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Biomedical subjects

H D Lux

Publications and source records attributed to H D Lux.

At least 127 records · Page 7Linked to original sources
PubMed1977

Extracellular free calcium and potassium during paroxsmal activity in the cerebral cortex of the cat.

Extracellular calcium and potassium activities (aCa and aK) as well as neuronal activity were simultaneously recorded with ion-sensitive electrodes in the somatosensory cortex of cats. Baseline aCa was 1.2-1.5 mM/l, baseline aK 2.7-3.2 mM/l. Transient decreases in aCa and simultaneous increases in aK were evoked by repetitive stimulation of the contralateral forepaw, the nucleus ventroposterolateralis thalami and the cortical surface. Considerable decreases in aCa (by up to 0.7 mM/l) were found during seizure activity. A fall in aCa preceded the onset of paroxysmal discharges and the rise in aK after injection of pentylene tetrazol. The decrease in aCa led also the rise in aK during cyclical spike driving in a penicillin focus. It is concluded that alterations of Ca++ dependent mechanisms participate in the generation of epileptic activity.

Animals↗
PubMed1977

Ceiling of stimulus induced rises in extracellular potassium concentration in the cerebral cortex of cat.

Levels of extracellular potassium activity (aK) during repetitive electrical stimulation were measured with ion sensitive microelectrodes in the somatosensory cortex of the cat to determine maximum values ("ceiling" levels) under different experimental conditions. The maximal values of aK were 10.2 mequiv./1 during stimulation of the cortical surface (CS) or of the nucleus ventroposterolateralis thalami (VPL) and during selfsustained afterdischarges (SAD). Similarly, peak values were 6.5 mequiv./1 for the nucleus ventrolateralis anterior and 4 mequiv./1 for the nucleus centromedianus as well as for the nucleus cuneatus. The rise in aK during a test stimulus with constant intensity and frequency was inversely related to the level of aK produced by a preceding stimulation. Also rise in aK during SAD was smaller when it started from an enhanced level of aK. During repetitive stimulation of CS or VPL a rise in aK was not observed when aK was increased to levels above 10 mequiv./1 by superfusion with potassium enriched solutions. An electrophoretically evoked K+ test signal was reduced between 10 and 48% when applied during stimulus induced increased levels of aK. Stimulus induced potassium changes could become negative when aK was increased to levels above 7 mequiv./1 by local electrophoresis, while the stimulus induced increase in neuronal discharge rate did not disappear or reverse. Amplitudes of ECoG and local evoked potentials were reduced as aK increased during stimulation or superfusion. It is suggested that the ceiling in its steady state is maintained by an active K+ uptake mechanism which balances extra releases of K+. Decreased release of K+ at increased levels of aK may in addition limit the rise in aK.

Animals↗
PubMed1976

Change of potassium activity associated with membrane current flow.

Potassium-sensitive liquid ion exchanger microelectrodes are capable of recording fast concentration changes. Under suitable conditions, changes in extracellular potassium can be quantitatively measured during spike activity or voltage clamp pulses of exposed neurons. Comparison between transferred charge during outward current and the amount of extra potassium outside the cell reveals a deficit in net outward current, which is brought about by a long-lasting inward current. This inward current is facilitated by preceding depolarization and its appearance adds to a true inactivation of the potassium system. This is an example of how ion exchanger microelectrodes can be used to differentiate between time ionic fluxes underlying membrane currents. They are also useful in examining relations between neuronal activity and extracellular changes in potassium ion concentration in the central nervous system. Due to restricted diffusion in its extracellular space transient changes in potassium activity remain quite localized for considerable time. This makes it possible to identify discrete fields of activated neurons and to compare changes of neuronal excitability with variations of extracellular potassium activity.

Animals↗
PubMed1976

[Potassium activity in the cat cortex: experimental epilepsy].

