Ionic channel mechanisms in oscillatory cellular bursting underlying respiratory rhythm

脑干前波青格复合体（pre-Botzinger complex，简称pre-BotC）是呼吸节律产生的基本兴奋性回路，它包含一组表现出内在节律性爆发的神经元。爆发的开始被认为依赖于持续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。利用全细胞膜片钳、计算模型和动态钳，我们提供了INaP调节节律性突发产生的所有基本特征的证据。结果显示了INaPorchestrate神经元振荡破裂的动力学特性。

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.