ArticleNeuroscience bulletin2012
SK channels modulate the excitability and firing precision of projection neurons in the robust nucleus of the arcopallium in adult male zebra finches.
Article in Neuroscience bulletin, 2012. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers.
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
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Who cites it
5 citing papers in PubMed, 6 citations in OpenAlex.
- Alpha-synuclein overexpression reduces neural activity within a basal ganglia vocal nucleus in a zebra finch model.PloS one · 2026Article
- Neural Activity During Call Production in the Female Zebra Finch Homolog of the Male Forebrain Song System.The European journal of neuroscience · 2025Article
- Local neuronal circuits that may shape the discharge patterns of inferior collicular neurons.Neuroscience bulletin · 2013Article
- Extracellular Ca2+ fluctuations in vivo affect afterhyperpolarization potential and modify firing patterns of neocortical neurons.Experimental neurology · 2013Article
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Authors and funding
5 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectiveMotor control is encoded by neuronal activity. Small conductance Ca(2+)-activated K(+) channels (SK channels) maintain the regularity and precision of firing by contributing to the afterhyperpolarization (AHP) of the action potential in mammals. However, it is not clear how SK channels regulate the output of the vocal motor system in songbirds. The premotor robust nucleus of the arcopallium (RA) in the zebra finch is responsible for the output of song information. The temporal pattern of spike bursts in RA projection neurons is associated with the timing of the acoustic features of birdsong.
methodsThe firing properties of RA projection neurons were analyzed using patch clamp whole-cell and cell-attached recording techniques.
resultsSK channel blockade by apamin decreased the AHP amplitude and increased the evoked firing rate in RA projection neurons. It also caused reductions in the regularity and precision of firing. RA projection neurons displayed regular spontaneous action potentials, while apamin caused irregular spontaneous firing but had no effect on the firing rate. In the absence of synaptic inputs, RA projection neurons still had spontaneous firing, and apamin had an evident effect on the firing rate, but caused no significant change in the firing regularity, compared with apamin application in the presence of synaptic inputs.
conclusionSK channels contribute to the maintenance of firing regularity in RA projection neurons which requires synaptic activity, and consequently ensures the precision of song encoding.
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