| Abstract: | This study demonstrates for the first time that α7 nicotinic receptors (nAChRs) mediate fast synaptic transmission in conventional hippocampal slices. In the presence of antagonists of muscarinic, AMPA, NMDA, GABAA, ATP, and 5-HT3 receptors, spontaneous and evoked postsynaptic currents (PSCs) recorded from CA1 interneurons were blocked by the α7 nAChR antagonists methyllycaconitine and α-bungarotoxin and by a desensitizing concentration of the α7 nAChR agonist choline. Spontaneous nicotinic PSCs were also accompanied by Na+ transients, indicating that α7 nAChR-mediated transmission serves as an excitatory signal to the CA1 interneurons in the hippocampus. |
