T-type calcium channels of the Cav3 family are unique among voltage-gated calcium channels due to their low activation voltage, rapid inactivation, and small single channel conductance. These special properties allow Cav3 calcium channels to regulate neuronal processing in the subthreshold voltage range. Here, we review two different subthreshold ion channel interactions involving Cav3 channels...

The basolateral amygdala (BLA) assigns emotional significance to sensory stimuli. This association results in a change in the output (action potentials) of BLA projection neurons in response to the stimulus. Neuronal output is controlled by the intrinsic excitability of the neuron. A major determinant of intrinsic excitability in these neurons is the slow afterhyperpolarization (sAHP) that foll...

Cerebellar Purkinje neurons often generate all-or-none burst firing in response to depolarizing stimuli. Voltage-clamp experiments using action potential waveforms show that burst firing depends on small net inward currents that flow after spikes and reflect the net balance between multiple large currents. Given this, burst firing is surprisingly robust in the face of changes in the magnitude o...

Extracellular calcium is critical for many neural functions, including neurotransmission, cell adhesion, and neural plasticity. Experiments have shown that normal neural activity is associated with changes in extracellular calcium, which has motivated recent computational work that employs such fluctuations in an information-bearing role. This possibility suggests that a new style of computing ...

Pyramidal neurons in the lateral amygdala discharge trains of action potentials that show marked spike frequency adaptation, which is primarily mediated by activation of a slow calcium-activated potassium current. We show here that these neurons also express an alpha-dendrotoxin- and tityustoxin-Kalpha-sensitive voltage-dependent potassium current that plays a key role in the control of spike d...