Abstract

Voltage-activated outward potassium (K+) currents in developing sympathetic neurones, dissociated from the rat superior cervical ganglion (SCG), were studied using the whole-cell patch clamp recording technique. In voltage-clamped neonatal SCG cells, two voltage-dependent K+ currents were measured: the fast, transient K+ current, IA; and, the slower activating, non-inactivating delayed rectifier, IK. Only IK, however, appeared to be present in SCG neurones isolated from early embryonic (E14.5-16.5) rat pups: IA was not observed in these cells. When these embryonic neurones were maintained in cell culture, IA developed over a time course (≈ 4-6 days) similar to that seen in vivo. IA, therefore, which appears to facilitate the fast repolarization phase of the action potential in rat SCG neurones, is the last voltage-activated current to develop in these cells.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)197-202
Number of pages6
JournalBrain Research
Volume378
Issue number1
DOIs
StatePublished - Jul 16 1986

Keywords

  • I
  • development
  • sympathetic neuron
  • transient outward current
  • whole-cell voltage clamp

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