bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Down-regulation of protein kinase C and kinase inhibitors dissociate short- and long-term enhancement produced by one-trial conditioning of Hermissenda
Authors: Crow T. , Forrester J.
Published: December 2017

1. The visual system of Hermissenda has been studied extensively as a site of cellular plasticity produced by classical conditioning. Previous research has shown that one-trial conditioning, consisting of light paired with serotonin (5-HT) results in short- and long-term enhancement of light-elicited generator potentials in identified type B-photoreceptors. Recent evidence suggests that 5-HT exerts its effects on the induction of short-term enhancement by activation of protein kinase C (PKC), a Ca(2+)-activated and phospholipid-dependent protein kinase. However, the contribution of protein kinases in general, and specifically PKC in long-term enhancement has not been established. 2. The protein kinase inhibitors H-7 and sphingosine blocked the induction of short-term enhancement when applied before one-trial conditioning. However, the conditions that are sufficient to block the induction of short-term enhancement do not block long-term enhancement. Sphingosine and H-7 do not block the induction and expression of long-term enhancement when applied before one-trial conditioning. 3. Pretreatment before conditioning with 12-O-tetradecanoyl-phorbol-13-acetate (TPA), which leads to down-regulation of PKC, also did not block long-term enhancement. Down-regulation by itself did not produce enhancement, although the transient peak of light-elicited generator potentials was reduced by pretreatment with TPA. 4. The results suggest that the induction of short- and long-term enhancement involve parallel processes, and thus the expression of long-term cellular plasticity produced by one-trial conditioning does not depend on the induction or expression of short-term enhancement.
Kinetic study and numerical reconstruction of A-type current in granule cells of rat cerebellar slices
Authors: Bardoni R. , Belluzzi O.
Published: December 2017

1. Whole-cell voltage-clamp techniques were used to study voltage-activated transient potassium currents in a large sample (n = 143) of granule cells (GrC) from rat cerebellar slices. Tetrodotoxin (TTX; 0.1 microM) was used to block sodium currents, while calcium current was too small to be seen under ordinary conditions. 2. Depolarizing pulses from -50 mV evoked a slow, sustained outward current, developing with a time constant of 10 ms, inactivating over a time scale of seconds and which could be suppressed by 20 mM tetraethylammonium (TEA). By preventing the Ca2+ inflow, this slow outward current could be further separated into a Ca(2+)-dependent and a Ca(2+)-independent component. 3. After conditioning hyperpolarizations to potentials negative to -60 mV, depolarizations elicited transient outward current, peaking in 1-2 ms and inactivating rapidly (approximately 10 ms at 20 degrees C), showing the overall kinetic characteristics of the A-current (IA). The current activated following third-order kinetics and showed a maximal conductance of 12 nS per cell, corresponding to a normalized conductance of 3.8 nS/pF. 4. IA was insensitive to TEA and to the Ca(2+)-channel blockers. 4-Aminopyridine (4-AP) reduced the A-current amplitude by approximately 20%, and the delayed outward currents by > 80%. 5. Voltage-dependent steady-state inactivation of peak IA was described by a Boltzmann function with a slope factor of 8.4 mV and half-inactivation occurring at -78.8 mV. Activation of IA was characterized by a Boltzmann curve with the midpoint at -46.7 mV and with a slope factor of 19.8 mV. 6. IA activation and inactivation was best fitted by the Hodgkin-Huxley m3h formalism. The rate of activation, tau a, was voltage-dependent, and had values ranging from 0.55 ms at -40 mV to 0.2 ms at +50 mV. Double-pulse experiment showed that development and removal of inactivation followed a single-exponential time course; the inactivation time constant, tau ha, was markedly voltage-dependent and ranged from approximately 10 ms at -40 and -100 mV and 70 ms at -70 mV. 7. A set of continuous equations has been developed describing the voltage-dependence of both the steady-state and time constant of activation and inactivation processes, allowing a satisfactory numerical reconstruction of the A-current over the physiologically significant membrane voltage range.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
Responses of neurons in primary visual cortex are modulated by eye position
Authors: Weyand T. G. , Malpeli J. G.
Published: December 2017

1. We tested the effects of eye position on the visual excitability of 88 neurons in the primary visual cortex of awake cats trained in oculomotor tasks. For most cells, we examined responses evoked by retinotopically identical stimuli for centered gaze, 8 degrees to the left of center, and 8 degrees to the right of center. 2. An effect of eye position was observed for 40% of the cells. For 13%, responsiveness varied by a factor of 2 or more. Most commonly, response was maximal with gaze shifted to one side, minimal when shifted to the opposite side, and intermediate for centered fixation. The exceptions were four cells for which excitability varied symmetrically with fixations to either side of center. 3. Variability in excitability associated with eye position is a wide-spread phenomenon, having been observed in the lateral geniculate nucleus, V1, and extrastriate cortex. These results are consistent with the belief that such variability is utilized in constructing a head-centered frame of reference from a retinotopic input.
Actions of cholinergic agonists and antagonists on sensory nerve endings in rat skin, in vitro
Authors: Steen K. H. , Reeh P. W.
Published: December 2017

