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Ambient modulation of neuronal excitability

CHEN Yi-Zhang^*

Institute of Neuroscience, The Second Military Medical University, Shanghai 200433, China

Abstract

Although the modulation of synaptic activity plays an important role in the modulation of neuronal excitability, the significance of the ambient modulation (AM) of neuronal excitability should be emphasized. The AM refers to the alterations of membrane potential of neuron resulted from distinct neural activities, such as the tonic inhibition and excitation through activation of extra-synaptic receptors, the paracrine actions of nearby neural and non-neural cells, endocrinal actions of blood borne hormones and other active chemical substances. The AM of neuronal excitability may have important bearings on distinct brain functions, such as the regulation and switching of cortical states, the appearance of chaotic and vague feelings, which are usually the characteristic features in many mental and neural disorders.

Key words: neuronal excitability; neuromodulation; ambient modulation

Received: 2015-12-02　　Accepted: 2015-12-29

Corresponding author: 陈宜张　　E-mail: chenyizhang1927@163.com

Citing This Article：

CHEN Yi-Zhang. Ambient modulation of neuronal excitability. Acta Physiol Sin 2016; 68 (4): 385-390 (in Chinese with English abstract).