White matter of the mammalian CNS suffers irreversible injury when subjected to anoxia/ischemia. However, the mechanisms of anoxic injury in central myelinated tracts are not well understood. Although white matter injury depends on the... more
White matter of the mammalian CNS suffers irreversible injury when subjected to anoxia/ischemia. However, the mechanisms of anoxic injury in central myelinated tracts are not well understood. Although white matter injury depends on the presence of extracellular Ca2+, the mode of entry of Ca2+ into cells has not been fully characterized. We studied the mechanisms of anoxic injury using the in vitro rat optic nerve, a representative central white matter tract. Functional integrity of the nerves was monitored electrophysiologically by quantitatively measuring the area under the compound action potential, which recovered to 33.5 +/- 9.3% of control after a standard 60 min anoxic insult. Reducing Na+ influx through voltage-gated Na+ channels during anoxia by applying Na+ channel blockers (TTX, saxitoxin) substantially improved recovery; TTX was protective even at concentrations that had little effect on the control compound action potential. Conversely, increasing Na+ channel permeabilit...
Research Interests: Neuroscience, Biophysics, Chemistry, Kinetics, Calcium, and 15 moreMedicine, Anoxia, Optic Nerve, Animals, Central Nervous System, Saxitoxin, Rats, Sodium, Membrane Potential, Amiloride, sodium channels, Psychology and Cognitive Sciences, Medical and Health Sciences, In Vitro Techniques, and Electric stimulation
Research Interests: Biochemistry, Biology, Neurochemistry, Medicine, Brain, and 7 moreGlucose, Mice, Animals, Glycogen, Neurosciences, Sugar Alcohols, and hexokinase
White matter (WM) of the mammalian brain is susceptible to anoxic injury, but little is known about the pathophysiology of this process. We studied the mechanisms of anoxic injury in WM using the isolated rat optic nerve, a typical... more
White matter (WM) of the mammalian brain is susceptible to anoxic injury, but little is known about the pathophysiology of this process. We studied the mechanisms of anoxic injury in WM using the isolated rat optic nerve, a typical central nervous system WM tract. Optic nerve function, measured as the area under the compound action potential, rapidly failed when exposed to anoxia and recovered to 28.5% of control after a standard 60-min period of anoxia. Irreversible anoxic injury was critically dependent on the molar concentration of extracellular calcium [( Ca2+]o); maintaining the tissue in Ca2(+)-free solution throughout the anoxic period resulted in 100% compound action potential recovery. Increasing perfusion [Ca2+] during anoxia from zero to 4 mM resulted in progressively less recovery. As the introduction of the Ca2(+)-free solution was progressively delayed with respect to the onset of anoxia, a graded decrease in recovery of function was observed, suggesting that in WM the...
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Depression is a common mental illness, affecting more than 300 million people worldwide. Decades of investigation have yielded symptomatic therapies for this disabling condition but have not led to a consensus about its pathogenesis.... more
Depression is a common mental illness, affecting more than 300 million people worldwide. Decades of investigation have yielded symptomatic therapies for this disabling condition but have not led to a consensus about its pathogenesis. There are data to support several different theories of causation, including the monoamine hypothesis, hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis changes, inflammation and immune system alterations, abnormalities of neurogenesis and a conducive environmental milieu. Research in these areas and others has greatly advanced the current understanding of depression; however, there are other, less widely known theories of pathogenesis. Oligodendrocyte lineage cells, including oligodendrocyte progenitor cells and mature oligodendrocytes, have numerous important functions, which include forming myelin sheaths that enwrap central nervous system axons, supporting axons metabolically, and mediating certain forms of neuroplasticity. These specialized glial cells have been...