1. Cholinergic effects on primary sensory afferents were investigated in a superfused skin-saphenous nerve preparation of the rat that allows the application of chemicals topically to the corium side of identified receptive fields. 2. The acetylcholine analogue carbachol (carbamoylcholine) selectively excited cutaneous C-fibers of nociceptive character; in proportion, almost half of the mechanoheat sensitive ("polymodal," C-MH, n = 27), and a third of the mechanocold sensitive (C-MC, n = 10), and high-threshold mechanosensitive (C-HTM, n = 6) C-fibers were activated. 3. None of slowly and rapidly adapting A beta fibers, low and high threshold mechanoreceptive A delta fibers (n = 19) gave a response to high concentrations (< or = 10(-4) M) of carbachol. 4. The carbachol threshold concentrations of C-nociceptors ranged between 10(-7) and 10(-4) M; 10(-6) M was most frequently encountered. 5. The carbachol-induced discharges showed a dose-response relationship without obvious "ceiling" from 10(-6) to 10(-4) M. Tachyphylaxis was not prominent; the fibers mostly developed ongoing activity after exposure to carbachol. 6. Repeated carbachol treatment of C-MH units left with a marked and sustained desensitization to mechanical (von Frey) stimulation, while the heat responsiveness remained unchanged. 7. In a group of carbachol-sensitive C-nociceptors (n = 4), two units could also be excited with muscarine (10(-6) M), one with nicotine (10(-6) M), and one unit with both substances.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Synaptic excitation of alpha-motoneurons by dorsal root afferents in the neonatal rat spinal cord
Authors: Pinco M. , Lev-Tov A.
Published: December 2017

1. Excitatory synaptic transmission in mono- and polysynaptic pathways between dorsal root afferents and alpha-motoneurons was studied in the spinal cord preparation of the neonatal rat isolated in vitro, using sharp-electrode intracellular recordings. 2. The duration of monosynaptic excitatory postsynaptic potentials (EPSPs) elicited in lumbar motoneurons were shortened after addition of the specific N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor blocker 2-amino-5-phosphonovaleric acid (APV) to the perfusate. The EPSPs were then completely blocked by the non-NMDA receptor blocker 6-cyano-7-nitroquinoxaline-2,3-dione (CNQX). 3. A robust NMDA-receptor-mediated component of monosynaptic EPSPs was revealed by addition of CNQX to the bathing medium. This component reached as much as 30% of the EPSP amplitude, was evident at resting potential level in both low and normal Mg2+ Krebs saline, and could be completely abolished by addition of APV. These findings suggest that the NMDA-receptor-mediated component may contribute to monosynaptic excitation under normal conditions. 4. Polysynaptic EPSPs evoked in motoneurons in the fifth lumbar segment by stimulation of the fourth lumbar dorsal root in the presence of the glycine and gamma-aminobutyric acid A (GABAA) receptor blockers strychnine and bicuculline could be completely or partially blocked by application of either APV or CNQX. Suprathreshold activity could be then elicited in these motoneurons by increasing the stimulation intensity by a factor of 2 to 3. A complete blockade of polysynaptic excitation at these stimulation intensities was obtained only in the presence of both APV and CNQX. These results suggest that both receptor subtypes make a significant contribution to polysynaptic excitation of alpha-motoneurons by dorsal root afferents. 5. Analysis of variation in the amplitudes of the non-NMDA-receptor-mediated component of the monosynaptic EPSP and of the estimated (occurring 25 ms after the EPSP initiation) and the pharmacologically resolved NMDA component was done during low-frequency repetitive stimulation of the dorsal root. The kinetics of the initial decrease in EPSP amplitude during repetitive stimulation and the dependence of the EPSP amplitude on the stimulation frequency was similar for the NMDA- and non-NMDA-receptor-mediated components of the EPSPs. Addition of the GABAB receptor agonist L-(-) baclofen to the perfusate decreased the EPSP amplitude and reduced the frequency-dependent synaptic depression of both the NMDA- and non-NMDA-receptor-mediated components of monosynaptic EPSPs to the same level.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
Effects of serotonin on retinotectal-, corticotectal-, and glutamate-induced activity in the superior colliculus of the hamster
Authors: Huang X. , Mooney R. D. , Rhoades R. W.
Published: December 2017

1. Single-unit recording and iontophoretic techniques were used to test the effects of serotonin (5-HT) on the responses of neurons in the superficial layers (the stratum griseum superficiale and stratum opticum) of the hamster's superior colliculus (SC). 2. Iontophoresis of 5-HT produced a visual response suppression of 40% or greater in 78.1% (n = 50) of 64 neurons tested. 5-HT did not augment the visual responses of any of the cells tested. The average response suppression was 75.3 +/- 21.2% (mean +/- S.D.). 3. Iontophoresis of 5-HT had significantly different effects on activation of SC cells by optic chiasm (OX) and visual cortical (CTX) stimulation. Application of 5-HT suppressed the OX-evoked responses of 96.9% (n = 31) of the 32 SC cells tested by at least 40%, and the average response suppression for all 32 neurons tested was 87.1 +/- 22.5%. Application of 5-HT suppressed the responses of only 35.7% (n = 10) of the 28 cells tested with CTX stimulation by at least 40%. The average response suppression for all 28 cells was 35.3 +/- 38.8%. 4. The effects of 5-HT on the glutamate-evoked responses of SC cells that were synaptically "isolated" by concurrent application of Mg2+ were also evaluated. Application of 5-HT produced a response suppression > or = 40% in 29.7% (n = 19) of the 64 neurons tested under these conditions. The average response suppression for all of the cells tested was 28.4 +/- 35.7%. This effect of 5-HT was significantly weaker than that on visually evoked responses of these neurons. 5. The present results demonstrate that 5-HT markedly depresses the visual responses of most superficial layer SC neurons. They suggest further that much of this effect is mediated by presynaptic inhibition of retinotectal transmission.
Rapid amplification and facilitation of mechanosensory discharge in Aplysia by noxious stimulation
Authors: Clatworthy A. L. , Walters E. T.
Published: December 2017

1. Little is known about modulation of action potential discharge in Aplysia mechanosensory neurons during defensive responses. The present studies examined rapid effects of noxious stimulation (occurring within 0.5-10 s) on the number of action potentials evoked by test stimuli delivered to the tail. Responses were monitored in the somata of mechanonociceptors in the pleural ganglion. A major hypothesis to be tested was that an important function of previously described alterations of membrane conductances in the sensory neuron soma is to generate an after-discharge that amplifies sensory signals during severe noxious stimulation of the cell's receptive field. 2. Discharge of spikes evoked by a moderate tap to one part of a sensory neuron's receptive field on the tail was enhanced by strong shock delivered 10 s earlier to another part of the field. Part of this enhancement appears to be due to a decrease in conduction block in central regions of the sensory neuron. 3. Repeated delivery of innocuous, moderately intense tail shock at 5-s intervals caused a progressive increase ("wind-up") of discharge, whereas repeated delivery of weak tail shock had no significant effect on discharge. In some cases the increase in action potential number involved a buildup of afterdischarge. 4. A single strong tail pinch sometimes induced an afterdischarge lasting < or = 2 s. Afterdischarge could also be induced in the isolated nervous system by intense electrical stimulation of the nerve containing the sensory neuron's main axon. 5. Several observations suggest that afterdischarge requires cooperative effects of a relatively large number of coactivated fibers in the test pathway. In contrast to pinching stimuli (which stimulated a larger part of the tail), intense, punctate stimulation with von Frey hairs failed to produce afterdischarge. Weaker tail or nerve stimulation failed to produce afterdischarge, even when short-latency, high-frequency discharge was evoked in the sensory neuron. 6. Cooperative effects on afterdischarge may differ from those involved in activity-dependent enhancement of presynaptic facilitation because simultaneous pairing of high-frequency activation of a single test sensory neuron with strong stimulation of a peripheral nerve lacking an axon of the tested sensory neuron was not sufficient to produce afterdischarge. The cooperative effects on afterdischarge may function to encode information about both the severity and spatial extensiveness of an injury. 7. Artificial hyperpolarization of the soma often reversibly reduced or abolished afterdischarge evoked by stimulating the nerve or tail. Thus the afterdischarge is often generated in or near the sensory neuron soma.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
Average but not continuous speed match between motoneurons and muscle units of rat tibialis anterior
Authors: Bakels R. , Kernell D.
Published: December 2017

1. Properties of single motoneuron/muscle-unit combinations were determined for tibialis anterior (TA) in rats anesthetized with pentobarbital. The TA observations were systematically compared with those obtained earlier by the use of the same techniques from rat medial gastrocnemius (MG). 2. TA motoneurons were investigated with regard to afterhyperpolarization (AHP; total duration 32-74 ms, amplitude 0.39-4.96 mV) and axonal conduction velocity (41-79 m/s). TA muscle-unit measurements included the time course of the isometric twitch (time-to-peak force 10.8-18.0 ms; total duration 42-92 ms), the maximum tetanic force (22-217 mN), and a measure of fatigue sensitivity (fatigue index 5-100%). The range of twitch and AHP durations ("speed range") was markedly smaller in the present TA material than for MG. 3. The mean duration of the TA motoneuronal AHP (49 +/- 8 ms, mean +/- SD) was close to that of its muscle-unit twitch (56 +/- 12 ms). Thus an "average" speed match existed between TA motoneurons and their muscle fibers. 4. For TA there was no correlation between the time courses of AHP and twitch. Thus there was for TA no "continuous" speed match between the motoneurons and their muscle fibers. 5. For TA twitches or AHPs studied separately, there was a significant correlation between different time course measures. Furthermore, compared with TA units having relatively fast twitches, those with slower twitches tended to show 1) a smaller maximum tetanic force and 2) a greater AHP amplitude. Fatigue-resistant units tended to have slower twitches than fatigue-sensitive ones.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Muscarinic receptor activation of potassium channels in rat dentate gyrus neurons
Authors: Nabekura J. , Ebihara S. , Akaike N.
Published: December 2017

