| Plateau potentials and their role in motor behavior | |
| Research field: | Central nervous system |
| Authors: | Kiehn O |
| Address of presenting author: | Section of Neurophysiology, The Panum Institute, Blegdamsvej 3, 2200 Copenhagen N, Denmark |
| E-mail: | 0.Kiehn@mfi.ku.dk |
| Phone: | 45 35327453 |
| Fax: | 45 35327499 |
| Text of abstract |
Introduction Research over the last 15 years has shown that vertebrate spinal motor neurons in reduced preparations under some circumstances can generate prolonged plateau potentials. A plateau potential is a stable membrane potential more depolarized than the resting membrane potential. When the plateau potential is triggered a cell can fire action potentials in the absence of continuous synaptic excitation. This situation is quite different from the one in which firing is maintained by a summed excitatory drive which is sufficiently large to move the neuron’s membrane potential above the threshold for action potentials. In this latter case sustained synaptic excitation is required for a neuron to maintain continuous firing. The integrative capacity of a motor neuron with and without plateau properties is therefore dramatically different. In this talk I will discuss how these plateau properties are regulated at the cellular level, evaluate whether plateau potentials exist in the intact organisms including humans, and examine the functional role of these properties in motor control.
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| Keywords: | Plateau potential, 5-HT, motor neurons, calcium, spinal cord |
Created 2000-05-02