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Astrocytes in the mammalian central nervous system are interconnected by gap junctions made from connexins of the subtypes Cx30 and Cx43. These proteins may exist as hemichannels in the plasma membrane in the absence of a 'docked'... more
Astrocytes in the mammalian central nervous system are interconnected by gap junctions made from connexins of the subtypes Cx30 and Cx43. These proteins may exist as hemichannels in the plasma membrane in the absence of a 'docked' counterpart on the neighboring cell. A variety of stimuli are reported to open the hemichannels and thereby create a permeation pathway through the plasma membrane. Cx30 and Cx43 have, in their hemichannel configuration, been proposed to act as ion channels and membrane pathways for different molecules, such as fluorescent dyes, ATP, prostaglandins, and glutamate. Published studies about astrocyte hemichannel behavior, however, have been highly variable and/or contradictory. The field of connexin hemichannel research has been complicated by great variability in the experimental preparations employed, a lack of highly specific pharmacological inhibitors and by confounding changes associated with genetically modified animal models. This review attemp...
Research Interests:
Neuromyelitis optica (NMO) is a recurrent inflammatory disease that preferentially targets the optic nerves and spinal cord. The presence of antibodies to the water channel protein aquaporin-4 (AQP4), expressed almost exclusively in... more
Neuromyelitis optica (NMO) is a recurrent inflammatory disease that preferentially targets the optic nerves and spinal cord. The presence of antibodies to the water channel protein aquaporin-4 (AQP4), expressed almost exclusively in astrocytes in the central nervous system (CNS), is a reliable biomarker for NMO. These antibodies, NMO-IgG, may be responsible for the sequential cascade of immune events, including IgG/IgM deposition, infiltration of granulocytes and complement-mediated cytotoxicity (i.e. astrocyte loss) and demyelination. This review summarizes current thinking about the role of NMO-IgG in the pathogenesis of this condition. New insights were also generated along with important additional questions.
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Gap junctions between glial cells allow intercellular exchange of ions and small molecules. We have investigated the influence of gap junction coupling on regulation of intracellular Na+ concentration ([Na+]i) in cultured rat hippocampal... more
Gap junctions between glial cells allow intercellular exchange of ions and small molecules. We have investigated the influence of gap junction coupling on regulation of intracellular Na+ concentration ([Na+]i) in cultured rat hippocampal astrocytes, using fluorescence ratio imaging with the Na+ indicator dye SBFI (sodium-binding benzofuran isophthalate). The [Na+]i in neighboring astrocytes was very similar (12.0 +/- 3.3 mM) and did not fluctuate under resting conditions. During uncoupling of gap junctions with octanol (0.5 mM), baseline [Na+]i was unaltered in 24%, increased in 54%, and decreased in 22% of cells. Qualitatively similar results were obtained with two other uncoupling agents, heptanol and alpha-glycyrrhetinic acid (AGA). Octanol did not alter the recovery from intracellular Na+ load induced by removal of extracellular K+, indicating that octanol's effects on baseline [Na+]i were not due to inhibition of Na+, K+-ATPase activity. Under control conditions, increasing [K+]o from 3 to 8 mM caused similar decreases in [Na+]i in groups of astrocytes, presumably by stimulating Na+, K+-ATPase. During octanol application, [K+]o-induced [Na+]i decreases were amplified in cells with increased baseline [Na+]i, and reduced in cells with decreased baseline [Na+]i. This suggests that baseline [Na+]i in astrocytes "sets" the responsiveness of Na+, K+-ATPase to increases in [K]o. Our results indicate that individual hippocampal astrocytes in culture rapidly develop different levels of baseline [Na+]i when they are isolated from one another by uncoupling agents. In astrocytes, therefore, an apparent function of coupling is the intercellular exchange of Na+ ions to equalize baseline [Na+]i, which serves to coordinate physiological responses that depend on the intracellular concentration of this ion.
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Anterior ischemic optic neuropathy is the most common cause of persistent monocular visual loss in persons over the age of 50. At the heart of this form of optic neuropathy is a sequence of cytoplasmic and membrane events that culminate... more
Anterior ischemic optic neuropathy is the most common cause of persistent monocular visual loss in persons over the age of 50. At the heart of this form of optic neuropathy is a sequence of cytoplasmic and membrane events that culminate in axonal destruction. Early depletion of ATP is followed by membrane depolarization, influx of Na+ and Ca2+ via specific voltage-gated channels and reverse operation of the Na+/Ca2+ exchange protein. Toxic Ca2+ overload is the ultimate consequence of these events. Preventing or modulating any of these well-defined steps mitigates against the development of anoxic injury. Translating these molecular insights about how optic nerve axons are damaged by ischemia-like conditions into clinical gains remains the challenge for the future.
