The influence of the chloride currents on action potential firing and volume regulation of excitable cells studied by a kinetic model

Isoflurane lowers the cerebral metabolic rate of oxygen and prevents hypoxia during cortical spreading depolarization in vitro: An integrative experimental and modeling study

Cortical spreading depolarization (SD) imposes a massive increase in energy demand and therefore evolves as a target for treatment following acute brain injuries. Anesthetics are empirically used to reduce energy metabolism in critical brain conditions, yet their effect on metabolism during SD remains largely unknown. We investigated oxidative metabolism during SD in brain slices from Wistar rats. Extracellular potassium ([K+]o), local field potential and partial tissue oxygen pressure (ptiO2) were measured simultaneously. The cerebral metabolic rate of oxygen (CMRO2) was calculated using a reaction-diffusion model. By that, we tested the effect of clinically relevant concentrations of isoflurane on CMRO2 during SD and modeled tissue oxygenation for different capillary pO2 values. During SD, CMRO2 increased 2.7-fold, resulting in transient hypoxia in the slice core. Isoflurane decreased CMRO2, reduced peak [K+]o, and prolonged [K+]o clearance, which indicates reduced synaptic transmission and sodium-potassium ATPase inhibition. Modeling tissue oxygenation during SD illustrates the need for increased capillary pO2 levels to prevent hypoxia. In the absence thereof, isoflurane could improve tissue oxygenation by lowering CMRO2. Therefore, isoflurane is a promising candidate for pre-clinical studies on neuronal survival in conditions involving SD.

Metabolic implications of axonal demyelination and its consequences for synchronized network activity: An in silico and in vitro study

Myelination enhances the conduction velocity of action potentials (AP) and increases energy efficiency. Thick myelin sheaths are typically found on large-distance axonal connections or in fast-spiking interneurons, which are critical for synchronizing neuronal networks during gamma-band oscillations. Loss of myelin sheath is associated with multiple alterations in axonal architecture leading to impaired AP propagation. While numerous studies are devoted to the effects of demyelination on conduction velocity, the metabolic effects and the consequences for network synchronization have not been investigated. Here we present a unifying computational model for electrophysiology and metabolism of the myelinated axon. The computational model suggested that demyelination not only decreases the AP speed but AP propagation in demyelinated axons requires compensatory processes like mitochondrial mass increase and a switch from saltatory to continuous propagation to rescue axon functionality at the cost of reduced AP propagation speed and increased energy expenditure. Indeed, these predictions were proven to be true in a culture model of demyelination where the pharmacologically-induced loss of myelin was associated with increased oxygen consumption rates, and a significant broadening of bandwidth as well as a decrease in the power of gamma oscillations.

MOLECULAR MECHANISMS DEFINING APPLICATION OF GLYCINE AND ZINC COMBINATIONIN CORRECTION OF STRESS AND ANXIETY MAIN MANIFESTATIONS

The aim of the work was to carry out a systematic analysis of the molecular mechanisms that determine the possibility of a combined use of amino acid glycine and zinc compounds for the treatment of patients with manifestations of stress and anxiety.

Materials and methods. Information retrieval (Scopus, PubMed) and library (eLibrary) databases were used as research tools. In some cases, the ResearchGate application was applied for a semantic search. The analysis and generalization of references was carried out on the research topic, covering the period from 2000 to the present time.

Results. It has been shown that amino acid glycine, along with gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), is a key neurotransmitter that regulates physiological inhibition processes in the central nervous system (CNS) by increasing transmembrane conductance in specific pentameric ligand-gated ion channels. The introduction of zinc ions can potentiate the opening of these receptors by increasing their affinity for glycine, resulting in an inhibitory processes increase in CNS neurons. The replenishment of the glycine and zinc combined deficiency is an important element in the correction of a post-stress dysfunction of the central nervous system. A balanced intake of zinc and glycine is essential for most people who experience daily effects of multiple stresses and anxiety. This combination is especially useful for the people experiencing a state of chronic psycho-emotional stress and maladaptation, including those who have a difficulty in falling asleep.

Conclusion. A balanced maintenance of the zinc and glycine concentration in the body of a healthy person leads to the development of a stable anti-anxiety effect, which is accompanied by the normalization of the sleep-wake rhythm, which makes it possible to have a good rest without any loss of working efficiency after waking up.

Differential expression of Na+/K+/Cl- cotransporter 1 in neurons and glial cells within the superficial spinal dorsal horn of rodents

Although convincing experimental evidence indicates that Na⁺/K⁺/Cl^- cotransporter 1 (NKCC1) is involved in spinal nociceptive information processing and in the generation of hyperalgesia and allodynia in chronic pain states, the cellular distribution of NKCC1 in the superficial spinal dorsal horn is still poorly understood. Because this important piece of knowledge is missing, the effect of NKCC1 on pain processing is still open to conflicting interpretations. In this study, to provide the missing experimental data, we investigated the cellular distribution of NKCC1 in the superficial spinal dorsal horn by immunohistochemical methods. We demonstrated for the first time that almost all spinal axon terminals of peptidergic nociceptive primary afferents express NKCC1. In contrast, virtually all spinal axon terminals of nonpeptidergic nociceptive primary afferents were negative for NKCC1. Data on the colocalization of NKCC1 with axonal and glial markers indicated that it is almost exclusively expressed by axon terminals and glial cells in laminae I-IIo. In lamina IIi, however, we observed a strong immunostaining for NKCC1 also in the dendrites and cell bodies of PV-containing inhibitory neurons and a weak staining in PKCγ-containing excitatory neurons. Our results facilitate further thinking about the role of NKCC1 in spinal pain processing.

