Inactivation mode of sodium channels defines the different maximal firing rates of conventional versus atypical midbrain dopamine neurons.

ABSTRACT: Two subpopulations of midbrain dopamine (DA) neurons are known to have different dynamic firing ranges in vitro that correspond to distinct projection targets: the originally identified conventional DA neurons project to the dorsal striatum and the lateral shell of the nucleus accumbens, whereas an atypical DA population with higher maximum firing frequencies projects to prefrontal regions and other limbic regions including the medial shell of nucleus accumbens. Using a computational model, we show that previously identified differences in biophysical properties do not fully account for the larger dynamic range of the atypical population and predict that the major difference is that originally identified conventional cells have larger occupancy of voltage-gated sodium channels in a long-te

SUBMITTER: Knowlton CJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8480832 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature