Resonance characteristic and its ionic basis of rat mesencephalic trigeminal neurons

• ZAP input currents were used to check resonance property of Mes V neuron.
• Class 2 neurons have a high a frequency resonance significant at depolarized potentials.
• Class 2 neurons have a low frequency resonance significant at hyperpolarized potentials.
• 4-Aminopyridine sensitive K+ current was proved to underlie high frequency resonance.
• h-Current was proved to underlie low frequency resonance.

Intrinsic resonant frequency properties of neurons in the brain provide a basis for different behavioral states and determine the responding modality (i.e. excitability) of different neurons. Previously, three types of excitability behaviors in rat Mesencephalic V neurons were found. To investigate the different resonant frequency and ionic current mechanisms underlying different resonances among three types of excitability, we performed whole-cell patch recordings and applied ZAP current on Mesencephalic V cells (N=70) in rat slices. The results show that: Class 2 neurons (30/30) have two resonances with U-shaped voltage dependence. One is a high frequency resonance (75.4±2.11 Hz) significant at depolarized potentials (about −50 mV) and the other is a low frequency resonance (5.46±0.31 Hz) significant at hyperpolarized potentials (about −70 mV). Voltage clamp experiments reveal two non-inactivating currents operating in the subthreshold voltage range: (1) 4-aminopyridine sensitive K+ current, which activates at membrane potentials positive than −60 mV and was blocked by 4-AP (50 µM), was underlying the high frequency resonance of Class 2 neuron; (2) h-current, which activates negative than −60 mV and was blocked by the hyperpolarization-activated cyclic nucleotide-gated channel blocker ZD7288 (10 µM), was underlying the low frequency resonance. Class 1 neurons do not show voltage-dependence resonant behaviors (10/10). Class 3 neurons (23/30) have two resonances, which are similar with Class 2 in both resonant frequency and currents. Our results provide clear evidence for the existence of multiple kinds of frequency resonances and how the relationship between the resonant frequency and the ionic current is based in Mesencephalic V neurons.