Contribution of Resting Conductance, GABAA-Receptor Mediated Miniature Synaptic Currents and Neurosteroid to Chloride Homeostasis in Central Neurons

Maintenance of a low intraneuronal Cl- concentration, [Cl-]i, is critical for inhibition in the CNS. Here, the contribution of passive, conductive Cl- flux to recovery of [Cl-]i after a high load was analyzed in mature central neurons from rat. A novel method for quantifying the resting Cl- conductance, important for [Cl-]i recovery, was developed and the possible contribution of GABAA and glycine receptors and of ClC-2 channels to this conductance was analyzed. The hypothesis that spontaneous, action potential-independent release of GABA is important for [Cl-]i recovery was tested. [Cl-]i was examined by gramicidin-perforated patch recordings in medial preoptic neurons. Cells were loaded with Cl- by combining GABA or glycine application with a depolarized voltage, and the time course of [Cl-]i was followed by measurements of the Cl- equilibrium potential, as obtained from the current recorded during voltage ramps combined with GABA or glycine application. The results show that passive Cl- flux contributes significantly, in the same order of magnitude as does K+-Cl- cotransporter 2 (KCC2), to [Cl-]i recovery and that Cl- conductance accounts for ∼ 6% of the total resting conductance. A major fraction of this resting Cl- conductance is picrotoxin (PTX)-sensitive and likely due to open GABAA receptors, but ClC-2 channels do not contribute. The results also show that when the decay of GABAA receptor-mediated miniature postsynaptic currents (minis) is slowed by the neurosteroid allopregnanolone, such minis may significantly quicken [Cl-]i recovery, suggesting a possible steroid-regulated role for minis in the control of Cl- homeostasis.

Physiology-based kinetic modeling of neuronal energy metabolism unravels the molecular basis of NAD(P)H fluorescence transients

Imaging of the cellular fluorescence of the reduced form of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (phosphate) (NAD(P)H) is one of the few metabolic readouts that enable noninvasive and time-resolved monitoring of the functional status of mitochondria in neuronal tissues. Stimulation-induced transient changes in NAD(P)H fluorescence intensity frequently display a biphasic characteristic that is influenced by various molecular processes, e.g., intracellular calcium dynamics, tricarboxylic acid cycle activity, the malate-aspartate shuttle, the glycerol-3-phosphate shuttle, oxygen supply or adenosine triphosphate (ATP) demand. To evaluate the relative impact of these processes, we developed and validated a detailed physiologic mathematical model of the energy metabolism of neuronal cells and used the model to simulate metabolic changes of single cells and tissue slices under different settings of stimulus-induced activity and varying nutritional supply of glucose, pyruvate or lactate. Notably, all experimentally determined NAD(P)H responses could be reproduced with one and the same generic cellular model. Our computations reveal that (1) cells with quite different metabolic status may generate almost identical NAD(P)H responses and (2) cells of the same type may quite differently contribute to aggregate NAD(P)H responses recorded in brain slices, depending on the spatial location within the tissue. Our computational approach reconciles different and sometimes even controversial experimental findings and improves our mechanistic understanding of the metabolic changes underlying live-cell NAD(P)H fluorescence transients.

The high energy demand of neuronal cells caused by passive leak currents is not a waste of energy

It is estimated that maintenance of the resting potential of neurons consumes between 15% (in gray matter) and 44% (in fully myelinated white matter) of the brain's total energy budget [1]. This poses the intriguing question why evolution has not strived to lower the permeability of passive ion channels to cut the high resting-state energy budget of the brain. Based on a conceptual mathematical model of neuronal ion currents and action potential (AP) firing we demonstrate that a neuron endowed with small leak currents and correspondingly low energy consumption by the Na(+)/K(+)-ATPase in the resting state may indeed recapitulate all features of normal AP firing. However, the activation and inactivation of such a "low-energy-cost neuron" turns out to be extremely sensitive to small fluctuation of Na(+) currents associated with Na(+)-dependent secondary-active transport that is indispensable for the metabolic integrity of the cell and neurotransmitter recycling. We provide evidence that sufficiently large leak currents function as important stabilizers of the membrane potential and thus are required to allow robust AP firing. Our simulations suggest that the energy demand of the Na(+)/K(+)-ATPase needed to counterbalance passive leak currents cannot be significantly dropped below observed values.

Steady-state solutions of cell volume in a cardiac myocyte model elaborated for membrane excitation, ion homeostasis and Ca2+ dynamics

The cell volume continuously changes in response to varying physiological conditions, and mechanisms underlying volume regulation have been investigated in both experimental and theoretical studies. Here, general formulations concerning cell volume change are presented in the context of developing a comprehensive cell model which takes Ca(2+) dynamics into account. Explicit formulas for charge conservation and steady-state volumes of the cytosol and endoplasmic reticulum (ER) are derived in terms of membrane potential, amount of ions, Ca(2+)-bound buffer molecules, and initial cellular conditions. The formulations were applied to a ventricular myocyte model which has plasma-membrane Ca(2+) currents with dynamic gating mechanisms, Ca(2+)-buffering reactions with diffusive and non-diffusive buffer proteins, and Ca(2+) uptake into or release from the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) accompanied by compensatory cationic or anionic currents through the SR membrane. Time-dependent volume changes in cardiac myocytes induced by varying extracellular osmolarity or by action potential generation were successfully simulated by the novel formulations. Through application of bifurcation analysis, the existence and uniqueness of steady-state solutions of the cell volume were validated, and contributions of individual ion channels and transporters to the steady-state volume were systematically analyzed. The new formulas are consistent with previous fundamental theory derived from simple models of minimum compositions. The new formulations may be useful for examination of the relationship between cell function and volume change in other cell types.