The electrophysiological properties of potassium ion channels are regarded as a basic index for determining the functional differentiation of neural stem cells.
A recent study published in Neural Regeneration Research (Vol. 8, No. 28, 2013) showed that the proliferating neural stem cells selected were capable of differentiating into neural cells, and the differentiation process was accompanied by the expression of potassium currents.
After 2 weeks of differentiation and development, the potassium current density increased sharply.
The experimental findings indicate that neural stem cells from newborn rat hippocampus could be cultured and induced to differentiate into functional neurons under defined conditions in vitro.
The differentiated neurons expressed two types of outward potassium ion currents similar to those of mature neurons in vivo.