Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Medicine and Health Sciences Commons

Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Life Sciences

PDF

UCHC Articles - Research

2010

Glutamate

Articles 1 - 1 of 1

Full-Text Articles in Medicine and Health Sciences

The Decade Of The Dendritic Nmda Spike, Srdjan D. Antic, Wen-Liang Zho, Anna R. Moore, Shaina M. Shor, Katerina D. Ikonomu Nov 2010

The Decade Of The Dendritic Nmda Spike, Srdjan D. Antic, Wen-Liang Zho, Anna R. Moore, Shaina M. Shor, Katerina D. Ikonomu

UCHC Articles - Research

In the field of cortical cellular physiology, much effort has been invested in understanding thick apical drites of pyramidal neurons and the regenerative sodium and calcium spikes that take place in the apical trunk. Here we focus on thin dendrites of pyramidal cells (basal, oblique, and tuft dendrites), and we discuss one relatively novel form of an electrical signal (“NMDA spike”) that is specific for these branches. Basal, oblique, and apical tuft dendrites receive a high density of glutamatergic synaptic contacts. Synchronous activation of 10–50 neighboring glutamatergic synapses triggers a local dendritic regenerative potential, NMDA spike/plateau, which is characterized by …