A-Type potassium currents active at subthreshold potentials in mouse cerebellar purkinje cells

Voltage-dependent and calcium-independent K+ currents were whole-cell recorded from cerebellar Purkinje cells in slices. Tetraethylammonium (TEA, 4 mm) application isolated an A-type K+ current (Ik(a)) with a peak amplitude, at +20 mV, of about one third of the total voltage-dependent and calcium-independent K+ current. The Ik(a) activated at about −60 mV, had a V0.5 of activation of −24.9 mV and a V0.5 of inactivation of −69.2 mV. The deactivation time constant at −70 mV was 3.4 ± 0.4 ms, while the activation time constant at +20 mV was 0.9 ± 0.2 ms. The inactivation kinetics was weakly voltage dependent, with two time constants; those at +20 mV were 19.3 ± 3.1 and 97.6 ± 9.8 ms. The recovery from inactivation had two time constants of 60.8 ms (78.4%) and 962.3 ms (21.6%). The Ik(a) was blocked by 4-aminopyridine with an IC50 of 67.6 μM. Agitoxin-2 (2 nm) blocked 17.4 ± 2.1% of the Ik(a). Flecainide completely blocked the Ik(a) with a biphasic effect with IC50 values of 4.4 and 183.2 μM. In current-clamp recordings the duration of evoked action potentials was affected neither by agitoxin-2 (2 nm) nor by flecainide (3 μM), but action potentials that were already broadened by TEA were further prolonged by 4-aminopyridine (100 μM). The amplitude of the hyperpolarisation at the end of depolarising steps was reduced by all these blockers