Research Interests:
The effects of phenytoin (DPH), carbamazepine (CBZ) and diazepam (DZP) on anoxia-induced injury in CNS white matter were studied using the in vitro rat optic nerve preparation. Optic nerves were subjected to 60 min of anoxia and... more
The effects of phenytoin (DPH), carbamazepine (CBZ) and diazepam (DZP) on anoxia-induced injury in CNS white matter were studied using the in vitro rat optic nerve preparation. Optic nerves were subjected to 60 min of anoxia and functional recovery was assessed using the area under the compound action potential. Under normoxic conditions, application of DPH, CBZ and DZP reduced compound action potential area over concentration ranges known to block sodium channels. All three compounds, however, protected against anoxic injury at concentrations below those that inhibited the normoxic compound action potential. Thus, the application of 1 microM DPH, CBZ or DZP during anoxia resulted in compound action potential recovery to 60.0, 53.8 and 69.2% of control, respectively, compared to compound action potential recovery of 34.8% in the absence of drugs (P < .05 in all three cases). In the cases of CBZ and DPH, 60% improvement in recovery from anoxia was produced by concentrations well below those employed clinically to treat epilepsy, suggesting a potential role for these drugs in the protection of CNS white matter from anoxic injury.
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests: Calcium, Multidisciplinary, Anoxia, Animals, Central Nervous System, and 3 moreWhite matter, Rats, and Sodium
Oxidative stress plays an important role in the progression of Alzheimer's disease (AD) and other neurodegenerative conditions. Glutathione (GSH), the major antioxidant in the central nervous system, is primarily synthesized and... more
Oxidative stress plays an important role in the progression of Alzheimer's disease (AD) and other neurodegenerative conditions. Glutathione (GSH), the major antioxidant in the central nervous system, is primarily synthesized and released by astrocytes. We determined if β-amyloid (Aβ42), crucially involved in Alzheimer's disease, affected GSH release. Monomeric Aβ (mAβ) stimulated GSH release from cultured cortical astrocytes more effectively than oligomeric Aβ (oAβ) or fibrillary Aβ (fAβ). Monomeric Aβ increased the expression of the transporter ABCC1 (also referred to as MRP1) that is the main pathway for GSH release. GSH release from astrocytes, with or without mAβ stimulation, was reduced by pharmacological inhibition of ABCC1. Astrocytes robustly express connexin proteins, especially connexin43 (Cx43), and mAβ also stimulated Cx43 hemichannel-mediated glutamate and GSH release. Aβ-stimulation facilitated hemichannel opening in the presence of normal extracellular calcium...
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
1. Mouse spinal cord (SC) cells in dissociated cell cultures showed strong electrophysiologic responses to glutamate, gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), and glycine when these were iontophoretically applied to the neurons. 2. The... more
1. Mouse spinal cord (SC) cells in dissociated cell cultures showed strong electrophysiologic responses to glutamate, gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), and glycine when these were iontophoretically applied to the neurons. 2. The extrapolated reversal potential for the glutamate response was 20-30 mV negative in contrast to the positive extrapolated reversal potential for the SC-SC excitatory postsynaptic potential. The data are interpreted as indicating different ionic mechanisms for the glutamate response and the EPSP. 3. The reversal potentials for the glycine and GABA responses were similar to one another and to the IPSP reversal potential. The time course of the glycine and GABA responses were quite different from each other, however. 4. While some SC cells showed a relatively uniform sensitivity over their surfaces to iontophoretically applied glutamate, discrete regions of higher sensitivity occurred on most cells. 5. Release of excitatory and inhibitory transmitter could be eli...