Two mechanisms are discussed which link extracellular potassium accumulation and epileptogenic neuronal hyperactivity in the cortex. The potassium concentration (aK) of the environment of a repetitively discharging membrane can increase sufficiently for a supra-threshold depolarization at afferent erminals. This can explain the finding of ectopic spike generation and the antidromic breakthrough in thalamo-cortical projections after a primary cortical discharge. Spread and recurrent enhancement of excitatory drives may be the result of this mechanism. Initiation and termination of seizure is not explained by potassium accumulation. There is a ceiling level in potassium of about 10 mequ/1 which is strictly maintained during normal as well as epileptiform activity. This level is probably not high enough for depolarizing inactivation of neuronal membranes. Stimulation of cortical afferents can have a dual effect on aK. After a primary shortlasting increase, aK can reach subnormal values. This is possibly brought about by a stimulated re-uptake of K+. Seizures can be initiated at these subnormal levels. The effect of the re-uptake e.g. hyperpolarization of terminal afferents and increase of evoked transmitter release is discussed for the initiation for paroxysmal activity.

Animals↗
PubMed1976

A voltage-sensitive persistent calcium conductance in neuronal somata of Helix.

1. An intracellular voltage clamp in conjunction with a patch pipette utilizing feed-back to monitor local current from the soma membrane were used to analyse transient and stationary currents in bursting pacemaker neurones in Helix pomatia and H. levantina. 2. A weak, net inward current flows during small (less than or equal 20 mV) depolarizations. This current exhibits slow activation kinetics, persistence during prolonged depolarization, and slow turning off at end of depolarization. Consequently, the steady-state current-voltage curve exhibits a region of negative resistance from about -55 to -35 mV. 3. The slow inward current and the negative resistance characteristic are rapidly and completely abolished by substitution of Co2+ or La3+ for Ca2+ and are partially blocked by the Ca-blocking drug D-600. Substitution of Tris or glucose for Na+ significantly reduces the inward current only after 15-20 min exposure, recovery being equally slow. 4. The inward current and the negative resistance characteristic of the I-V curve are greatly enhanced by Ba2+ substitution for Ca2+. This is ascribed in part to Ba2+ carrying current through the slow inward current channels and in part to a suppression of the late K+ current by Ba2+. 5. The inward current is also present in many non-bursting neurones but fails to appear as a net inward current due to short circuiting by a leakage current or by the delayed potassium current. In these cells the slow inward current contributes to inward going rectification. Replacement of Ca2+ with Ba2+ enhances the current so as to produce a net inward current during small depolarizations in these neurones. 6. It is concluded that the slow inward current is carried primarily by Ca2+ in the soma membrane of bursting pace-maker neurones and a number of non-bursting cells examined in the parietal ganglion of Helix. 7. The sensitivity to small depolarizations and persistence during prolonged depolarization suggests two roles for the Ca system in the generation of slow pace-maker oscillations. In this model the Ca system contributes to the slow depolarization which constitutes the onset of the pace-maker wave, and also contributes to the increment in [Ca] in which activates the Ca-sensitive K+ conductance responsible for repolarization. The inhibition of spontaneous bursting by Ca-blocking agents supports this model.

Animals↗
PubMed1976

Properties of a facilitating calcium current in pace-maker neurones of the snail, Helix pomatia.

