Skip to main content
PMC home page
British Journal of Pharmacology logoLink to British Journal of Pharmacology
. 1985 May;85(1):163–169. doi: 10.1111/j.1476-5381.1985.tb08843.x

Effects of caffeine on hippocampal pyramidal cells in vitro.

R W Greene, H L Haas, A Hermann
PMCID: PMC1916777  PMID: 4027463

Abstract

The effects of caffeine on the electrophysiological properties of CA1 pyramidal neurones were investigated in the rat hippocampal slice preparation in vitro. A concentration-dependent increase in both the extracellularly recorded excitatory postsynaptic potential (e.p.s.p.) and the population spike resulting from stimulation of the stratum radiatum could be evoked by caffeine with a threshold concentration of 10 microM. Intracellular recordings demonstrate a caffeine-evoked decrease in resting membrane potential, an increase in input resistance, a reduction of the long afterhyperpolarization (a.h.p.) and a decrease in accommodation. The interaction between caffeine and adenosine was investigated on the extracellularly recorded e.p.s.p. The maximal response evoked by caffeine was increased in the presence of adenosine and the adenosine concentration-response curve was shifted to the right in a parallel fashion in the presence of caffeine. It is suggested that the effects of caffeine on hippocampal neurones may be mediated by a decrease of one or more potassium conductance(s), and that adenosine and caffeine may compete for the same electrophysiologically active receptor site on these cells.

