| First Author | Paladini CA | Year | 2007 |
| Journal | Neuroscience | Volume | 144 |
| Issue | 3 | Pages | 1067-74 |
| PubMed ID | 17156935 | Mgi Jnum | J:117927 |
| Mgi Id | MGI:3698067 | Doi | 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2006.10.032 |
| Citation | Paladini CA, et al. (2007) Electrophysiological properties of catecholaminergic neurons in the norepinephrine-deficient mouse. Neuroscience 144(3):1067-74 |
| abstractText | To determine how norepinephrine affects the basic physiological properties of catecholaminergic neurons, brain slices containing the substantia nigra pars compacta and locus coeruleus were studied with cell-attached and whole-cell recordings in control and dopamine beta-hydroxylase knockout (Dbh -/-) mice that lack norepinephrine. In the cell-attached configuration, the spontaneous firing rate and pattern of locus coeruleus neurons recorded from Dbh -/- mice were the same as the firing rate and pattern recorded from heterozygous littermates (Dbh +/-). During whole-cell recordings, synaptic stimulation produced an alpha-2 receptor-mediated outward current in the locus coeruleus of control mice that was absent in Dbh -/- mice. Normal alpha-2 mediated outward currents were restored in Dbh -/- slices after pre-incubation with norepinephrine. Locus coeruleus neurons also displayed similar changes in holding current in response to bath application of norepinephrine, UK 14304, and methionine-enkephalin. Dopamine neurons recorded in the substantia nigra pars compacta similarly showed no differences between slices harvested from Dbh -/- and control mice. These results indicate that endogenous norepinephrine is not necessary for the expression of catecholaminergic neuron firing properties or responses to direct agonists, but is necessary for auto-inhibition mediated by indirect alpha-2 receptor stimulation. |