1. Simultaneous measurements of local voltage clamp currents from patches of soma membrane and K activity at the soma surface were used to analyse the time and voltage dependence of the slow inward current in bursting pace-maker neurones of the snail (Helix pomatia). 2. At low levels of depolarization (less than or equal to mV) a net inward current is recorded simultaneously with an efflux of K ions from the cell. 3. With larger depolarizations (20-170 mV from holding potential of -50 mV) the deficit in net outward charge transfer compared with K efflux and the appearance of inward-going tail currents following repolarization, reveal a persistent inward-going current also under these conditions. This inward current is carried primarily by Ca ions, as demonstrated by its voltage dependence (a minimum at about + 115 mV) and its disappearance in Co-Ringer. It is identified with the slow inward Ca current Iin slow (Eckert & Lux, 1976). 4. The inward current predicted from comparisons of current trajectories reaches a maximum at 15-20 msec (for depolarizations from -50 to 0 mV) and gradually declines with sustained depolarization. 5. Partial inactivation is removed by repolarization to -50 mV and the Ca dependent deficit is greater in the sum of repeated voltage clamp pulses than during sustained depolarization. It is largest for pulses of 25-100 msec duration, decreasing as pulse duration increases. 6. Responses to repeated activation with 100 msec pulses with different repolarization intervals reveal a minimum Iin slow at short intervals (e.g. 20 msec) due to failure to remove partial inactivation. At intermediate intervals (e.g. 200-400 msec) Iin slow shows facilitation. This is revealed in calculations of the net charge transfer and current deficits and is also shown in the tail currents following repolarization. The deficit increases progressively with repetitive stimulation. With longer intervals (e.g. 800-1000 msec) defacilitation during repeated stimulation after the first two pulses is revealed in calculations of deficits, current trajectories and in the tail currents. 7. Although facilitation depends on duration of repolarization between pulses, increasing intermediate hyperpolarizations from the holding potential of -50 mV are usually ineffective in increasing Iin slow. Strong preceding hyperpolarization can even decrease the magnitude of Iin slow and prevent its facilitation with repetitive stimulation,whereas preceding depolarizing pulses can increase Iin slow without preventing its facilitation with repetitive stimulation. 8. The properties of Iin slow are contrasted with previously described membrane conductances and compared with properties attributed to Ca fluxes in other systems.

Action Potentials↗
PubMed1976

Control of the delayed outward potassium currents in bursting pace-maker neurones of the snail, Helix pomatia.

The net outward current in bursting pace-maker neurones of the snail (Helix pomatia) during sustained and repeated voltage clamp pulses was studied. The properties of currents remaining in cobalt-Ringer or after TEA injection were compared with those in untreated cells. 2. With sustained voltage clamp depolarizations the net outward current first increases to a maximum at 150 msec and then declines to 60% or less of its peak intensity. This depression, which is greater during repetition of short pulses (e.g. 100 msec pulses at 0-5 sec intervals), represents a true decrease in the outward flow of K (designated IK) and is not due to a decreased driving force resulting from extracellular K accumulation. The steady-state current-voltage (I-V) relationship for IK is N-shaped (Heyer & Lux, 1976). 3. A component of IK persists when Ca and Mg in the medium are replaced by Co (ICo-res). With voltage clamp depolarizations ICo-res increases rapidly to a maximum and then partially inactivates with voltage dependent time constants of hundredths or tenths of seconds. Repolarization removes the inactivation. Thus, repeated stimulation with short pulses does not increase the depression of ICo-res-ICo-res (e.g. measured during voltage steps from holding potentials of -50 to near 0 mV) is smaller in test pulses preceded by depolarization and larger in pulses preceded by hyperpolarization. The steady state I-V relationship is not N-shaped. ICo-res is blocked by intracellular injection of tetraethylammonium (TEA). 4. Repeated voltage clamp depolarization to near 0 mV with 100 msec pulses for neurones with large Ca currents in normal Ringer produces a long-term depression which is maximal with 300-400 msec repolarizations (to -50 mV) between pulses. This corresponds with stimulus parameters for the maximum Ca current (Heyer & Lux, 1976). Intracellular injection of Ca2+ (also Ba2+ and Co2+) likewise reduces the total net outward current and especially the delayed outward current under voltage clamp. 5. The component of IK which is removed by Co is identified as Ca dependent and designated IK(Ca). With single voltage clamp pulses IK(Ca) follows the approximate time course and voltage dependence of the slow inward Ca current (Iin slow; Heyer & Lux, 1976). Several lines of evidence suggest that Ca ions moving through the membrane activate IK(Ca). 6. Part of IK cannot be blocked by intracellular TEA injection. In different neurones the magnitude of the IK component resistant to TEA (ITEA-res) is approximately proportional to the relative magnitudes of Iin slow.ITEA-res does not inactivate with sustained depolarization and shows pronounced long-term depression with repetitive stimulation at intermediate intervals and an increased outward current at the onset of the second and subsequent pulses following short repolarizations. The steady-state I-V relationship is N-shaped. ITEA-res is abolished by extracellular Co. 7. A net inward current with low depolarizations can be measured after TEA injection...