Full text

PDF
164

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Alger B. E., Nicoll R. A. Epileptiform burst afterhyperolarization: calcium-dependent potassium potential in hippocampal CA1 pyramidal cells. Science. 1980 Dec 5;210(4474):1122–1124. doi: 10.1126/science.7444438. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Andersen P., Bliss T. V., Skrede K. K. Unit analysis of hippocampal polulation spikes. Exp Brain Res. 1971;13(2):208–221. doi: 10.1007/BF00234086. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Boulenger J. P., Patel J., Post R. M., Parma A. M., Marangos P. J. Chronic caffeine consumption increases the number of brain adenosine receptors. Life Sci. 1983 Mar 7;32(10):1135–1142. doi: 10.1016/0024-3205(83)90119-4. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Brown D. A., Griffith W. H. Calcium-activated outward current in voltage-clamped hippocampal neurones of the guinea-pig. J Physiol. 1983 Apr;337:287–301. doi: 10.1113/jphysiol.1983.sp014624. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Brown D. A., Griffith W. H. Persistent slow inward calcium current in voltage-clamped hippocampal neurones of the guinea-pig. J Physiol. 1983 Apr;337:303–320. doi: 10.1113/jphysiol.1983.sp014625. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Busis N. A., Weight F. F. Spike after-hyperpolarisation of a sympathetic neurone is calcium sensitive and is potentiated by theophylline. Nature. 1976 Sep 30;263(5576):434–436. doi: 10.1038/263434a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Connor J. A. Calcium current in molluscan neurones: measurement under conditions which maximize its visibility. J Physiol. 1979 Jan;286:41–60. doi: 10.1113/jphysiol.1979.sp012606. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Constanti A., Adams P. R., Brown D. A. Who do barium ions imitate acetylcholine? Brain Res. 1981 Feb 9;206(1):244–250. doi: 10.1016/0006-8993(81)90125-6. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Daly J. W., Butts-Lamb P., Padgett W. Subclasses of adenosine receptors in the central nervous system: interaction with caffeine and related methylxanthines. Cell Mol Neurobiol. 1983 Mar;3(1):69–80. doi: 10.1007/BF00734999. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Dunwiddie T. V., Hoffer B. J. Adenine nucleotides and synaptic transmission in the in vitro rat hippocampus. Br J Pharmacol. 1980 May;69(1):59–68. doi: 10.1111/j.1476-5381.1980.tb10883.x. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Foote W. E., Holmes P., Pritchard A., Hatcher C., Mordes J. Neurophysiological and pharmacodynamic studies on caffeine and on interactions between caffeine and nicotinic acid in the rat. Neuropharmacology. 1978 Jan;17(1):7–12. doi: 10.1016/0028-3908(78)90167-3. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Goldstein A., Kaizer S., Warren R. Psychotropic effects of caffeine in man. II. Alertness, psychomotor coordination, and mood. J Pharmacol Exp Ther. 1965 Oct;150(1):146–151. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Gustafsson B., Wigström H. Evidence for two types of afterhyperpolarization in CA1 pyramidal cells in the hippocampus. Brain Res. 1981 Feb 16;206(2):462–468. doi: 10.1016/0006-8993(81)90548-5. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Haas H. L., Greene R. W. Adenosine enhances afterhyperpolarization and accommodation in hippocampal pyramidal cells. Pflugers Arch. 1984 Nov;402(3):244–247. doi: 10.1007/BF00585506. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Haas H. L., Konnerth A. Histamine and noradrenaline decrease calcium-activated potassium conductance in hippocampal pyramidal cells. 1983 Mar 31-Apr 6Nature. 302(5907):432–434. doi: 10.1038/302432a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Haas H. L., Schaerer B., Vosmansky M. A simple perfusion chamber for the study of nervous tissue slices in vitro. J Neurosci Methods. 1979 Dec;1(4):323–325. doi: 10.1016/0165-0270(79)90021-9. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Hagiwara S., Byerly L. Calcium channel. Annu Rev Neurosci. 1981;4:69–125. doi: 10.1146/annurev.ne.04.030181.000441. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Halliwell J. V., Adams P. R. Voltage-clamp analysis of muscarinic excitation in hippocampal neurons. Brain Res. 1982 Oct 28;250(1):71–92. doi: 10.1016/0006-8993(82)90954-4. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. Hermann A. Action of caffeine on pyloric motorneurons in the crustacean stomatogastric ganglion. Comp Biochem Physiol C. 1981;69(2):191–197. doi: 10.1016/0306-4492(81)90128-3. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. Hermann A., Gorman A. L. Blockade of voltage-dependent and Ca2+-dependent K+ current components by internal Ba2+ in molluscan pacemaker neurons. Experientia. 1979 Feb 15;35(2):229–231. doi: 10.1007/BF01920633. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  21. Hess P., Wier W. G. Excitation-contraction coupling in cardiac Purkinje fibers. Effects of caffeine on the intracellular [Ca2+] transient, membrane currents, and contraction. J Gen Physiol. 1984 Mar;83(3):417–433. doi: 10.1085/jgp.83.3.417. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  22. Hotson J. R., Prince D. A. A calcium-activated hyperpolarization follows repetitive firing in hippocampal neurons. J Neurophysiol. 1980 Feb;43(2):409–419. doi: 10.1152/jn.1980.43.2.409. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  23. Kuba K., Nishi S. Rhythmic hyperpolarizations and depolarization of sympathetic ganglion cells induced by caffeine. J Neurophysiol. 1976 May;39(3):547–563. doi: 10.1152/jn.1976.39.3.547. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  24. Madison D. V., Nicoll R. A. Noradrenaline blocks accommodation of pyramidal cell discharge in the hippocampus. Nature. 1982 Oct 14;299(5884):636–638. doi: 10.1038/299636a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  25. Neering I. R., McBurney R. N. Role for microsomal Ca storage in mammalian neurones? Nature. 1984 May 10;309(5964):158–160. doi: 10.1038/309158a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  26. Scholfield C. N. Depression of evoked potentials in brain slices by adenosine compounds. Br J Pharmacol. 1978 Jun;63(2):239–244. doi: 10.1111/j.1476-5381.1978.tb09752.x. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  27. Schwartzkroin P. A., Prince D. A. Effects of TEA on hippocampal neurons. Brain Res. 1980 Mar 3;185(1):169–181. doi: 10.1016/0006-8993(80)90680-0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  28. Schwartzkroin P. A., Slawsky M. Probable calcium spikes in hippocampal neurons. Brain Res. 1977 Oct 21;135(1):157–161. doi: 10.1016/0006-8993(77)91060-5. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  29. Segal M. Intracellular analysis of a postsynaptic action of adenosine in the rat hippocampus. Eur J Pharmacol. 1982 Apr 23;79(3-4):193–199. doi: 10.1016/0014-2999(82)90625-2. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  30. Smellie F. W., Davis C. W., Daly J. W., Wells J. N. Alkylxanthines: inhibition of adenosine-elicited accumulation of cyclic AMP in brain slices and of brain phosphodiesterase activity. Life Sci. 1979 Jun 25;24(26):2475–2482. doi: 10.1016/0024-3205(79)90458-2. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from British Journal of Pharmacology are provided here courtesy of The British Pharmacological Society

RESOURCES