Ionic channel mechanisms in oscillatory cellular bursting underlying respiratory rhythm

脑干前Botzinger复合体（pre-BotC）是呼吸节律产生的基本兴奋回路，包含一个表现出内在节律爆发的神经元子集。爆发起始被认为依赖于持续性Na+电流（INaP），但调节爆发频率和持续时间的细胞机制尚不清楚。使用全细胞膜片钳，计算建模，和动态钳，我们提供的证据表明，INaP调节所有的基本特征的节奏爆发的产生。结果表明INaPorchestrate神经元振荡爆发的动力学特性。

The brainstem pre-Botzinger complex (pre-BotC), the essential excitatory circuit for respiratory rhythm generation, contains a subset of neurons that exhibit intrinsic rhythmic bursting. The burst initiation is considered to rely on the persistent Na+current (INaP), but cellular mechanisms that regulate burst frequency and duration are unknown. Using whole-cell patch-clamp, computational modeling, and dynamic-clamp, we provide evidence that INaP regulates all the essential features of rhythmic burst generation. The results show how the kinetic properties of INaPorchestrate neuronal oscillatory bursting.