Research Interests:
1. The affect of extracellular Cd2+ on CNS white matter was studied using an isolated rat optic nerve preparation. A 100-min exposure to 200 microM Cd2+ reduced the area of the compound action potential (CAP) recorded from the optic nerve... more
1. The affect of extracellular Cd2+ on CNS white matter was studied using an isolated rat optic nerve preparation. A 100-min exposure to 200 microM Cd2+ reduced the area of the compound action potential (CAP) recorded from the optic nerve to 32.6 +/- 3.8% (mean +/- SE) of the preexposure area, compared with a reduction to 74.9 +/- 2.9% after 100 min in control conditions (P > 0.001). This CAP reduction was not reversed after 120 min of reperfusion with Cd(2+)-free solution, or by perfusion with Cd2+ chelators. 2. Cd(2+)-induced CAP loss occurred in the absence of extracellular Ca2+. Increasing extracellular Ca2+ concentration to 16 mM, however, prevented Cd(2+)-induced CAP loss. Once evident, Cd(2+)-induced CAP reduction could not subsequently be reversed by addition of 16 mM Ca2+. 3. Low concentrations of Cd2+ (60 microM) did not significantly reduce CAP area. This concentration of Cd2+ combined with high extracellular K+ (30 mM) caused CAP loss that was blocked by 10 microM nif...
Research Interests:
1. Cell-cell coupling between hippocampal astrocytes in culture was studied by following the intracellular spread of the low molecular weight fluorescent dye Lucifer yellow (LY). Dye coupling appeared as early as 24 h after plating, at... more
1. Cell-cell coupling between hippocampal astrocytes in culture was studied by following the intracellular spread of the low molecular weight fluorescent dye Lucifer yellow (LY). Dye coupling appeared as early as 24 h after plating, at which time approximately 20% of all astrocytes that physically contacted neighboring cells showed dye coupling. 2. The percentage of coupled cells increased with time in culture and peaked after 10 days in vitro (DIV) when approximately 50% of astrocytes showed coupling. Further time in culture, up to 20 DIV, did not increase the percentage of coupled cells. Thus, coupled and noncoupled astrocytes coexist in hippocampal cultures in approximately equal numbers. 3. Na+ currents were expressed in a subpopulation of hippocampal astrocytes and changed characteristics during in vitro development. A "neuronal type" of Na+ current, so called because of an h alpha curve that had a midpoint near -60 mV, was observed within the first 5 days post-platin...
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
1. Reliable methods for establishing fetal mouse spinal cord (SC) and dorsal root ganglion (DRG) cells in long term (greater than 1 mo) dissociated cell cultures are described. These cells have been studied by morphologic and... more
1. Reliable methods for establishing fetal mouse spinal cord (SC) and dorsal root ganglion (DRG) cells in long term (greater than 1 mo) dissociated cell cultures are described. These cells have been studied by morphologic and intracellular electrophysiologic techniques. 2. Cells studied electrophysiologically can be relocated after preparation for electron microscopy and examined in thin sections. The electron microscope shows that the surface membranes of these cells were directly accessible to the culture medium. The surfaces of SC cells were studded with synaptic boutons, whereas the DRG cell surfaces generally had none. 3. Current-voltage relationships and linear electrotonic properties of the neurons are described. Delayed and anomalous rectification were seen in both cell types. The length of SC cell dendrites was about one characteristic electrotonic length, while little or no contribution of the relatively sparse DRG cell processes was seen in the transient responses of the ...
Research Interests:
ABSTRACT
Research Interests:
1. Neurons in cell cultures of fetal mouse spinal cord (SC) and dorsal root ganglia (DRG) develop extensive synaptic interconnections. 2. No spontaneous synaptic activity was detectable in the presence of tetrodotoxin or an elevated... more
1. Neurons in cell cultures of fetal mouse spinal cord (SC) and dorsal root ganglia (DRG) develop extensive synaptic interconnections. 2. No spontaneous synaptic activity was detectable in the presence of tetrodotoxin or an elevated magnsium ion concentration, but statistical analysis of evoked excitatory postsynaptic potentials (EPSPs) indicates that the quantal size was 200-250 muV, which was below the noise level of the recording system used. 3. In a sample of eight RDG-SC and seven SC-SC cell pairs linked by EPSPs, the quantal content of the SC-SC EPSPs was about 3.5-fold larger than for the DRG-SC EPSPs. 4. The extrapolated equilibrium potential for the SC-SC EPSP was about 20 mV positive. The IPSP reversed at a membrane potential of 60-80 mV negative. 5. Some examples of the types of synaptic circuits commonly encountered are given. Only one case of electrical coupling between neurons was found.
