Acetylcholine activates a nicotinic receptor and an inward current in dorsal motor nucleus of the vagus neurons in vitro

Document Type

Journal Article

Publication Date

8-11-1995

Journal

Neuroscience Letters

Volume

195

Issue

3

DOI

10.1016/0304-3940(95)11807-9

Keywords

Acetylcholine; Dorsal motor; Muscarinic; Nicotine; Nicotinic; Parasympathetic; Patch clamp; Rat; Vagal; Vagus

Abstract

This study examines the effect of acetylcholine (Ach) on parasympathetic vagal neurons in the dorsal motor nucleus of the vagus (DMNX). Patch-clamp techniques were utilized to examine voltage and ligand-gated currents in visualized DMNX neurons in an in-vitro slice. Ach (100 μM) activated an inward current, -196.4 ± 56.9 pA at -80 mV (n = 15) that was accompanied by a decrease in membrane resistance of 48.6 ± 9.2% in a population of DMNX neurons. The reversal potential for this ligand-gated current was -11.3 ± 11.5 mV. The specific agonist nicotine (200 μM) elicited similar responses. Nicotine decreased membrane resistance by 60.9 ± 4.3% and activated an inward current (-215.7 ± 45.7 pA at -80 mV) that reversed at -12.7 ± 20.4 mV (n = 16). Bethanecol (100 μM), a specific muscarinic agonist, had no effect. Neither Ach or nicotine had any effect on the voltage-gated sodium and outward potassium currents present in these neurons. © 1995.

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