1. The effects of acetylcholine (ACh) on granule cells freshly dissociated from rat dentate gyrus (DG) were studied using the nystatin perforated patch technique. This method allowed us to study ACh-induced currents (IACh) under voltage clamp without "run-down" of the ACh response. In some experiments, we used the conventional whole-cell method for intracellular application of drugs not permeable to cell membrane. 2. At a holding potential of -40 mV, ACh induced an outward current. The amplitude of IACh increased in a sigmoidal fashion with increasing ACh concentration. The half-maximal response and the Hill coefficient determined from the relation between ACh concentration and response were 4.98 x 10(-7) M and 1.70, respectively. 3. The reversal potential of IACh was close to the K+ equilibrium potential. The IACh was accompanied by an enhancement of the K+ current. 4. Muscarine and McN-A-343 mimicked the ACh response, whereas oxotremorine induced no response. 5. Muscarinic antagonists reversibly suppressed the IACh (10(-5) M) in a concentration-dependent manner, where the values of half-inhibition concentration (IC50) were 1.03 x 10(-6) M for pirenzepine and 2.21 x 10(-5) M for AF-DX-116. 6. Intracellular perfusion with GDP-beta S suppressed the IACh greatly. The IACh persisted in the neurons pretreated with an external solution containing pertussis toxin (IAP) for 18 h. 7. In the neurons perfused with Ca(2+)-free external solution containing 2 mM ethylene glycol-O,O'-bis (beta-aminoethyl ether)-N,N,N',N'-tetraacetic acid and 10 mM Mg2+, the first application of ACh induced the IACh with an amplitude similar to that in the standard solution.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Declining inhibition elicited in cat lumbar motoneurons by repetitive stimulation of group II muscle afferents
Authors: Lafleur J. , Zytnicki D. , Horcholle-Bossavit G. , Jami L.
Published: December 2017

1. The aim of the present experiments was to verify whether group II inputs from gastrocnemius medialis (GM) muscle could elicit declining inhibitions similar to those observed during GM contractions in a variety of lumbar motoneurons of the cat spinal cord. Motoneurons were recorded intracellularly in chloralose- or pentobarbitone-anesthetized preparations during electrical stimulation of GM nerve with repetitive trains. 2. With strengths in the group I range, repetitive stimulation evoked the usual Ia excitation in homonymous motoneurons and excitatory postsynaptic potential (EPSP) amplitudes remained constant throughout the stimulation sequence. In synergic plantaris motoneurons lacking an excitatory connection with Ia afferents from GM, the same stimulation, kept at a constant strength throughout the stimulation sequence, elicited rapidly decreasing inhibitory potentials reminiscent of those evoked by GM contractions. 3. In motoneurons of pretibial flexors, quadriceps, and posterior biceps-semitendinosus, the stimulation strength required to observe declining inhibitions resembling those produced by GM contractions was 4-8 times group I threshold, engaging group II in addition to group I fibers. 4. These results show that input from GM group II plus group I afferents can elicit inhibitory effects in a variety of motoneurons. Such observations support the hypothesis that messages from spindle secondary endings and/or nonspecific muscle receptors activated during contraction might contribute to the widespread inhibition caused by GM contractions. 5. Inasmuch as constant input in group II and group I afferents evoked declining inhibitory potentials, the origin of the decline must be central, which suggests that the rapid reduction of contraction-induced inhibitions also depended on a central mechanism.
Effect of unilateral vestibular stimulation on histamine release from the hypothalamus of rats in vivo
Authors: Horii A. , Takeda N. , Matsunaga T. , Yamatodani A. , Mochizuki T. , Okakura-Mochizuki K. , Wada H.
Published: December 2017

1. We investigated the effect of unilateral vestibular stimulation on histamine release from the anterior hypothalamic area of urethan-anesthetized rats in vivo, using a brain microdialysis method coupled with high-performance liquid chromatography fluorometry. 2. The histamine release was increased to approximately 180% of the basal release by the electrical stimulation of the inner ear with 1 Hz, 500 microA, and 200 ms for 20 min. This effect was dependent on the current intensity. 3. Activation of the unilateral horizontal semicircular canal by middle ear irrigation for 15 min with 45 degrees C water increased the histamine release to approximately 200% of the basal release. 4. Irrigation of the middle ear with ice water for 15 min increased the histamine release to approximately 190% of the basal release. 5. The histamine release was not changed by the irrigation of the middle ear with 37 degrees C water and the irrigation of the auricle with ice water, which suggests that neither somatosensory stimulation to the middle ear nor nonspecific cold stress affects the histamine release. 6. All these findings suggest that the sensory mismatch signals induced by caloric stimulation and unilateral electrical vestibular stimulation activate the histaminergic neuron system in the brain.
Tactile activity in primate primary somatosensory cortex during active arm movements: correlation with receptive field properties
Authors: Cohen D. A. , Prud'homme M. J. , Kalaska J. F.
Published: December 2017

1. Five hundred ninety-five single neurons with tactile receptive fields (RFs) on the contralateral arm were isolated in the primary somatosensory cortex (SI) of awake, behaving monkeys. 2. Fifty-eight percent of the tactile cells showed significantly different levels of activity during active movements of the arm in eight directions or during active maintenance of the arm over the target endpoints. 3. The discharge of many of the active tactile cells was unimodally tuned with movement direction and the pattern of the tactile population activity varied in a meaningful fashion with arm movement direction and posture. 4. The intensity of the arm-movement-induced activity was typically less than that evoked by direct tactile stimulation of the cell's RF. 5. The probability of task-related activity was correlated with certain RF properties, in particular the sensitivity of the cell to lateral stretch of the skin and to passive arm movements that avoided direct contact of the RF on any surface. 6. This suggests that task-related activity results mainly from the activation of tactile receptors by mechanical deformation of the skin as the arm changes geometry during movement. 7. These results demonstrate that tactile activity containing potential proprioceptive information is generated in SI during active arm movements that avoid direct contact of the skin with external surfaces. Whether or not this input contributes to the kinesthetic sensations evoked by the movements cannot be resolved by this study.
Comparative transduction mechanisms of hair cells in the bullfrog utriculus. II. Sensitivity and response dynamics to hair bundle displacement
Authors: Baird R. A.
Published: December 2017

1. Hair cells in whole-mount in vitro preparations of the utricular macula of the bullfrog (Rana catesbeiana) were selected according to their macular location and hair bundle morphology. The sensitivity and response dynamics of selected hair cells to natural stimulation were examined by recording their voltage responses to step and sinusoidal hair bundle displacements applied to their longest stereocilia. 2. The voltage responses of 31 hair cells to sinusoidal hair bundle displacements were characterized by their gains and phases, taken with respect to peak hair bundle displacement. The gains of Type B and Type C cells at both 0.5 and 5.0 Hz were markedly lower than those of Type F and Type E cells. Phases, with the exception of Type C cells, lagged hair bundle displacement at 0.5 Hz. Type C cells had phase leads of 25-40 degrees. At 5.0 Hz, response phases in all cells were phase lagged with respect to those at 0.5 Hz. Type C cells had larger gains and smaller phase leads at 5.0 Hz than at 0.5 Hz, suggesting the presence of low-frequency adaptation. 3. Displacement-response curves, derived from the voltage responses to 5.0-Hz sinusoids, were sigmoidal in shape and asymmetrical, with the depolarizing response having a greater magnitude and saturating less abruptly than the hyperpolarizing response. When normalized to their largest displacement the linear ranges of these curves varied from < 0.5 to 1.25 microns and were largest in Type B and smallest in Type F and Type E cells. Sensitivity, defined as the slope of the normalized displacement-response curve, was inversely correlated with linear range. 4. The contribution of geometric factors associated with the hair bundle to linear range and sensitivity were predicted from realistic models of utricular hair bundles created using morphological data obtained from light and electron microscopy. Three factors, including 1) the inverse ratio of the lengths of the kinocilium and longest stereocilia, representing the lever arm between kinociliary and stereociliary displacement; 2) tip link extension/linear displacement, largely a function of stereociliary height and separation; and 3) stereociliary number, an estimate of the number of transduction channels, were considered in this analysis. The first of these factors was quantitatively more important than the latter two factors and their total contribution was largest in Type B and Type C cells. Theoretical models were also used to calculate the relation between rotary and linear displacement.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
Distribution of static gamma axons in cat peroneus tertius spindles determined by exclusively physiological criteria
Authors: Celichowski J. , Emonet-Denand F. , Laporte Y. , Petit J.
Published: December 2017

1. The intrafusal muscle fiber(s) activated in cat peroneus tertius spindles by single static gamma (gamma s) axons were identified by exclusively physiological criteria based on the different contractile properties of chain and bag2 fibers. 2. The identification rested both on the features of primary ending discharges observed during gamma s electrical stimulation at a rate of 30 pulses per second (stimulation at 30/s) and on cross-correlograms constructed during stimulation at 100/s. Three types of primary ending activation could be distinguished. 3. Type F (fast) activations are characterized, at 30/s, by either a 1-to-1 driving or a very irregular increase in firing arising from a level close to the frequency of stimulation and by the presence in cross-correlograms of significant peaks. They are ascribed to chain fibers whose contractions, at 30/s, present large oscillations and, at 100/s, are still incompletely fused. 4. Type S (slow) activations are characterized, at 30/s, by a sustained and generally regular increase in firing and by the absence of significant peaks in cross-correlograms constructed during stimulation at 100/s. They are ascribed to bag2 fibers whose contractions are nearly fused at 30/s and completely fused beyond 60-70/s. 5. Type M (mixed) activations are characterized, at 30/s, by an irregular increase of discharge above a level distinctly higher than the frequency of stimulation and by the presence of significant peaks in cross-correlograms. They are ascribed to the coactivation of chain and bag2 fibers for two reasons: first, they have some features of both type F and type S activations; and second, they are readily reproduced by stimulating together two axons supplying the same spindle, one exerting a type F activation, the other a type S activation. 6. In seven experiments the distribution of 42 single gamma s axons was determined by observing the type of activation they exerted on several spindles (from 3 to 6). Thirty-five axons (83%) were classified "nonspecific" because the type of activation (F, S, or M) varied from one spindle to the other. Seven axons (17%) were classified "specific" because the type of activation was the same in all spindles: either type F for five axons (12%) or type S for two axons (5%). A statistical analysis of the distribution of all activations showed that the proportions of specific axons were not significantly different from those predicted by chance.
Presynaptic inhibition is mediated by histamine and GABA in the crustacean escape reaction
Authors: el Manira A. , Clarac F.
Published: December 2017

