Calcium influx constitutes the ionic basis for the maintenance of glutamate-induced extended neuronal depolarization associated with hippocampal neuronal death.

Excessive activation of neuronal glutamate receptors has been implicated in the pathophysiology of stroke, epilepsy, and traumatic brain injury. Previously, it has been demonstrated that excitotoxic glutamate exposure results in the induction of an extended neuronal depolarization (END), as well as protracted elevations in free intracellular calcium ([Ca(2+)](i)). Both END and the prolonged [Ca(2+)](i) elevations were shown to correlate with subsequent neuronal death. In the current study, we used whole-cell current-clamp electrophysiology and fura-ff Ca(2+) imaging to determine the electrophysiological basis of END. We found that removal of extracellular Ca(2+) but not Na(+) in the post-glutamate period resulted in complete reversal of END, allowing neurons to rapidly repolarize to their initial resting membrane potential (RMP). In addition, removal of extracellular Ca(2+) was sufficient to eliminate the protracted [Ca(2+)](i) elevations induced by excitotoxic glutamate exposure. To investigate the mechanism through which extracellular Ca(2+) was effecting these changes, pharmacological antagonists of well-characterized routes of Ca(2+) entry were tested for their effects on END. Antagonists of glutamate receptors and voltage-gated Ca(2+) channels (VGCCs) had no significant effect on the membrane potential of neurons in END. Likewise, inhibitors of the Na(+)/Ca(2+) exchange (NCX) were ineffective. In contrast, addition of 500 microM ZnCl(2) or 100 microM GdCl(3) to control extracellular medium (containing normal levels of extracellular Ca(2+)) in the post-glutamate period resulted in rapid and complete reversal of END. Addition of 1mM CdCl(2) to control medium had only modest effects on END. These data provide the first direct evidence that END induced by excitotoxic glutamate exposure is caused by an influx of extracellular Ca(2+) and demonstrate that the previously irreversible condition of END can be reversed by removing extracellular Ca(2+). In addition, understanding the electrophysiological basis of this novel Ca(2+)-induced extended depolarization may provide an insight into the pathophysiology of stroke, traumatic brain injury, and other forms of neuronal injury.