Low-threshold Na+ currents: a new family of receptor-operated inward currents in mammalian nerve cells

In the mammalian nervous system, various neurotransmitters can modulate cell excitability by inducing slow membrane potential changes. In the last decade, inhibition of potassium currents has been characterized as the primary mechanism by which neurones can undergo sustained depolarization. More recently (1990s), a new class of inward currents, which are voltage-dependent and mainly carried by sodium ions, has been found to be activated by various neurotransmitter receptors in mammalian central and peripheral neurones. Because the channels involved pass depolarizing current, are open at more negative membrane potentials than the resting potential, and are voltage-gated and persistent, these currents are capable of producing regenerative and maintained depolarizations and play an important role in neuronal signalling. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science B.V.