Brain metabolism can profoundly influence neuronal excitability. Mice with genetic deletion or alteration of Bad (BCL-2 agonist of cell death) exhibit altered brain-cell fuel metabolism, accompanied by resistance to acutely induced epileptic seizures; this seizure protection is mediated by ATP-sensitive potassium (KATP) channels. Here we investigated the effect of BAD manipulation on KATP chann...

Maintenance of neural circuit activity requires appropriate regulation of excitatory and inhibitory synaptic transmission. Recently, glia have emerged as key partners in the modulation of neuronal excitability; however, the mechanisms by which glia regulate neuronal signaling are still being elucidated. Here, we describe an analysis of how Ca2+ signals within Drosophila astrocyte-like glia regu...

Potassium channels form the largest family of ion with more than 80 members involved in cell excitability and signalling. Most them exist as homomeric channels, whereas specific conditions are required to obtain heteromeric channels. It is well established that heteromerization voltage-gated inward rectifier potassium affects their function, increasing diversity native currents. For two pore do...

Ion channel dysfunction causes a range of neurological disorders by altering transmembrane ion fluxes, neuronal or muscle excitability, and neurotransmitter release. Genetic neuronal channelopathies affecting peripheral axons provide a unique opportunity to examine the impact of dysfunction of a single channel subtype in detail in vivo. Episodic ataxia type 2 is caused by mutations in CACNA1A, ...

SIGNIFICANCE Functional states of organisms vary rhythmically with a period of about a day (i.e., circadian). This endogenous dynamic is shaped by day-night alternations in light and energy. Mammalian circadian rhythms are orchestrated by the hypothalamic suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN), a brain region specialized for timekeeping. These autonomous ~24-h oscillations are cell-based, requiring tran...

Conditions of changing steroid hormone levels are a particularly vulnerable time for the manifestation of neurological disorders, including catamenial epilepsy, premenstrual syndrome (PMS), and postpartum depression. The pathophysiology of these disorders may be related to changes in neurosteroid levels, which can dramatically impact neuronal excitability. Robust changes in neurosteroid levels,...