N-methyl-D-aspartate-induced oscillations in excitatory afferent neurotransmission in the guinea pig cochlea.

With the aid of microiontophoretic techniques we tested the action of N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) and an NMDA antagonist in the dendritic region of inner hair cell afferent fibers. In the majority of units tested NMDA enhanced the spontaneous firing rate. Furthermore, the activation of NMDA receptors triggered unusual depolarization patterns: (1) slow-frequency oscillation with a periodicity of about 3/min; (2) a fast oscillatory pattern of burst firing with a rhythmic interburst frequency of about 2/s. These findings provide evidence for NMDA receptor properties in the cochlea similar to those of analog channels in the central nervous system.