bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Physiological identification of morphologically distinct afferent classes innervating the cristae ampullares of the squirrel monkey
Authors: Lysakowski A. , Minor L. B. , Fernandez C. , Goldberg J. M.
Published: December 2017

1. Semicircular-canal afferents in the squirrel monkey were characterized by their resting discharge, discharge regularity, sensitivity to galvanic currents delivered to the ear (beta *), the gain (g2Hz), and phase lead (phi 2Hz) of their response to 2-Hz sinusoidal head rotations, and their antidromic conduction velocity. Discharge regularity was measured by a normalized coefficient of variation (CV*); the higher the CV*, the more irregular the discharge. g2Hz and phi 2Hz were expressed relative to angular head velocity. 2. These physiological measures were used in an attempt to discern the discharge properties of the three morphological classes of afferents innervating the crista. Presumed bouton (B) fibers were identified as slowly conducting afferents. Presumed calyx (C) fibers were recognized by their irregular discharge and low rotational gains. The remaining fibers were considered to be dimorphic (D) units. Single letters (B, C, and D) are used to emphasize that the classification is based on circumstantial evidence and may be wrong for individual fibers. Of the 125 identified fibers, 13 (10%) were B units, 36 (29%) were C units, and 76 (61%) were D units. 3. B units were regularly discharging D units ranged from regularly to irregularly discharging. C units were the most irregularly discharging afferents encountered. The mean resting discharge for the entire sample was 74 spikes/s. Resting rates were similar for regularly discharging B and D units and higher than those for irregularly discharging C and D units. 4. Except for their lower conduction velocities, the discharge properties of B units are indistinguishable from those of regularly discharging D units. Many of the discharge properties of B and D units vary with discharge regularity. There is a strong, positive relation when beta *, g2Hz, or phi 2Hz is plotted against CV*. For beta * or phi 2Hz, C units conform to the relation for B and D units. In contrast, values of g2Hz for C units are three to four times lower than predicted from the relation for the other two classes. 5. Internal (axon) diameters (dp) of peripheral vestibular-nerve fibers were estimated from central antidromic conduction velocities. Thick fibers (dp > or = 49 microns) were irregularly discharging, mostly C units. Medium-sized fibers (dp = 1.5-4 microns) included regular, intermediate, and irregular D units, as well as C units. Thin fibers (dp < or = 1.5 microns) were defined as B units.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
Segmental specialization of calcium-activated potassium conductances in an identified leech neuron
Authors: Merz D. C.
Published: December 2017

1. Retzius (R) neurons of the fifth and sixth segmental ganglia of the leech, called R(5,6) neurons are specialized to innervate the adjacent reproductive organs and are morphologically and functionally distinct from R neurons of standard ganglia [R(x) cells]. In this study the electrical properties of the R(x) and R(5,6) neurons were compared under current-clamp and voltage-clamp conditions. 2. The action-potential waveforms of R(x) and R(5,6) cells were similar except for the presence in the R(5,6) cells of a long afterhyperpolarization (AHP) following action potentials arising from the resting membrane potential but not from more depolarized potentials. Its role may thus be to inhibit firing of the R(5,6) neurons at rest or in response to weak depolarizing stimuli. 3. In the presence of the Ca2+ channel blocker Cd2+, the long AHP of the R(5,6) was abolished, and the action potentials of all R cells were identical. 4. Under voltage clamp, current kinetics and densities were similar between R(x) and R(5,6) cells for Ca2+ currents, delayed and inward rectifier K+ currents, and a rapid Ca(2+)-activated K+ current (IKc) that is common to the two cell types. The R(5,6) cells, however, expressed a second Ca(2+)-activated K+ current that was not observed in the R(x) cells. This current, called IKAHP, activated and inactivated more slowly than IKC, with a time course similar to that of the AHP observed under physiological conditions. 5. Neither IKC nor IKAHP was blocked by high concentrations of charybdotoxin or apamin, which block vertebrate Ca(2+)-activated K+ channels.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Contraction-induced excitation in cat peroneal motoneurons
Authors: Kouchtir N. , Perrier J. F. , Zytnicki D. , Jami L.
Published: December 2017

