Fig. 5.

Absolute refractory period (ARP) was prolonged in cholinergic neurons in the BF after propofol administration, which was eliminated by PTX. a The spikes were induced by injecting paired pulse stimuli (3 ms, four times higher than the threshold intensity) under current-clamp recordings in cholinergic neurons of the BF. Traces illustrate paired depolarization-induced spikes pre-propofol (red), post-propofol (blue) and post-PTX + propofol (green) in a cholinergic neuron (note the different durations between the two spikes in the three groups). b Quantification of the data shows the spikes’ ARPs were significantly enlarged postpropofol compared with pre-propofol (*P < 0.05, pre-propofol vs. post-propofol; n = 10 neurons from 10 mice), and this effect was eliminated by PTX (^#P < 0.05, post-PTX + propofol vs. post-propofol; n = 9 neurons from 9 mice). Mean ± SEM