DIFFERENT CA2+ CHANNELS IN SOMA AND DENDRITES OF HIPPOCAMPAL PYRAMIDAL NEURONS MEDIATE SPIKE-INDUCED CA2+ INFLUX

1. Intracellular recordings, in conjunction with fura-2 fluorescence imaging, were used to evaluate the contribution of the different Ca2+ channel subtypes to the Ca2+ influx induced by back-propagating trains of action potentials. High-threshold channels contributed mainly to Ca2+ influx in pyramidal cell somata and proximal dendrites, whereas low-threshold and other Ni2+-sensitive channels played a greater role in more distal dendritic signaling. These data suggest that the different Ca2+ channel types participate in distinct physiological functions; low-threshold channels likely play a greater role in dendritic integration, whereas high-threshold channels are more important for somatic Ca2+-dependent processes.