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Free keywords:
Fast Component; Closed Time; Burst Duration; Spinal Cord Neuron; Exponential Component
Abstract:
Many agonists, in particular those that are involved in neurotransmission, and their analogues, work by opening discrete pores, or ion channels, in cell membranes. For example, acetylcholine (ACh) opens cation-permeable channels coupled to nicotinic receptors at the voluntary muscle end plate. It also opens potassium-selective channels coupled to muscarinic receptors in the sinoatrial node of heart. Glycine, a putative inhibitory transmitter in the spinal cord, opens anion-permeable channels in some spinal cord neurons. The aim of the work discussed is the elucidation of mechanisms by which these agonists cause ion channels to open. First, the view derived from work in the 1970s is reviewed; then the new contributions from single-channel current recordings are presented.