1. Presynaptic inhibition of sensory transmission during the escape reaction in Crustacea has been studied using an in vitro preparation of the crayfish thoracic ganglia. Electrical stimulation of the medial giant fiber mediating the escape reaction induced depolarization in sensory afferent terminals of the coxo-basal chordotonal organ (CBCO). This depolarization was associated with an increase of the membrane conductance and was partially blocked by a gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) antagonist, picrotoxin, and by a histamine antagonist, cimetidine. 2. Pressure ejection of histamine on CBCO sensory terminals (CBT) recorded intracellularly, induced a depolarization of the membrane potential accompanied by a large increase of the conductance. Histamine-induced depolarization persisted after blockade of synaptic transmission mediated by Na+ spikes by tetrodotoxin. The amplitude of histamine-induced depolarization increased when negative current was injected into the sensory terminal through the recording electrode. Moreover, injection of chloride into the CBT, which shifts the reversal potential of chloride to a more positive value, resulted in an increase of the amplitude of the histamine-induced depolarization. 3. The existence of separate receptors for GABA and histamine on the CB sensory terminals was demonstrated using two complementary sets of experiments. The first one consisted of using specific blockers of GABA and histamine. Picrotoxin blocked selectively the GABA-induced depolarization of the CB sensory terminals, while it was ineffective in blocking the histamine-induced depolarization. Conversely, cimetidine blocked the histamine-induced depolarization totally, but did not affect the GABA response. The second set of experiments tested for of cross-desensitization between GABA and histamine responses.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Rapid adaptation to Coriolis force perturbations of arm trajectory
Authors: Lackner J. R. , Dizio P.
Published: December 2017

1. Forward reaching movements made during body rotation generate tangential Coriolis forces that are proportional to the cross product of the angular velocity of rotation and the linear velocity of the arm. Coriolis forces are inertial forces that do not involve mechanical contact. Virtually no constant centrifugal forces will be present in the background when motion of the arm generates transient Coriolis forces if the radius of body rotation is small. 2. We measured the trajectories of arm movements made in darkness to a visual target that was extinguished as movement began. The reaching movements were made prerotation, during rotation at 10 rpm in a fully enclosed rotating room, and postrotation. During testing the subject was seated at the center of the room and pointed radially. Neither visual nor tactile feedback about movement accuracy was present. 3. In experiment 1, subjects reached at a fast or slow rate and their hands made contact with a horizontal surface at the end of the reach. Their initial perrotary movements were highly significantly deviated relative to prerotation in both trajectories and end-points in the direction of the transient Coriolis forces that had been generated during the reaches. Despite the absence of visual and tactile feedback about reaching accuracy, all subjects rapidly regained straight movement trajectories and accurate endpoints. Postrotation, transient errors of opposite sign were present for both trajectories and endpoints. 4. In a second experiment the conditions were identical except that subjects pointed just above the location of the extinguished target so that no surface contact was involved. All subjects showed significant initial perrotation deviations of trajectories and endpoints in the direction of the transient Coriolis forces. With repeated reaches the trajectories, as viewed from above, again became straight, but there was only partial restoration of endpoint accuracy, so that subjects reached in a straight line to the wrong place. Aftereffects of opposite sign were transiently present in the postrotary movements. 5. These observations fail to support current equilibrium point models, both alpha and lambda, of movement control. Such theories would not predict endpoint errors under our experimental conditions, in which the Coriolis force is absent at the beginning and end of a movement. Our results indicate that detailed aspects of movement trajectory are being continuously monitored on the basis of proprioceptive feedback in relation to motor commands. Adaptive compensations can be initiated after one perturbation despite the absence of either visual or tactile feedback about movement trajectory and endpoint error. Moreover, movement trajectory and end-point can be remapped independently.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
Current source density analysis of retinal field potentials. II. Pharmacological analysis of the b-wave and M-wave
Authors: Xu X. , Karwoski C. J.
Published: December 2017

1. The actions of two pharmacological agents, barium ions (Ba2+) and picrotoxin (PTX), were examined on components of the electroretinogram (ERG) in frog retina. Depth profiles of light-evoked field potentials were recorded, and current source densities (CSDs) were computed from these. 2. Ba2+ abolished the M-wave, slow PIII, and the c-wave, but only decreased b-wave amplitude down to approximately 65% of control amplitude. 3. Ba2+ abolished a slow current sink in the inner plexiform layer (IPL) and the source at the inner limiting membrane (ILM). This IPL sink/ILM source appears to generate the M-wave. 4. Ba2+ decreased the current sink at the outer plexiform layer (OPL) to approximately 70% of control amplitude, and it increased an IPL source. This Ba(2+)-resistant OPL sink/IPL source appears to generate a significant portion of the b-wave. The Ba(2+)-sensitive portion of the b-wave might be generated by Muller cells. 5. PTX enhanced retinal field potentials, particularly the M-wave in the proximal retina. This enhanced M-wave was shown to originate from an enhanced IPL sink/ILM source. 6. Our results suggest that the M-wave originates from Muller cells, through the spatial buffering of the light-evoked increase in [K+]o of the proximal retina. A portion of the b-wave may also originate from Muller cells, but a stronger direct contribution from depolarizing bipolar cells is suggested.
Modulation of Ca(2+)-channel currents by protein kinase C in adult rat sympathetic neurons
Authors: Zhu Y. , Ikeda S. R.
Published: December 2017

