ABSTRACT
In order to investigate the central nervous mechanism and the diseases involved in catecholamine transmitter secretion, the dynamics of catecholamine release is studied in single cell, brain slice or in vivo. Noradrenaline is an important neurotransmitter and modulator in the central nervous system (CNS) and the peripheral nervous system (PNS). In the present paper, we first compared three real-time methods used to measure noradrenaline secretion in single cells (membrane capacitance, amperometry and confocal fluorescence microscopy imaging). Compared to the electrophysiological method and fluorescence microscopy, the basic usage of the carbon fiber electrode (CFE) in neuroscience research was presented as an example. Then, we presented a primary description of ion channels, including voltage-gated Na(+), K(+) and Ca(2+) channels in locus coeruleus (LC) neurons in rat brain slices. Finally, we presented example recordings of combined patch-clamp and amperometry measurements in LC neurons, indicating Ca(2+)-dependent quantal noradrenaline release following Ca(2+) influx through Ca(2+) channels.