Research Interests:
Little is known about the expression and possible functions of unopposed gap junction hemichannels in the brain. Emerging evidence suggests that gap junction hemichannels can act as stand-alone functional channels in astrocytes. With... more
Little is known about the expression and possible functions of unopposed gap junction hemichannels in the brain. Emerging evidence suggests that gap junction hemichannels can act as stand-alone functional channels in astrocytes. With immunocytochemistry, dye uptake, and HPLC measurements, we show that astrocytes in vitro express functional hemichannels that can mediate robust efflux of glutamate and aspartate. Functional hemichannels were confirmed by passage of extracellular lucifer yellow (LY) into astrocytes in nominal divalent cation-free solution (DCFS) and the ability to block this passage with gap junction blocking agents. Glutamate/aspartate release (or LY loading) in DCFS was blocked by multivalent cations (Ca2+, Ba2+, Sr2+, Mg2+, and La3+) and by gap junction blocking agents (carbenoxolone, octanol, heptanol, flufenamic acid, and 18alpha-glycyrrhetinic acid) with affinities close to those reported for blockade of gap junction intercellular communication. Glutamate efflux v...
Research Interests: Gap Junctions, Calcium, Immunohistochemistry, Glutamate, Optic Nerve, and 15 moreAnimals, Lanthanum, Astrocyte, Astrocytes, Rats, Connexin, Brain Function, Chelating Agents, Glutamic Acid, Glutamate Transporter, Adenosine Triphosphate, Glutamate release, Psychology and Cognitive Sciences, fluorescent dyes, and Medical and Health Sciences
We investigated the postnatal development of axon sensitivity to the withdrawal of oxygen, glucose, or the combined withdrawal of oxygen + glucose in the isolated rat optic nerve (a CNS white matter tract). Removal of either oxygen or... more
We investigated the postnatal development of axon sensitivity to the withdrawal of oxygen, glucose, or the combined withdrawal of oxygen + glucose in the isolated rat optic nerve (a CNS white matter tract). Removal of either oxygen or glucose for 60 min resulted in irreversible injury in optic nerves from adult rats, assessed by loss of the evoked compound action potential (CAP). Optic nerves at ages <P10 showed no permanent loss of function. CAP sensitivity to the withdrawal of oxygen or glucose emerged during a critical period in development between postnatal days 10-20 (P10-P20). The CAP was unchanged in adult optic nerve for 45 min after the withdrawal of glucose, demonstrating the presence of a significant energy reserve. Periods of glucose withdrawal >45 min caused the selective loss of late CAP components; this was not seen with oxygen deprivation. The amplitude of the early component recovered to 94.8% of control after 60 min of glucose withdrawal, although total CAP a...
Research Interests:
Anterior ischemic optic neuropathy is the most common cause of persistent monocular visual loss in persons over the age of 50. At the heart of this form of optic neuropathy is a sequence of cytoplasmic and membrane events that culminate... more
Anterior ischemic optic neuropathy is the most common cause of persistent monocular visual loss in persons over the age of 50. At the heart of this form of optic neuropathy is a sequence of cytoplasmic and membrane events that culminate in axonal destruction. Early depletion of ATP is followed by membrane depolarization, influx of Na+ and Ca2+ via specific voltage-gated channels and reverse operation of the Na+/Ca2+ exchange protein. Toxic Ca2+ overload is the ultimate consequence of these events. Preventing or modulating any of these well-defined steps mitigates against the development of anoxic injury. Translating these molecular insights about how optic nerve axons are damaged by ischemia-like conditions into clinical gains remains the challenge for the future.
