Physiological effects of cholinergic modulation on mouse hippocampal neurons

As part of a detailed study of the effects of subcortical neuromodulation on hippocampal circuits, these experiments quantified the changes in neuronal properties due to the application of the cholinergic agonist carbachol in the acute hippocampal slice preparation. Whole-cell patch-clamp recordings were used to measure the response of hippocampal pyramidal cells and interneurons to step current injections of various amplitudes, both under control conditions and in the presence of carbachol in the bath. The data can be used to quantify the effects of cholinergic input on the physiological properties of hippocampal neurons, and are essential for building mechanistic models of the effects of subcortical neuromodulation on hippocampal circuit dynamics.