimbria and the cingulum bundle, 6 day survival) caused a dramatic decrease in these aggregates. The distribution of hippocampal 5-HT axons and terminals, inferred from the pattern of silver grain aggregates, is more widespread than previously described. 5-HT varicosities were clearly seen in all layers of Ammon's horn, dentate gyrus, and the subicular cortex. Innervation routes were seen to the stratum radiatum and stratum lacunosum from stratum oriens in Ammon's horn, and to the polymorphic layer of the dentate gyrus from the subicular cortex and from the fimbria. Semiquantitation of the occurrence of silver grain aggregates was done in the various hippocampal regions. The highest density in Ammon's horn was 119.5 boutons/10,000 micron2, in the dentate gyrus it was 67.4 boutons/10,000 micron2, and in the subicular cortex it was 79.2 boutons/10,000 micron2. These results are consistent with previous quantitative results.

Burst characteristics of dentate gyrus granule cells: evidence for endogenous and nonsynaptic properties

1996 ◽  
Vol 75 (1) ◽  
pp. 124-132 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. Pan ◽  
J. L. Stringer
Keyword(s):  
Dentate Gyrus ◽  
Action Potentials ◽  
Granule Cells ◽  
Epileptiform Activity ◽  
Hippocampal Slices ◽  
Current Injection ◽  
Single Action ◽  
Epileptiform Discharges

1. Hippocampal slices bathed in 8 mM potassium and 0-added calcium exhibited spontaneous epileptiform activity in the dentate gyrus. Extracellular recording revealed recurrent prolonged bursts of population spikes and an associated negative DC shift. These episodes were very similar to the in vivo phenomenon termed maximal dentate activation (MDA). Therefore this in vitro activity will be referred to as MDA-like activity or events. 2. During the MDA-like activity, the individual granule cells exhibited a sustained depolarization that matched the duration of the negative extracellular DC shift. At the beginning of the MDA-like activity, there was a burst of action potentials. After the burst, most granule cells either continued to fire action potentials regularly or in bursts. Some cells exhibited this initial burst of activity and then a dramatic reduction in firing rate. This reduction in rate was followed by a gradual increase in the amplitude and frequency of the epileptiform activity recorded during the remainder of the MDA-like event. 3. Before and between MDA-like events, spontaneous cellular activity consisted of single action potentials and bursts of action potentials on a depolarizing envelope. In addition, depolarizing potentials, up to 13 mV, were recorded. There were no extracellular field potentials associated with these intracellularly recorded potentials. 4. In the 8 mM potassium, 0-added calcium test solution, the membrane potential threshold for burst production was significantly lower than in normal potassium and calcium medium. 5. The effect of depolarizing and hyperpolarizing current injections on the amplitude and frequency of the epileptiform activity was tested. Current injection had no effect on the frequency of the epileptiform activity recorded during the MDA-like events. However, the frequency of the cellular bursts between MDA-like events was very sensitive to current injection. Depolarizing current increased the frequency, and hyperpolarizing current decreased the frequency of the spontaneous activity. 6. This study has shown that in 8 mM potassium and 0-added calcium the granule cells of the dentate gyrus are capable of generating spontaneous bursts that appear to be mediated by endogenous mechanisms. In addition, synchronized epileptiform discharges were recorded from the granule cells at regular intervals that appear were recorded from the granule cells at regular intervals that appear to be mediated by exogenous nonsynaptic mechanisms.

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