Modulation of synaptic activity in Purkinje neurons by ATP.

Adenosine triphosphate (ATP) is a versatile signalling molecule in the central and peripheral nervous system, where it can be released from both neurons and glial cells. In the cerebellum, ATP is released endogenously from the second postnatal week onwards, and is involved in the up-regulation of spontaneous synaptic input to Purkinje neurons by activation of purinergic P2 receptors. In the cerebellar cortex, ATP presumably acts on presynaptic inhibitory interneurons, which are excited by the activation of both P2X and P2Y receptors.

Enhancement of spontaneous synaptic activity in rat Purkinje neurones by ATP during development.

The establishment of functional synaptic connections and activity is a pivotal process in the development of neuronal networks. We have studied the synaptic activity in the developing rat cerebellum, and the contribution mediated by purinergic receptors. The mean frequency of the spontaneous postsynaptic currents (sPSCs) recorded with the whole-cell patch-clamp technique from Purkinje neurones in acute brain slices at room temperature, increased fourfold from 4.