Effects of nitrous oxide on glycinergic transmission in rat spinal neurons.

Effects of nitrous oxide on glycinergic transmission in rat spinal neurons.
Brain Res Bull. 2020 Jun 26;:
Authors: Nakamura M, Jang IS, Yamaga T, Kotani N, Akaike N
Abstract
We investigated the effects of nitrous oxide (N2O) on glycinergic inhibitory whole-cell and synaptic responses using a "synapse bouton preparation," dissociated mechanically from rat spinal sacral dorsal commissural nucleus (SDCN) neurons. This technique can evaluate pure single- or multi-synaptic responses from native functional nerve endings and enable us to accurately quantify how N2O influences pre- and postsynaptic transmission. We found that 70% N2O enhanced exogenous glycine-induced whole-cell currents (IGly) at glycine concentrations lower than 3 × 10-5 M, but did not affect IGly at glycine concentrations higher than 10-4 M. N2O did not affect the amplitude and 1/e decay-time of both spontaneous and miniature glycinergic inhibitory postsynaptic currents recorded in the absence and presence of tetrodotoxin (sIPSCs and mIPSCs, respectively). The decrease in frequency induced by N2O was observed in sIPSCs but not in mIPSCs, which was recorded in the presence of both tetrodotoxin and Cd2+, which block voltage-gated Na+ and Ca2+ channels, respectively. N2O also decreased the amplitude and increased the failure rate and paired-pulse ratio of action potential-evoked glycinergic inhibitory postsynaptic currents. N2O slightly decreased the Ba2+ currents media...

Source: Brain Research Bulletin - June 25, 2020 Category: Neurology Authors: Nakamura M, Jang IS, Yamaga T, Kotani N, Akaike N Tags: Brain Res Bull Source Type: research