N-Methyl-D-Aspartate Receptor Activation and Ca2+ Account for Poor Pyramidal Cell Structure in Hippocampal Slices |
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Authors: | Sherry Feig Peter Lipton |
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Affiliation: | Departments of Anatomy;Physiology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, U.S.A. |
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Abstract: | The CA1 pyramidal cells appear damaged in micrographs of guinea pig hippocampal slices incubated in normal physiological buffer at 36–37°C. This is remedied if slices are incubated in modified buffers for the first 45 min. Cell morphology is improved if this buffer is devoid of added Ca2+ and much improved if it contains N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor antagonists or 0 mM Ca2+ and 10 mM Mg2+. The cells then appear similar to CA1 pyramidal cells in situ. These findings support the notion that NMDA receptor activation and Ca2+, acting in the period immediately after slice preparation, permanently damage CA1 pyramidal cells in vitro. |
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Keywords: | N-Methyl-d-aspartate Calcium Hippocampus CA1 pyramidal cell morphology ATP. |
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