Research Interests:
Anoxia/ischemia in the CNS is a common and devastating phenomenon. It is possible that the best hopes for protection against anoxic/ischemic injury may involve recruiting and/or augmenting any autoprotective systems that evolution has... more
Anoxia/ischemia in the CNS is a common and devastating phenomenon. It is possible that the best hopes for protection against anoxic/ischemic injury may involve recruiting and/or augmenting any autoprotective systems that evolution has provided for the CNS. We describe here the existence of such an autoprotective system present in CNS white matter. White matter is both well suited to studying extrasynaptic systems, such as the system we describe here, and is a highly appropriate target for research into anoxic-ischemic injury in its own right. We show that white matter contains functional GABAB and adenosine receptors that respond to an anoxic efflux of GABA and adenosine by recruiting a convergent intracellular mechanism involving protein kinase C (PKC). The net result of this receptor-mediated cascade is an increase in resistance to anoxia, which presumably allows CNS white matter to tolerate better a common class of ischemic events that are located solely in white matter and that ...
Research Interests:
Research Interests: Calcium, Membrane Proteins, Brain, Humans, Anoxia, and 4 moreOptic Nerve, Animals, Axons, and Cerebrovascular Disorders
Research Interests:
The effects of phenytoin (DPH), carbamazepine (CBZ) and diazepam (DZP) on anoxia-induced injury in CNS white matter were studied using the in vitro rat optic nerve preparation. Optic nerves were subjected to 60 min of anoxia and... more
The effects of phenytoin (DPH), carbamazepine (CBZ) and diazepam (DZP) on anoxia-induced injury in CNS white matter were studied using the in vitro rat optic nerve preparation. Optic nerves were subjected to 60 min of anoxia and functional recovery was assessed using the area under the compound action potential. Under normoxic conditions, application of DPH, CBZ and DZP reduced compound action potential area over concentration ranges known to block sodium channels. All three compounds, however, protected against anoxic injury at concentrations below those that inhibited the normoxic compound action potential. Thus, the application of 1 microM DPH, CBZ or DZP during anoxia resulted in compound action potential recovery to 60.0, 53.8 and 69.2% of control, respectively, compared to compound action potential recovery of 34.8% in the absence of drugs (P < .05 in all three cases). In the cases of CBZ and DPH, 60% improvement in recovery from anoxia was produced by concentrations well b...
Research Interests:
1. Depolarization of glial cells causes their intracellular pH (pHi) to increase. To more completely characterize this depolarization-induced alkalinization (DIA) in mammalian astrocytes, we studied DIA in cultured rat hippocampal... more
1. Depolarization of glial cells causes their intracellular pH (pHi) to increase. To more completely characterize this depolarization-induced alkalinization (DIA) in mammalian astrocytes, we studied DIA in cultured rat hippocampal astrocytes. Astrocytes were loaded with the fluorescent pH indicator 2',7'-bis(carboxyethyl)-5,6-carboxyfluorescein (BCECF), and pHi was monitored with the use of an imaging system. Cells were studied approximately 24 h after removing them from serum-containing culture medium. In HCO-3-buffered solution containing 3 mM K+, mean baseline pHi was 7.14 +/- 0.14 (mean +/- SD). 2. Astrocyte pHi rapidly and reversibly alkalinized when bath [K+] was increased from 3 to 12 mM. In HCO-3-buffered solution, mean DIA amplitude was 0.16 +/- 0.01 pH units, and mean rate of pHi change was 0.076 +/- 0.03 pH units/min. In contrast, DIA elicited in nominally HCO-3-free, N-2-hydroxyethylpiperazine-N'-2-ethanesulfonic acid (HEPES)-buffered solution was much smalle...
Research Interests:
1. We examined the role of adenosine in the development of anoxic injury in a CNS white matter tract, the rat optic nerve. Application of adenosine protected the rat optic nerve from anoxic injury; 2.5 microM adenosine increased compound... more
1. We examined the role of adenosine in the development of anoxic injury in a CNS white matter tract, the rat optic nerve. Application of adenosine protected the rat optic nerve from anoxic injury; 2.5 microM adenosine increased compound action potential (CAP) recovery after a standard 60-min anoxic period from 28.6 +/- 2.5%, mean +/- SE, to 51.0 +/- 3.1% (P < 0001). The protective effect of adenosine was abolished by the adenosine receptor antagonist theophylline (100 microM). 2. The protective effect of adenosine evolved slowly after adenosine application; maximum protection required 60 min of adenosine exposure before the onset of anoxia. The concentration dependence of the protective effect was parabolic, with maximum protection at 2.5 microM. Neither high nor very low adenosine concentrations protected against anoxia. These characteristics are similar to those previously found for the inhibitory neurotransmitter gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) in the same preparation. 3. Inhi...
