Thalamic T-type Ca2+ channels and NREM sleep.

Full Abstract

T-type Ca2+ channels play a number of different and pivotal roles in almost every type of neuronal oscillation expressed by thalamic neurones during non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep, including those underlying sleep theta waves, the K-complex and the slow (<1 Hz) sleep rhythm, sleep spindles and delta waves. In particular, the transient opening of T channels not only gives rise to the 'classical' low threshold Ca2+ potentials, and associated high frequency burst of action potentials, that are characteristically present during sleep spindles and delta waves, but also contributes to the high threshold bursts that underlie the thalamic generation of sleep theta rhythms. The persistent opening of a small fraction of T channels, i.e. I(Twindow), is responsible for the large amplitude and long lasting depolarization, or UP state, of the slow (<1 Hz) sleep oscillation in thalamic neurones. These cellular findings are in part matched by the wake-sleep phenotype of global and thalamic-selective CaV3.1 knockout mice that show a decreased amount of total NREM sleep time. T-type Ca2+ channels, therefore, constitute the single most crucial voltage-dependent conductance that permeates all activities of thalamic neurones during NREM sleep. Since I(Twindow) and high threshold bursts are not restricted to thalamic neurones, the cellular neurophysiology of T channels should now move away from the simplistic, though historically significant, view of these channels as being responsible only for low threshold Ca2+ potentials.

Learn Faster Today Improve your study skills

Author information

Author/s: Crunelli, Vincenzo (V); Cope, David W (DW); Hughes, Stuart W (SW);

Affiliation: School of Biosciences, Cardiff University, Museum Avenue, Cardiff CF10 3US, UK. crunelli(-atsign-)cardiff.ac.uk

Grants: 71436 (Agency:Wellcome Trust) ; 78311 (Agency:Wellcome Trust) ; 78403 (Agency:Wellcome Trust)

Journal and publication information

Publication Type: Journal Article; Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't; Review

Journal: Cell calcium (Cell Calcium), published in Scotland. (Language: eng)

Reference: 2006-Aug; vol 40 (issue 2) : pp 175-90

Dates: Created 2006/07/03; Completed 2006/10/06; Revised 2007/08/13;

PMID: 16777223, status: MEDLINE (last retrieval date: 12/26/2008)

Sourced from the National Library of Medicine. Abstract text and other information may be subject to copyright.

External Links for this article (including full text providers, if available):

Click Electronic Full-text Provider Links to see options for finding the electronic full text links to this article. Note there may be a subscription or fee required for access to the full text. See our FAQ for information on finding FREE full text articles.

This article may also be located in paper journal collections available in many libraries. Use the Journal and Publication Information above to find the full article.

MeSH headings (categories)

This article was linked to the MESH Headings shown below.

Alpha Rhythm
Animals
Calcium Channels, T-Type - metabolism
Calcium Signaling

Humans
Sleep Stages - physiology
Thalamus - metabolism
Theta Rhythm

Associated Chemicals: Calcium Channels, T-Type (0)

These are the highest related articles currently in the database:

See 100+ related articles.