Magnesium Research
MENUEffect of Mg 2+ on neural activity of rat cortical and hippocampal neurons in vitro Volume 22, numéro 3, september 2009
Illustrations
- Mots-clés : Mg 2+, Ca 2+, MEA, flow cytometry, cortex, hippocampus
- DOI : 10.1684/mrh.2009.0179
- Page(s) : 174-81
- Année de parution : 2009
Mg 2+ plays an important role in biological functions, similar to that of Ca 2+. In terms of neural activity, it is well known that Mg 2+ blocks the NMDA receptor. However, the relationship between Mg 2+ and neural function has not been well understood. We have investigated the effect of low extracellular Mg 2+ concentration ([Mg 2+] o) on neural activity in rat cortical and hippocampal neurons by using microelectrode array (MEA) measurements and glutamate measurements, with an enzyme modified MEA-based multi-array sensor. In this study, we investigated the effects of low [Mg 2+] o on intracellular Ca 2+ concentration ([Ca 2+] i) using a confocal laser microscope and a flow cytometer with a fluorescence probe. The results indicate that low [Mg 2+] o has an effect on neural activity. The responses of cortical and hippocampal neurons to low [Mg 2+] o differed in the developmental period. The results suggest that hippocampal neurons are more sensitive to [Mg 2+] o than cortical neurons. The glutamate receptor distributions in the cortex and hippocampus may be different. Further investigation is required to understand the mechanisms of the Mg 2+ effect on neural activity.