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Silent glutamatergic synapses and nociception in mammalian spinal cord

Author

Listed:
  • Ping Li

    (Department of Anesthesiology
    Washington University in St Louis)

  • Min Zhuo

    (Department of Anesthesiology
    Washington University in St Louis)

Abstract

Neurons in the superficial dorsal horn of the spinal cord are important for conveying sensory information from the periphery to the central nervous system1,2. Some synapses between primary afferent fibres and spinal dorsal horn neurons may be inefficient or silent3. Ineffective sensory transmission could result from a small postsynaptic current that fails to depolarize the cell to threshold for an action potential or from a cell with a normal postsynaptic current but an increased threshold for action potentials. Here we show that some cells in the superficial dorsal horn of the lumbar spinal cord have silent synapses: they do not respond unless the holding potential is moved from −70 mV to +40 mV. Serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine, 5-HT), an important neurotransmitter of the raphe–spinal projecting pathway, transforms silent glutamatergic synapses into functional ones. Therefore, transformation of silent glutamatergic synapses may serve as a cellular mechanism for central plasticity in the spinal cord.

Suggested Citation

  • Ping Li & Min Zhuo, 1998. "Silent glutamatergic synapses and nociception in mammalian spinal cord," Nature, Nature, vol. 393(6686), pages 695-698, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:nature:v:393:y:1998:i:6686:d:10.1038_31496
    DOI: 10.1038/31496
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