Abstract
Propofol is a widely used intravenous general anesthetic. Propofol-induced unconsciousness in
humans is associated with inhibition of thalamic activity evoked by somatosensory stimuli.
However, the cellular mechanisms underlying the effects of propofol in thalamic circuits are largely
unknown. We investigated the influence of propofol on synaptic responsiveness of thalamocortical
relay neurons in the ventrobasal complex (VB) to excitatory input in mouse brain slices, using both
current- and voltage-clamp recording techniques. Excitatory responses including EPSP temporal
summation and action potential firing were evoked in VB neurons by electrical stimulation of
corticothalamic fibers or pharmacological activation of glutamate receptors. Propofol (0.6 – 3 µM)
suppressed temporal summation and spike firing in a concentration-dependent manner. The
thalamocortical suppression was accompanied by a marked decrease in both EPSP amplitude and
input resistance, indicating that a shunting mechanism was involved. The propofol-mediated
thalamocortical suppression could be blocked by a GABAA receptor antagonist or chloride channel
blocker, suggesting that postsynaptic GABAA receptors in VB neurons were involved in the
shunting inhibition. GABAA receptor-mediated inhibitory postsynaptic currents (IPSCs) were
evoked in VB neurons by electrical stimulation of the reticular thalamic nucleus. Propofol markedly
increased amplitude, decay time, and charge transfer of GABAA IPSCs. The results demonstrated
that shunting inhibition of thalamic somatosensory relay neurons by propofol at clinically relevant
concentrations is primarily mediated through the potentiation of the GABAA receptor chloride
channel-mediated conductance, and such inhibition may contribute to the impaired thalamic
responses to sensory stimuli seen during propofol-induced anesthesia.