Simulation of spontaneous Ca2+ oscillations in astrocytes mediated by voltage-gated calcium channels.

ABSTRACT: The purpose of this computational study was to investigate the possible role of voltage-gated Ca(2+) channels in spontaneous Ca(2+) oscillations of astrocytes. By incorporating different types of voltage-gated Ca(2+) channels and a previous model, this study reproduced typical Ca(2+) oscillations in silico. Our model could mimic the oscillatory phenomenon under a wide range of experimental conditions, including resting membrane potential (-75 to -60 mV), extracellular Ca(2+) concentration (0.1 to 1500 muM), temperature (20 to 37 degrees C), and blocking specific Ca(2+) channels. By varying the experimental conditions, the amplitude and duration of Ca(2+) oscillations changed slightly (both <25%), while the frequency changed significantly ( approximately 400%). This indicates that spontaneo

SUBMITTER: Zeng S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2770604 | biostudies-literature | 2009 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature