Physiological roles for persistent inward currents in motoneurones: insights from the Central Respiratory Drive

The roles of persistent inward currents in amplifying synaptic currents in motoneurone dendrites are now widely recognized as of vital importance. Here we describe how one particular synaptic input, the respiratory drive to hindlimb motoneurones, not only demonstrates an extreme example of this amplification, but also reveals the operation of ongoing, dynamic modulatory controls of the amplification from central sources.