Calcium-activated potassium channels regulate physiological processes from neuronal firing to transmitter release and are implicated in the pathogenesis of neurological and psychiatric disorders.
This review provides an overview of the molecular and biophysical properties of calcium-activated potassium channels in the central nervous system.
Calcium-activated potassium channels are a large family of potassium channels that are found throughout the central nervous system and in many other cell types. These channels are activated by rises in cytosolic calcium largely in response to calcium influx via voltage-gated calcium channels that open during action potentials. Activation of these potassium channels is involved in the control of a number of physiological processes from the firing properties of neurons to the control of transmitter release. These channels form the target for modulation for a range of neurotransmitters and have been implicated in the pathogenesis of neurological and psychiatric disorders. Here the authors summarize the varieties of calcium-activated potassium channels present in central neurons and their defining molecular and biophysical properties.
Faber et al. (Sun,) conducted a review in Neurological and psychiatric disorders. Calcium-activated potassium channels regulate physiological processes from neuronal firing to transmitter release and are implicated in the pathogenesis of neurological and psychiatric disorders.