Intracellular and voltage-clamp studies were carried out to clarify the mechanism for spontaneous firing activity in neurons of the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) of rat hypothalamic brain slices in vitro. SCN neurons displayed spontaneously firing action potentials that were preceded by a depolarizing pre-potential and followed by a short spike after-hyperpolarization (AHP). Injection of inward current with a duration longer than 50 ms resulted in a depolarizing voltage "sag" on hyperpolarizing electrotonic potentials. The inward rectification was depressed by bath application of caesium (1 mM) but not by barium (500 microM). SCN neurons also showed a rebound depolarization associated with spike discharge (anodal break) in response to relaxation of hyper polarizing current injection. The rebound depolarization was reduced by nominally zero calcium. Cadmium (500 microM), cobalt (1 mM) or caesium (1 mM) but not nicardipine also depressed the rebound depolarization. Under voltage-clamp conditions, hyperpolarizing steps to membrane potentials negative to approximately -60 mV caused an inward rectifier current, probably H current (IH), which showed no inactivation with time. Bath application of caesium (1-2 mM) suppressed IH. Caesium (2 mM) depressed the slope of the depolarizing spike pre-potential, resulting in a prolongation of the interspike interval of tonic firing neurons. We conclude that both the inward rectifier current, IH, and the low-threshold calcium current contribute to the spike prepotential of spontaneous action potentials in firing neurons of the rat SCN.