Abstract
Neurons can form a synaptic network in culture and show spontaneous oscillation of intracellular Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]i). In the present study, spontaneous oscillation of [Ca2+]i, was characterized in cultured hippocampal neurons. The oscillation was blocked completely by tetrodotoxin, 6-cyano-7-nitroquinoxaline-2, 3-dione (CNQX) and nicardipine, while DL-2-amino-5-phosphonovaleric acid (APV) showed only a partial depression of the increase in [Ca2+]i. These results suggest that the oscillation in [Ca2+]i is mainly mediated by non-N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) type glutamatergic transmission. The oscillation of [Ca2+]i may be a good model for analyzing glutamatergic transmission and synapse formation.
