Seminar - Electric Pulses and Nerve Cells
<p> <strong>Frank Reidy Research Center for Bioelectrics Seminar</strong></p> <p> </p> <p> <strong>“Neurosecretion evoked by nanosecond pulsed electric fields”</strong></p> <p> </p> <p> <strong>Gale L. Craviso, Ph.D.</strong></p> <p> Professor</p> <p> Department of Pharmacology</p> <p> University of Nevada School of Medicine</p> <p> </p> <p> <strong>Tuesday, January 21, 9-10AM</strong></p> <p> <strong>IRP2 First Floor Conference Room</strong></p> <p> <strong>4211 Monarch Way</strong></p> <p> <strong>All are invited.</strong></p> <p> </p> <p> Neuroendocrine adrenal chromaffin cells, a well-established model of neural-type cells, are exquisitely sensitive to 5 ns, high intensity (5-6 MV/m) electric pulses. When the cells are exposed to a single pulse, multiple types of voltage-gated Ca<sup>2+</sup> channels are activated, resulting in Ca<sup>2+</sup> influx, a rise in intracellular Ca<sup>2+</sup> level, and the exocytotic release of catecholamine. While these findings point to the potential application of nanoelectropulses as a novel electric stimulation modality for modulating neural cell excitability and hence neurosecretion, the mechanism that is responsible for voltage-gated Ca<sup>2+</sup> channel activation is not known. Experiments aimed at elucidating this mechanism are just now getting underway.</p>
Posted By: Loree Heller
Date: Wed Jan 15 09:03:10 EST 2014