1. Motoneurons innervating peroneal muscles were recorded intracellularly in anesthetized cats during sustained submaximal isometric contractions of peroneus brevis produced by repetitive electrical stimulation of motor axons in the distal portion of cut ventral root filaments. 2. In contrast with the inhibition previously observed during contractions of gastrocnemius medialis muscle in triceps surae motoneurons, the afferent input generated by peroneus brevis contraction elicited excitatory potentials in nearly all motoneurons supplying peroneus brevis, peroneus tertius, or peroneus longus muscles. 3. We ascribed the contraction-induced excitation of peroneal motoneurons to spindle afferents for two reasons. First, the amplitude of contraction-induced excitatory potentials increased when the ventral root stimulation strength was increased to recruit gamma-axons. Second, with stimulation strengths under gamma-threshold, peroneus brevis contraction still excited peroneal motoneurons, and we obtained evidence that activation of spindles by skeletofusimotor beta-axons could account at least partly for this excitation. 4. The lack of contraction-induced inhibition in peroneal motoneurons and the prevalence of contraction-induced excitation raised the possibility that, in contrast to the usual effects of tendon organ afferents, Ib afferents from peroneus brevis might exert an excitatory influence on homonymous motoneurons. The fact that electrical stimulation of group I afferents in the nerve to peroneus brevis only exceptionally evoked inhibition in peroneal motoneurons would appear compatible with this hypothesis. Furthermore, stimulation of cutaneous afferents, known to facilitate transmission in Ib pathways, only exceptionally revealed a weak contraction-induced inhibition.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Emergence of complex receptive field properties of ganglion cells in the developing turtle retina
Authors: Sernagor E. , Grzywacz N. M.
Published: December 2017

1. Receptive field properties of adult retinal ganglion cells are well documented, but little is known about their development. We made extracellular recordings of activity from turtle retinal ganglion cells during embryogenesis (stages 22-26), during the first 40 days posthatching, and in adults. 2. From stage 22 the cells fired in spontaneous recurring bursts, and from stage 23 they responded to light. Polar plots of the responses to motion were highly anisotropic in early embryonic cells. More than 40% of embryonic cells exhibited multiaxis anisotropy, and only 6% were statistically isotropic. The incidence of anisotropic cells gradually decreased throughout development. The incidence of isotropic cells and the excitatory receptive field diameters of all ganglion cells gradually increased during development and their maturation coincided with the disappearance of the spontaneous bursts (2-4 wk posthatching). 3. Both sensitivities to stimulus orientation and direction of motion were observed at the earliest stages of development. However, orientation selectivity reached a peak incidence at hatching, whereas directional selectivity completely disappeared, only to reappear in adults. 4. These results show that mature spatiotemporal receptive field properties of retinal ganglion cells emerge from initially highly anisotropic properties, which may reflect an immature, polarized dendritic layout. Their maturation might be mediated by dendritic outgrowth and strengthening of excitatory synaptic connections, which could be induced by spontaneous activity and driven to maturation by exposure to light at birth. Mature directional selectivity seems to require visual experience or the late establishment of a specialized inhibitory synaptic drive.
Neuropeptide galanin inhibits omega-conotoxin GVIA-sensitive calcium channels in parasympathetic neurons
Authors: Merriam L. A. , Parsons R. L.
Published: December 2017

1. We determined the effect of the neuropeptide galanin on barium currents (IBa) flowing through voltage-gated calcium channels. We voltage clamped parasympathetic neurons dissociated from mudpuppy cardiac ganglia using both the standard whole cell and the perforated-patch variations of the patch-clamp technique. 2. Galanin produced a concentration-dependent inhibition of IBa. The maximal inhibition was 50-60% and the concentration that produced half-maximal inhibition (IC50) was 0.42 nM. In mud-puppy parasympathetic neurons, omega-conotoxin-GVIA (CTX)-sensitive channels are the predominant type of calcium channels, and only a small portion of IBa is contributed by dihydropyridine-sensitive channels. Galanin preferentially inhibited a portion of the CTX-sensitive current. 3. In currents recorded with the standard whole cell technique, activation of IBa was slowed in the presence of galanin. In contrast, in the majority of neurons studied with the perforated-patch technique, galanin decreased IBa without altering the kinetics of current activation. With both recording methods, the decrease in IBa was greatest with voltage steps to 0 mV and persisted with steps to +50 mV. For control currents, large depolarizing voltage steps (+70 to +120 mV) did not markedly facilitate IBa when either recording technique was used. However, the degree of facilitation in galanin was significantly greater with the standard whole cell recording technique. 4. IBa exhibited inactivation under the conditions of these experiments. Inactivation of IBa recorded during a 900-ms depolarizing voltage step was fitted to a double exponential. Galanin decreased the amplitude of IBa but did not alter the time constants of inactivation.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Pre-Botzinger complex in the cat
Authors: Schwarzacher S. W. , Smith J. C. , Richter D. W.
Published: December 2017

1. Patterns of respiratory neuronal activity were examined in pentobarbitone anesthetized adult cats in a circumscribed area of the ventrolateral medulla, which has previously been defined as the pre-Botzinger complex (pre-BOTC) from electrophysiological and morphological criteria in the brain stem-spinal cord preparation of the neonatal rat. The pre-BOTC has been proposed to play a critical role in respiratory rhythm generation in mammals, but electrophysiological properties of the region have not been thoroughly characterized in the adult brain stem in vivo. 2. From intra- and extracellular recordings, we verified the existence of a well-defined zone with a distinct profile of neuronal activity between the rostral Botzinger complex containing expiratory neurons and the more caudal medullary pool of inspiratory neurons of the ventral respiratory group (VRG) in the para-ambigual region. This zone corresponds to the pre-BOTC. It was characterized by a concentration of the various types of respiratory neurons, particularly those proposed to be involved in respiratory phase transitions, including neurons discharging immediately before the onset of inspiratory phase activity (pre-inspiratory neurons), early-inspiratory, and postinspiratory neurons. The majority of these neurons were presumed interneurons because they were not antidromically activated by spinal cord or cranial nerve stimulation. 3. The locus of the pre-BOTC corresponded histologically to the rostral part of the nucleus ambiguus and ventrolateral reticular formation. It was located caudal to the retrofacial nucleus and rostral to the lateral reticular nucleus, extending 3.0-3.5 mm rostral to the obex, and 3.2-4.0 mm lateral from the midline. This location was homologous to that established in the neonatal rat. 4. Pre-inspiratory neurons (pre-I neurons) were specifically found in the pre-BOTC. Intracellular recordings from these neurons revealed two types of activity patterns. Type 1 of pre-I neurons exhibited a steady membrane depolarization during expiration and a steep membrane depolarization with a high-frequency burst of action-potential discharge during the phase transition from expiration to inspiration. This was followed by a decline of depolarization and spike discharge during the remainder of the inspiratory phase. A second type of pre-I neurons exhibited a secondary graded membrane depolarization and burst discharge during the late-inspiratory period. 5. Synaptic events were examined in other respiratory neurons during the 40-160 ms preceding the onset of phrenic nerve activity when pre-I neurons exhibited peak spike discharge. Early-inspiratory, throughout-respiratory, and postinspiratory neurons were disinhibited during this period, whereas stage-2 expiratory neurons exhibited a decrease in spike activity and repolarization.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
Modulation of rat chorda tympani nerve activity by lingual nerve stimulation
Authors: Wang Y. , Erickson R. P. , Simon S. A.
Published: December 2017

1. A subpopulation of lingual nerve (LN) fibers surround and/or terminate in taste buds in fungiform papillae. One possible function of these fibers is to modulate chorda tympani fiber (CT) or taste responses. To test this hypothesis, the rat LN was stimulated electrically at various voltages (to 20 V), and single- and multiunit CT responses to water-0.1 M NaCl cycles were recorded before, during, and after LN stimulation. 2. When a thermally controlled water-0.1 M NaCl stimulus cycle was applied onto the tongue's surface, the surface temperature remained constant, independent of the stimulation voltage. In the absence of a liquid stimulus, the tongue's surface temperature increased approximately 4 degrees C upon LN stimulation for voltages > or = 5 V. This temperature increase, caused by vasodilation by way of the axon reflex flare mechanism, was taken as evidence that LN stimulation induces peptide release. 3. Comparison of CT activity before LN stimulation with the activity either during or after stimulation revealed statistically significant changes in CT activity. During LN stimulation the CT activity decreased. After LN stimulation, the variability in amount of CT activity increased. 4. In rats treated postnatally with subcutaneous injections of capsaicin to reduce or eliminate polymodal nociceptors, LN stimulation did not produce increases in the tongue's surface temperature or changes in CT activity. 5. Changes in CT activity could be detected seconds after LN stimulation, suggesting that the intragemmal and/or perigemmal LN fibers modulate CT activity. 6. The physiological implications of this study suggest that CT responses to salt can be modulated by endogenous compounds (probably peptides), eating foods that activate LN responses (e.g., foods that are very acidic or contain capsaicin) may modulate taste responses, and peri- and intragemmal fibers should be considered an integral part of the taste receptor system.
Ca(2+)-dependent plasticity of miniature inhibitory postsynaptic currents after amputation of dendrites in central neurons
Authors: Soltesz I. , Mody I.
Published: December 2017

