Spontaneous beating of rabbit sinoatrial node cells (SANCs) is controlled by cAMP-mediated, protein kinase A-dependent local subsarcolemmal ryanodine receptor Ca(2+) releases (LCRs). LCRs activated an inward Na(+)/Ca(2+) exchange current that increases the terminal diastolic depolarization rate and, therefore, the spontaneous SANC beating rate. Basal cAMP in SANCs is elevated, suggesting that c...

  Clonidine, an α2-adrenergic receptor agonist not only induces analgesia but also prolongs the effects of local anesthetic substances. In the present study the effects of clonidine on spontaneous and formalin-induced electrical activity from dorsal skin nerve were investigated. The results showed that clonidine (0.5 mM) decreased the formalin effect on electrical nerve activity whereas clonidi...

To characterize the electrophysiological properties of neurons in the medial agranular frontal cortex (Fr2) with respect to arousal level and locus coeruleus (LC) activity, we recorded spontaneous and auditory-evoked single unit activity in these areas simultaneously during different states of arousal in the rat. In the low-arousal state, as determined by EEG, 14/56 Fr2 neurons showed a tonic i...

Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is widely reported to enhance synaptic vesicle (SV) exocytosis and neurotransmitter release. But it is still unclear whether BDNF enhances SV recycling at excitatory terminals only, or at both excitatory and inhibitory terminals. In the present study, in a direct comparison using cultured rat hippocampal neurons, we demonstrate that BDNF enhances both sp...

This paper presents results from a project on phonetic convergence in German spontaneous speech. We used linear mixed models to examine 22 unimodal and 24 multimodal dialogs for articulation rate. We show that speakers’ local articulation rates are influenced by the preceding rates of their interlocutors, and that the direction of this influence (i.e., divergence or convergence) depends on soci...

Rubinstein et al. [Hear. Res. 127, 108-118 (1999)] suggested that the neural representation of the waveforms of electric stimuli might be improved by introducing an ongoing, high-rate, desynchronizing pulse train (DPT). A DPT may desynchronize neural responses to electric stimulation in a manner similar to spontaneous activity in a healthy ear. To test this hypothesis, responses of auditory-ner...