Table 1.
Nucleus accumbens core medium spiny neuron electrophysiological properties
| Property | Vehicle | Estradiol | Statistics (U/t, P) |
|---|---|---|---|
| mEPSC frequency, Hz | 0.7 ± 0.1 (16) | 0.5 ± 0.2 (10) | 55.500, 0.205 |
| mEPSC amplitude, pA | 16.7 ± 0.4 (16) | 16.0 ± 0.4 (10) | 1.107, 0.279 |
| mEPSC decay, ms | 3.1 ± 0.2 (16) | 3.1 ± 0.3 (10) | 0.101, 0.920 |
| Resting membrane potential, mV | −87.7 ± 0.8 (25) | −89.6 ± 0.5 (26) | 216, 0.040 |
| Input resistance, MΩ | 176.1 ± 8.5 (25) | 144.8 ± 7.1 (26) | 185, 0.008 |
| Rectified-range input resistance, MΩ | 167.0 ± 8.8 (25) | 138.1 ± 7.1 (26) | 2.574, 0.013 |
| Inward rectification, MΩ | 9.1 ± 2.7 (25) | 6.8 ± 1.1 (26) | 0.819, 0.417 |
| % Inward rectification | 94.7 ± 1.4 (25) | 95.1 ± 0.8 (26) | 294, 0.569 |
| Sag index (unitless) | −0.006 ± 0.002 (25) | −0.000 ± 0.003 (26) | 1.412, 0.164 |
| Time constant of membrane, ms | 9.2 ± 0.9 (25) | 8.2 ± 0.5 (26) | 292, 0.544 |
| Capacitance, pF | 55.5 ± 6.9 (25) | 59.5 ± 4.1 (26) | 250, 0.162 |
| Rheobase, pA | 0.17 ± 0.01 (25) | 0.20 ± 0.01 (26) | 220.5, 0.049 |
| Delay to first AP, ms | 450.7 ± 18.0 (22) | 489.5 ± 12.8 (23) | 1.770, 0.084 |
| AP threshold, mV | −42.0 ± 1.5 (25) | −39.3 ± 1.9 (26) | 276, 0.364 |
| AP amplitude, mV | 35.1 ± 1.5 (25) | 36.7 ± 2.0 (26) | 323, 0.978 |
| AP width at half-peak amplitude, ms | 2.5 ± 0.1 (25) | 2.4 ± 0.1 (26) | 0.653, 0.517 |
| AHP peak amplitude, mV | −7.3 ± 0.4 (25) | −6.5 ± 0.4 (26) | 1.419, 0.162 |
| AHP time to peak, ms | 29.7 ± 1.7 (25) | 29.2 ± 2.0 (26) | 0.172, 0.864 |
| FI slope, Hz/nA | 298.1 ± 15.0 (25) | 304.5 ± 11.9 (26) | 283, 0.435 |
Values are mean ± SE excitatory synapse and intrinsic excitability properties recorded from nucleus accumbens core medium spiny neurons from adult female rats treated with either vehicle or estradiol. Numbers in parentheses indicate the number of neurons in each group (experimental n). Bold font indicates statistical significance; italic font indicates a statistical trend. AHP, afterhyperpolarization; AP, action potential; FI, evoked firing rate-to-positive current curve; mEPSC, miniature excitatory postsynaptic current.