Constitutive activity of transient receptor potential vanilloid type 1 triggers spontaneous firing in nerve growth factor-treated dorsal root ganglion neurons of rats.

•We examined the role of TRPV1 in the generation of spontaneous APs in NGF-treated cultured DRG neurons of rats.•Spontaneous firing in the on-cell configuration was abolished by TRPV1 antagonists capsazepine and BCTC.•Chronic treatment with NGF induced capsazepine- and BCTC-sensitive cation conductance.•NGF-induced cation conductance through TRPV1 causes spontaneous firing.