Animals↗
PubMed1975

Undershoots following stimulus-induced rises of extracellular potassium concentration in cerebral cortex of cat.

Extracellular potassium activity (ak) was recorded with potassium-sensitive electrodes in the sensorimotor cortex of cats. Resting activity was 2.8--3.4 mEquiv/l. Electric stimulation of the cortical surface and the nucleus ventroposterolateralis of the thalamus brought about an increase in aK followed by an undershoot and return to normal value. The lowest observed value of aK was 2.1 mEquiv./l. Size and duration (range 0.5--4 min) of the undershoots of aK increased with increasing peak amplitudes of the preceding rise in aK. Following the rise in aK, a period of reduced neuronal activity was observed which usually shorter lasting than the decrease in extracellular aK. An undershoot of aK and a concomitant reduction of neuronal discharge frequency can also occur in immediate response to antidromic stimulation of the pyramidal tract. To compare the K+ redistribution at normal and reduced levels of aK electrophoretic K+ signals were produced with constant current pulses from a proximate KCl-filled capillary. Both amplitudes and half times of decay of these K+ signals were found to decrease during the phase of poststimulatory undershoot in aK (19 and 23% respectively). It is suggested that an activated reuptake of potassium contributes to the decrease in extracellular aK in addition to inhibitory processes.

Animals↗
PubMed1975

Some aspects of the electroanatomy of dendrites.

An understanding of the neuronal function requires the knowledge of the electroanatomy of dendrites, which comprise the major area and receive the main input in most neurons. Some simplifying assumptions are necessary to describe the electrical characteristics of the dendritic tree. The applicability of the simplified model of a combined equivalent dendritic cylinder proposed by Rall, was tested and verified by a combined analysis of anatomic and electrical data from the same spinal motoneurons. Assuming a uniform somadendritic membrane, estimates of the specific membrane resistance (RM: 2,700 +/- 920 omegacm2) were made by relating the neuronal input resistance with the combined dendritic trunk parameter (sigmaD3/2: 320 +/- 150-10(-6) CM3/2). From these combined anatomic and electrical data the dendritic electrotonic lengths (Lgeom: 1.5 +/- 0.3 times the length constant) were derived. Comparable L values (Ltrans: 1.5 +/- 0.3) resulted independently from analysis of membrane voltage transients during current steps. The linear dendritic cable model has proved its applicability for the analysis of small voltage deflections during current step applications at the soma as well as for the analysis of the majority of minimal postsynaptic potentials (PSP's). During the transmission along the dendritic cable the PSP undergoes changes in shape. These changes often permit a determination of the distance of the dendritic input from the soma. Unfortunately, the attenuation of the dendritic signal cannot be directly assessed. Dendritic synaptic transmission can be observed in isolation in chromatolytic motoneurons because the somal synapses are peeled off from the soma by proliferating glial cells in the course of retrograde reaction. These observations support the prediction that the PSP's with relatively short rise-times and duration originate from synapses near the soma. It may be questioned as to whether the linear dendritic cable approximation also applies to the larger voltage displacements during excitatory synaptic action. Particularly interesting is an increase of the apparent membrane resistance during depolarization known as anomalous rectification. The anomalous rectification could be reversibly eliminated and turned into a normal rectification by the application of cobalt ions or other calcium antagonists. Therefore, it appears likely that this phenomenon is caused by a voltage-(and time-) dependent reaction of the membrane, consisting of a smoothly increased calcium conductance during depolarizations that are even subthreshold for eliciting action potentials. Such a process would result in a shortening of the dendritic electrotonic length and in facilitating the postsynaptic excitatory transmission.

Animals↗