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T-type calcium channels in thalamic neurons: bursting during sleep
is not the end of the story| old_uid | 10036 |
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| title | T-type calcium channels in thalamic neurons: bursting during sleep
is not the end of the story |
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| start_date | 2011/05/30 |
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| schedule | 11h30 |
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| online | no |
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| details | Une invitation de Liliana Garcia, chercheure à l'IMN |
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| summary | The thalamus is the gateway to the cortex and the excitability of this structure is highly governed by the presence in all neurons of a peculiar family of voltage-dependent calcium channels, the T-type channels. The biophysical properties of these channels have lead to the current dogma of a dichotomic firing behavior of thalamic neurons depending on the level of vigilance. According to this dogma thalamic T channels only contribute to the rhythmic bursting behavior of neurons during sleep spindles and delta oscillations. This classical view restricts therefore the role of the T channels to the generation of rhythmic high frequency action potentials firing in conditions of low vigilance.
Our results challenge this current view demonstrating that the involvement of T channels in thalamic excitability is much more complex. In particular we show that these channels 1) contribute to the resting membrane potential of thalamic neurons, 2) control the dynamic of the UP and DOWN states observed during the slow-wave sleep oscillations, 3) underlie the emission of action potentials independently from the occurrence of the characteristic low-threshold calcium spike and 4) increase the faithfulness of sensory information transfer to the cortex.
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| responsibles | <not specified> |
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