Abstract
Two-photon imaging of large neuronal networks in cortical slices of newborn rats revealed synchronized oscillations in intracellular Ca2+ concentration. These spontaneous Ca2+ waves usually started in the posterior cortex and propagated slowly (2.1 mm per second) toward its anterior end. Ca2+ waves were associated with field-potential changes and required activation of AMPA and NMDA receptors. Although GABAA receptors were not involved in wave initiation, the developmental transition of GABAergic transmission from depolarizing to hyperpolarizing (around postnatal day 7) stopped the oscillatory activity. Thus we identified a type of large-scale Ca2+ wave that may regulate long-distance wiring in the immature cortex.
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Acknowledgements
We thank E. Brown for advice and help in developing the two-photon imaging set-up and E. Hanse and M. Noll-Hussong for participating in the preliminary experiments. We also thank A. Selyanko for comments on the manuscript and R. Trautmann, H. Krempel, E. Eilers and D. Hof for technical assistance. The work was supported by the HFSP and the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (SFB 391).
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Garaschuk, O., Linn, J., Eilers, J. et al. Large-scale oscillatory calcium waves in the immature cortex. Nat Neurosci 3, 452–459 (2000). https://doi.org/10.1038/74823
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/74823
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