Research Interests:
1. We probed for the expression of electrogenic Na+/HCO3- co-transport in cultured mammalian astrocytes by recording voltage and current changes induced by bath application of HCO3-, with the use of patch-clamp electrophysiology.... more
1. We probed for the expression of electrogenic Na+/HCO3- co-transport in cultured mammalian astrocytes by recording voltage and current changes induced by bath application of HCO3-, with the use of patch-clamp electrophysiology. Application of 25 mM HCO3-, at a constant pHo, to astrocytes bathed in a nominally HCO3(-)-free solution, produced an abrupt and reversible change in membrane potential ranging from +3 to -30 mV [-11.8 +/- 9.34 (SD) mV]; 55% of cells showed relatively large hyperpolarizing responses (-18.8 +/- 6.23 mV), whereas 45% showed only small shifts in membrane potential (range of -5 to +3 mV; -1.9 +/- 1.96 mV). 2. The size of the HCO3(-)-induced hyperpolarization was strongly related to the cell's initial resting membrane potential in HCO3(-)-free solution; the larger responses were seen in cells with relatively low resting membrane potentials (-48.5 +/- 9.4 mV), and the smaller responses were seen in cells with more negative potentials (-68.1 +/- 6.5 mV). The m...
Research Interests:
We studied the effects of GABA on anoxia-induced injury in CNS white matter using optic nerves exposed to 60 min of anoxia. Injury was assessed by recording pre- and postanoxic compound action potentials (CAPs). GABA (1 microM)... more
We studied the effects of GABA on anoxia-induced injury in CNS white matter using optic nerves exposed to 60 min of anoxia. Injury was assessed by recording pre- and postanoxic compound action potentials (CAPs). GABA (1 microM) significantly increased postanoxic CAP recovery when applied 60 min prior to anoxia. This effect was bicuculline (100 microM) insensitive, mimicked by baclofen (1 microM), blocked by GABA-B antagonists, and not mimicked by selective GABA-A agonists. GABA therefore acted at GABA-B receptors. High concentrations of GABA and baclofen did not influence recovery, possibly indicating GABA-B receptor desensitization at high agonist concentrations. Pertussis toxin (PTX) treatment reduced postanoxic CAP recovery in the presence of 1 microM GABA to control levels, indicating the recruitment of a G-protein-linked intracellular pathway. Protein kinase C (PKC) activation with 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA) mimicked the effects of GABA. Inhibition of PKC with 1-(5-isoquinol...
Research Interests:
1. Astrocytes cultured from rat spinal cord express voltage-activated Na+ channels in high densities (up to 8 channels per microns2). Stellate astrocytes express Na+ currents at all times in vitro. In pancake astrocytes, Na+ channel... more
1. Astrocytes cultured from rat spinal cord express voltage-activated Na+ channels in high densities (up to 8 channels per microns2). Stellate astrocytes express Na+ currents at all times in vitro. In pancake astrocytes, Na+ channel expression shows a distinct temporal pattern, an absence of channel expression at 1-3 days in vitro (DIV), and peak Na+ channel density at 7-8 DIV. 2. Coculture of spinal cord astrocytes with dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurons substantially reduces the expression of voltage-activated Na+ channels in both spinal cord astrocyte types. In pancake spinal cord astrocytes, both the percentage of cells expressing Na+ channels and the channel density in Na+ channel-expressing cells are markedly reduced. In stellate spinal cord astrocytes, the percentage of Na+ channel-expressing cells is unchanged, but the Na+ channel density per cell is markedly reduced in coculture. 3. Culturing spinal cord astrocytes in neuron-conditioned media reduces Na+ channel expression ...
