Robust switches in thalamic network activity require a timescale separation between sodium and T-type calcium channel activations.

Switches in brain states, synaptic plasticity and neuromodulation are fundamental processes in our brain that take place concomitantly across several spatial and timescales. All these processes target neuron intrinsic properties and connectivity to achieve specific physiological goals, raising the question of how they can operate without interfering with each other. Here, we highlight the central importance of a timescale separation in the activation of sodium and T-type calcium channels to sustain robust switches in brain states in thalamic neurons that are compatible with synaptic plasticity and neuromodulation.

Functional analysis of the F337C mutation in the CLCN1 gene associated with dominant myotonia congenita reveals an alteration of the macroscopic conductance and voltage dependence.

Background: Myotonia congenita (MC) is a common channelopathy affecting skeletal muscle and which is due to pathogenic variants within the CLCN1 gene. Various alterations in the function of the channel have been reported and we here illustrate a novel one.

Methods: A patient presenting the symptoms of myotonia congenita was shown to bear a new heterozygous missense variant in exon 9 of the CLCN1 gene (c.