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Ionized calcium in human cerebrospinal fluid and its influence on intrinsic and synaptic excitability of hippocampal pyramidal neurons in the rat

Forsberg, M; Seth, H; Björefeldt, A; Lyckenvik, T; Andersson, M; Wasling, P; Zetterberg, H; (2019) Ionized calcium in human cerebrospinal fluid and its influence on intrinsic and synaptic excitability of hippocampal pyramidal neurons in the rat. Journal of Neurochemistry , 149 (4) pp. 452-470. 10.1111/jnc.14693. Green open access

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Abstract

It is well known that the extracellular concentration of calcium affects neuronal excitability and synaptic transmission. Less is known about the physiological concentration of extracellular calcium in the brain. In electrophysiological brain slice experiments, the artificial cerebrospinal fluid (aCSF) traditionally contains relatively high concentrations of calcium (2-4 mM) to support synaptic transmission and suppress neuronal excitability. Using an ion-selective electrode, we determined the fraction of ionized calcium in healthy human cerebrospinal fluid (hCSF) to 1.0 mM of a total concentration of 1.2 mM (86%). Using patch-clamp and extracellular recordings in the CA1 region in acute slices of rat hippocampus, we then compared the effects of this physiological concentration of calcium with the commonly used 2 mM on neuronal excitability, synaptic transmission and long-term potentiation (LTP) to examine the magnitude of changes in this range of extracellular calcium. Increasing the total extracellular calcium concentration from 1.2 to 2 mM decreased spontaneous action potential firing, induced a depolarization of the threshold and increased the rate of both de- and repolarization of the action potential. Evoked synaptic transmission was approximately doubled, with a balanced effect between inhibition and excitation. In 1.2 mM calcium high-frequency stimulation did not result in any LTP, whereas a prominent LTP was observed at 2 or 4 mM calcium. Surprisingly, this inability to induce LTP persisted during blockade of GABAergic inhibition. In conclusion, an increase from the physiological 1.2 mM to 2 mM calcium in the aCSF has striking effects on neuronal excitability, synaptic transmission and the induction of LTP. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Type: Article
Title: Ionized calcium in human cerebrospinal fluid and its influence on intrinsic and synaptic excitability of hippocampal pyramidal neurons in the rat
Location: England
Open access status: An open access version is available from UCL Discovery
DOI: 10.1111/jnc.14693
Publisher version: https://doi.org/10.1111/jnc.14693
Language: English
Additional information: This version is the author accepted manuscript. For information on re-use, please refer to the publisher’s terms and conditions.
Keywords: Ionized calcium, cerebrospinal fluid, excitability, hippocampus, long-term potentiation, synaptic transmission
UCL classification: UCL
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Brain Sciences
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Brain Sciences > UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Brain Sciences > UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology > Neurodegenerative Diseases
URI: https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10072062
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