In vivo silencing of the thalamic CaV3.1 voltage-gated calcium channels demonstrates their region-specific role in anesthetic mediated hypnosis.
Experimental biology and medicine (Maywood, N.J.) January 1, 2025 Tamara Timic Stamenic, Simon Feseha, Brier Fine-Raquet et al. 1 citation
Knocking down CaV3.1 T-type calcium channels in the midline and intralaminar (nonspecific) thalamus of mice reduced the concentration of isoflurane needed to induce hypnosis (loss of righting reflex), but did not affect the speed of induction or immobilization. Silencing the same channels in the sensory-specific ventrobasal thalamus had no effect on any measured anesthetic endpoint. The findings suggest that CaV3.1 channels in nonspecific thalamic regions play a preferential role in anesthetic-induced hypnosis, while those in sensory thalamus do not contribute to this effect.