Research Interests: Electrophysiology, Kinetics, Neurophysiology, Ion Channels, Cell Differentiation, and 15 moreFemale, Animals, Spinal Cord, Synaptic Transmission, Neurons, Astrocytes, Rats, Rat, Potassium Channels, Wistar Rats, Action potential, Culture Media, sodium channels, Psychology and Cognitive Sciences, and Medical and Health Sciences
1. The effect of Ca2+ channel antagonists on the extent of anoxia-induced white matter injury was studied in the rat optic nerve, a white matter tract. Compound action potentials (CAPs) were recorded before and after a standard 60-min... more
1. The effect of Ca2+ channel antagonists on the extent of anoxia-induced white matter injury was studied in the rat optic nerve, a white matter tract. Compound action potentials (CAPs) were recorded before and after a standard 60-min anoxic period to assess the extent of anoxic injury. 2. The L-type Ca2+ channel antagonists verapamil (90 microM), diltiazem (50 microM), and nifedepine (2.5 microM) significantly protected the rat optic nerve from anoxic injury. Mean recovery of CAP area was 51.3 +/- 3.0% (mean +/- SE, n = 8, P < 0.01), 65.6 +/- 5.3% (n = 8, P < 0.01), and 54.3 +/- 6.1% (n = 8, P < 0.01), respectively. Mean CAP recovery under control conditions was 35.2 +/- 0.3 (n = 33). 3. Simultaneous block of L-type and N-type Ca2+ channels by coapplication of 50 microM diltiazem and 1 microM SNX-124 [synthetic omega-conotoxin (CgTx) GVIA], resulted in postanoxic CAP recovery of 73.6 +/- 6.0% (n = 12), significantly larger than CAP recovery in diltiazem alone (P < 0.001...
Research Interests:
The excitability of developing rat optic nerves has been studied under conditions in which extracellular Cl- was replaced with other anions. In nerves younger than 3 days old, replacing Cl- with propionate or SO4(2-) usually led to... more
The excitability of developing rat optic nerves has been studied under conditions in which extracellular Cl- was replaced with other anions. In nerves younger than 3 days old, replacing Cl- with propionate or SO4(2-) usually led to spontaneous and repetitive cycling of extracellular K+ concentration ([K+]o). [K+]o reached peaks of 8-12 mM and then fell transiently below the base-line level of 5 mM before increasing again. This cycling behaviour continued, with a wave-length of 1-2 min, for as long as 2 h. Nerves older than 5 days either did not cycle or did so only transiently. Substitution of ten different anions for Cl- indicated that a minimum hydrated radius, between that of BrO3- and HCO3-, was necessary to induce cycling behaviour. Cycling behaviour was abolished by the Na+-channel blocker tetrodotoxin. Reduction of the bath [K+] to 2.5 mM slowed the frequency of spontaneous cycles; a bath [K+] of 1 mM abolished them. When the temperature was lowered, cycle frequency slowed. S...
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
ABSTRACT
Research Interests:
... With this ar-rangement the saline rose to a height of 5 mm in the chamber and tended to ... In most experiments, therefore, only the inflow port was used and the fluid simply drained out at the bottom ... Low-Na+ concentration... more
... With this ar-rangement the saline rose to a height of 5 mm in the chamber and tended to ... In most experiments, therefore, only the inflow port was used and the fluid simply drained out at the bottom ... Low-Na+ concentration solutions were made by replacing NaCI with choline Cl. ...
Research Interests:
Activity-dependent shrinkage of extracellular space (ECS) is described in a simple model of the mammalian central nervous system, the rat optic nerve. In response to neural activation, the ECS of the mature nerve rapidly and reversibly... more
Activity-dependent shrinkage of extracellular space (ECS) is described in a simple model of the mammalian central nervous system, the rat optic nerve. In response to neural activation, the ECS of the mature nerve rapidly and reversibly decreases by as much as 20%. Activity-dependent ECS shrinkage is not present in neonatal nerves but develops over the first 2 weeks of life, roughly coincident with the appearance of glial cells in this structure. These and other observations suggest that activity-dependent ECS shrinkage results from fluid and electrolyte movements into glial cells.