[Abstract Title]. - Society for Neuroscience

Support: NIH grant AA14973
Title: Ethanol increases spontaneous action potential firing frequency of cerebellar Golgi
neurons via membrane depolarization
Authors: *P. BOTTA, C. F. VALENZUELA;
Neurosci, Univ. New Mexico HSC, Albuquerque, NM
Abstract: Cerebellar Golgi neurons (GNs) are spontaneously firing GABAergic interneurons
situated in the cerebellar granule layer. These neurons play a pivotal role in filtering mossy fiberdependent
excitation of granule cells. We have previously shown that acute ethanol (EtOH)
exposure enhances GN spontaneous action potential firing (Carta et al. J Neurosci. 24:3746-51,
2004) and that this effect can be observed in presence of antagonists of ionotropic glutamate,
mGluR2, GABA-A, GABA-B and glycine receptors (Program No. 909.10. Neuroscience
Meeting Planner. San Diego, CA: SFN 2007). These findings indicate that EtOH enhances GN
firing by affecting intrinsic conductances rather than changing synaptic inputs. The goal of this
study was to further characterize the action of EtOH at GNs. Parasagittal cerebellar vermis slices
(200 micrometer-thick) were prepared from 23-25 day-old male Sprague-Dawley rats. GN firing
was recorded using the perforated-patch current-clamp configuration (Iinject = 0 pA) at 32 o C. The
artificial cerebrospinal fluid contained antagonists of the above-mentioned neurotransmitter
receptors. EtOH (40 mM) reversibly increased the spontaneous action potential firing frequency
(ctrl = 3.9 ± 0.9 Hz; EtOH = 4.6 ± 0.9 Hz; n = 9; p