Role of persistent inward and outward membrane currents in epileptiform bursting in mammalian neurons.

: During the last five years, work in many laboratories has extended our knowledge of the ionic mechanisms of action potential generation in normal cells of the mammalian central nervous system (CNS). Here we review some of the important voltage-dependent currents present in mammalian CNS neurons. We discuss their possible role in epileptogenesis and normal behavior. We also emphasize the importance of these recent findings in relation to general models of neuronal behavior.