Single Cell Analysis of Voltage-gated Potassium Channels for Electrophysiological Properties of Rat Hypothalamic Paraventricular Nucleus Neurons

The hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus (PVN), an integrating site in the regulation of neuroendocrine and autonomic nervous systems, is composed of heterogeneous neurons, type I and type II, based on their electrophysiological properties. Single cell real-time RT-PCR analysis was made to investigate the molecular basis underlying the properties. The results suggest that Kv1.3, Kv4.2 and Kv4.3 potassium channels are the potential candidates in determining the electrophysiological properties in PVN neurons.