1. Modulation of Ca(2+)-channel currents by phorbol-12-myristate-13-acetate (PMA) was investigated in acutely dissociated adult rat superior cervical ganglion neurons using the whole cell variant of the patch-clamp technique. 2. PMA (500 nM) increased the current amplitudes, accelerated the inactivation of step currents, retarded the deactivation of tail currents, and shifted the tail current activation to more negative potentials. 3. The effects of PMA were concentration and voltage dependent and mediated through activation of protein kinase C (PKC). PMA also increased Ca2+ currents recorded with the perforated patch technique. 4. PMA affected the N-type Ca2+ channels and an omega-conotoxin GVIA-resistant current component. Ca2+ currents affected by PMA were not sensitive to omega-agatoxin IVA or nimodipine. 5. PMA not only attenuated Ca(2+)-channel inhibition induced by alpha 2-adrenoceptor agonist, which modulates Ca2+ channels via a pertussis toxin (PTX)-sensitive pathway, but also attenuated current inhibition by vasoactive intestinal polypeptide, which modulates Ca2+ channels via a PTX-insensitive but cholera toxin-sensitive pathway. 6. PMA reversed Ca(2+)-channel inhibition induced by tonic activation of G-protein in the absence of neurotransmitter (even in neurons pretreated with PTX) or induced by activation of G-proteins with guanosine 5'-O-(3-thiotriphosphate) (GTP)-gamma-S. 7. Inhibition of phosphatase by okadaic acid or substitution of Ba2+ for Ca2+ in the external solutions accelerated the PMA effect. 8. Our results suggest that activation of PKC antagonizes G-protein mediated inhibition of Ca2+ channels by shifting Ca2+ channels from the “reluctant” state to the “willing” state. The G-proteins and, more likely, the N-type Ca2+ channels may be the target of PKC phosphorylation. Protein phosphatases may be involved in counteracting the PKC phosphorylation in rat sympathetic neurons.
Distributed actions and dynamic associations in respiratory-related neuronal assemblies of the ventrolateral medulla and brain stem midline: evidence from spike train analysis
Authors: Lindsey B. G. , Segers L. S. , Morris K. F. , Hernandez Y. M. , Saporta S. , Shannon R.
Published: December 2017

1. Considerable evidence indicates that neurons in the brain stem midline and ventrolateral medulla participate in the control of breathing. This work was undertaken to detect and evaluate evidence for functional links that coordinate the parallel operations of neurons distributed in these two domains. 2. Data were from 51 Dial-urethan-anesthetized, bilaterally vagotomized, paralyzed, artificially ventilated cats. Planar arrays of tungsten microelectrodes were used to monitor simultaneously spike trains in two or three of the following regions: n. raphe obscurus-n. raphe pallidus, n. raphe magnus, rostral ventrolateral medulla, and caudal ventrolateral medulla. Efferent phrenic nerve activity was recorded to indicate the phases of the respiratory cycle. Electrodes in the ventral spinal cord (C3) were used in antidromic stimulation tests for spinal projections of neurons. 3. Spike trains of 1,243 neurons were tested for respiratory modulated firing rates with cycle-triggered histograms and an analysis of variance with the use of a subjects-by-treatments experimental design. Functional associations were detected and evaluated with cross-correlograms, snowflakes, and the gravity method. 4. Each of 2,310 pairs of neurons studied included one neuron monitored within 0.6 nm of the brain stem midline and a second cell recorded in the ventrolateral medulla; 117 of these pairs (5%) included a neuron with a spinal projection, identified with antidromic stimulation methods, that extended to at least the third cervical segment. Short-time scale correlations were detected in 110 (4.7%) pairs of neurons. Primary cross-correlogram features included 40 central peaks, 47 offset peaks, 4 central troughs, and 19 offset troughs. 5. In 14 data sets, multiple short-time scale correlations were found among three or more simultaneously recorded neurons distributed between both midline and ventrolateral domains. The results suggested that elements of up to three layers of interneurons were monitored simultaneously. Evidence for concurrent serial and parallel regulation of impulse synchrony was detected. Gravitational representations demonstrated respiratory-phase dependent synchrony among neurons distributed in both brain stem regions. 6. The results support a model of the brain stem respiratory network composed of coordinated distributed subassemblies and provide evidence for several hypotheses. 1) Copies of respiratory drive information from rostral ventrolateral medullary (RVLM) respiratory neurons are transmitted to midline neurons. 2) Midline neurons act on respiratory-related neurons in the RVLM to modulate phase timing. 3) Impulse synchrony of midline neurons is influenced by concurrent divergent actions of both midline and ventrolateral neurons.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
Behavior of identified Edinger-Westphal neurons during ocular accommodation
Authors: Gamlin P. D. , Zhang Y. , Clendaniel R. A. , Mays L. E.
Published: December 2017

1. The present study used single-unit recording and antidromic activation techniques in alert rhesus monkeys to examine the static and dynamic behavior of 21 parasympathetic, preganglionic neurons of the Edinger-Westphal nucleus (EW) during ocular accommodation. 2. All identified EW neurons were active when viewing at optical infinity with an average firing rate of 11.6 spikes/s. During near viewing, there was a linear relationship between firing rate and accommodation with an overall gain for the population of preganglionic EW neurons of 3.3 (spikes/s)/diopter. 3. The activity of eight identified EW neurons was studied during viewing of targets with conflicting vergence and accommodative demands to dissociate their vergence and accommodation responses. With normal viewing these responses are so closely matched that it cannot be determined if the activity of a cell is related to vergence or to accommodation, but with dissociated viewing these relationships can be determined. Under this viewing condition, six preganglionic EW neurons showed the same relationship to accommodation as they did during normal viewing. However, the activity of two cells could not be explained solely by accommodation, and they showed some activity related to vergence. 4. Microstimulation at the sites of identified EW neurons produced accommodation in the ipsilateral eye. Repeated measures of the effect of microstimulation yielded a value of 75 ms for the latency of the response. This latency was essentially the same in both animals tested. 5. The activity of identified EW neurons is related to the velocity of accommodation as well as to static accommodation. The relationship between accommodation velocity and firing rate was studied for 15 identified EW neurons during sine-wave tracking of targets moving in depth. All of these cells showed a clear relationship between firing rate and accommodation velocity. Overall, this group of identified EW neurons showed a velocity sensitivity of 1.2 (spikes/s)/(diopter/s) and an estimated neural time constant of 380 ms. 6. Eleven neurons encountered near to preganglionic EW neurons could not be antidromically activated by stimulation of the oculomotor nerve. These neurons had statistically higher gains with respect to the near response; indeed, there was no overlap between the gains of these neurons and the gains of preganglionic EW neurons. Upon dissociation of vergence from accommodation, they were found to be related to either vergence or to vergence and accommodation but not solely to accommodation.
Presynaptic calcium-activated potassium channels and calcium channels at a crayfish neuromuscular junction
Authors: Blundon J. A. , Wright S. N. , Brodwick M. S. , Bittner G. D.
Published: December 2017

1. We used a two-microelectrode current clamp to investigate various characteristics of the Ca(2+)-activated K+ conductance [gK(Ca)] and Ca2+ conductance (gCa), and transmitter release in presynaptic terminals of excitatory neuromuscular junctions in the crayfish walking leg. 2. Voltage-activated Na+ conductances (gNa) and K+ conductances [gK(v)] were blocked with tetrodotoxin and 3,4-diaminopyridine, respectively. Under these conditions, presynaptic depolarization produced by a first (conditioning) pulse admitted Ca2+ into the presynaptic terminals and activated gK(Ca), which modulated the amplitude of the depolarization produced by a second (test) pulse. The relative amount of gK(Ca) measured at the test pulse increased with increased magnitude or duration of the conditioning pulse. 3. A brief hyperpolarization immediately after a conditioning pulse substantially reduced gK(Ca). 4. gK(Ca) activation was blocked by funnel web spider toxin (a Ca2+ channel blocker) or by injection of the presynaptic terminal region with a calcium chelator, bis-(o-aminophenoxy)-N,N,N',N'-tetraacetic acid (BAPTA). Under current-clamp conditions, gK(Ca) was not blocked by charybdotoxin or iberiotoxin [specific gK(Ca) blockers]. 5. When gK(Ca) was blocked or reduced, the amplitude of the depolarizing afterpotential of action potentials was increased. When gK(v) was blocked or reduced, the duration of action potentials was increased. 6. Intracellular injection of BAPTA into the presynaptic terminal region eliminated evoked neurotransmitter release before test pulse modulation was affected, suggesting that the K(Ca) channel had a greater sensitivity (greater affinity or lower stoichiometry) for Ca2+ than did the transmitter release machinery. BAPTA reduced neurotransmitter release by 66-78%, but did not affect facilitation of neurotransmitter release. 7. When gNa, gK(v), and gK(Ca) were blocked, we detected a membrane depolarization produced by an increase in presynaptic gCa that was eliminated by 2 mM Cd2+ or 0 mM Ca2+.
Nonselective cation channels coupled with tachykinin receptors in rat sensory neurons
Authors: Inoue K. , Nakazawa K. , Inoue K. , Fujimori K.
Published: December 2017

1. Effects of substance P (SP) and other tachykinins on membrane currents were investigated using whole cell voltage clamp in cultured sensory neurons isolated from rat dorsal root ganglia. 2. SP (100 nM) evoked an inward current in two-thirds of the cells at negative potentials. In most of the cells that generated the inward current in response to SP, capsaicin also activated an inward current. The SP-evoked inward current was not observed in cells loaded with 2 mM guanosine 5'-O-(2-thiodiphosphate) (GDP beta S). 3. Neurokinin A (NKA) or neurokinin B (NKB) also activated an inward current. At 100 nM of each agonist, the order was NKB > NKA > SP with respect to activated current amplitude. 4. The tachykinin-activated current was reversed around +10 mV with a standard extracellular solution containing 140 mM NaCl. The reversal potential became more negative when extracellular NaCl was reduced by substituting with sucrose. The inward current was also activated in cells bathed in an extracellular solution containing Cs+, tetraethylammonium (TEA) or N-methyl-D-glucamine (NMDG) as a major cation instead of Na+. The order of permeability, determined from the reversal potential of the current, was Cs+ not equal to Na+ > TEA > NMDG. The amplitude of the inward current activated by NKB was increased when extracellular Na+ was replaced with Cs+, TEA or NMDG. 5. Permeability of Ca2+ was tested using an extracellular solution containing Ca2+ as the only cation (111.8 mM Ca2+ outside). Under this condition, NKB evoked an inward current that reversed around +30 mV. 6. The results suggest that SP and other tachykinins activate nonselective cation channels, which are also permeable to Ca2+, through receptors which are more responsive to NKB than to SP or NKA. The channel activation may serve as a mechanism underlying tachykinin-mediated excitatory neurotransmission in sensory neurons.