1. The effects of cutting off the bulk (> 2/3) of the dendritic tree (dendrotomy) on GABAergic miniature inhibitory postsynaptic currents (mIPCSs) were studied in granule cells of the adult rat dentate gyrus in 400-microns-thick slices in vitro. 2. After dendrotomy carried out in warm (32 degrees C) control artificial cerebrospinal fluid (ACSF), only small antidromic population spikes could be evoked in the granule cell layer, and no viable whole cell recordings could be obtained. However, when dendrotomy was performed in cold (8-10 degrees C) control ACSF, the amplitude of the antidromic population spikes increased, and stable whole cell recordings became possible. 3. Whole cell recordings, with CsCl-filled pipettes, from granule cells dendrotomized in cold control ACSF, revealed significant alterations, lasting > 10 h, in the decay kinetics of mIPSACs. The change consisted of a calcium-dependent transformation of the normal, single exponential decay into a prolonged double exponential that effectively increased the charge transferred by the synaptic events (the total area of the currents) by 67%. When 30 mM 1,2 bis-(2-aminophenoxy)-N,N,N',N'-tetraacetic acid (BAPTA) was included in the pipette, the changes in the mIPSCs decay kinetics could still be observed after dendrotomy, indicating that the maintenance phase of this plasticity did not depend on elevated intracellular calcium levels. 4. Viable whole cell recordings could also be obtained in dendrotomized granule cells when the amputation of dendrites was carried out at 32 degrees C after incubation for 2 h with the cell-permeant Ca2+ chelator, BAPTA-AM (50 microM), or the cutting process was done in an ACSF containing either a combination of excitatory amino acid receptor antagonists 2-amino-5-phosphonovaleric acid (APV; 25 microM) + 6-cyano-7-nitroquinoxaline-2,3-dione (CNQX; 10 microM), a blocker of intracellular Ca2+ release dantrolene-Na (20 microM), or the voltage-gated Na+ channel blocker tetrodotoxin (TTX; 1 microM). 5. After dendrotomy in BAPTA-AM, APV + CNQX, APV + CNQX + TTX, and/or dantrolene, the changes in decay kinetics were prevented, indicating that a rise in intracellular Ca2+ concentration plays a pivotal role in this plasticity. 6. Computer simulations of mIPSCs suggested that changes in single channel kinetics alone can, in principle, account for the Ca(2+)-dependent changes in mIPSC decay kinetics. 7. These findings are consistent with a lasting Ca(2+)-dependent increase in gamma-aminobutyric acid-A (GABAA) receptor function in cells that survive physical injury to their dendrites.
Current source density analysis of the electroretinographic d wave of frog retina
Authors: Xu X. , Karwoski C.
Published: December 2017

1. Dark flashes were used to evoke spatiotemporal profiles of the d wave of the electroretinogram in frog retina. The current source density technique was used to compute the extracellular current sinks and sources underlying the d wave. 2. The largest d wave current was a sink at the outer plexiform layer (OPL sink) and a source at the inner plexiform layer (IPL source). Several properties of this sink/source, including its relative insensitivity to Ba2+, suggest that it arises from hyperpolarizing bipolar cells. 3. There was a slower IPL sink, along with a source at the inner limiting membrane (ILM source). Its properties, along with its sensitivity to Ba2+ and enhancement by picrotoxin, suggest it arises from the K+ spatial buffer currents of Muller cells. This IPL sink/ILM source underlies the M wave. 4. A small photoreceptor sink/source also contributes to the d wave. This is most significant during the very beginning of the d wave. 5. Our results indicate that in frog retina and at the stimulus conditions used in this paper, the d wave originates primarily and directly from the hyperpolarizing bipolar cells. Photoreceptors likely contribute a small amount, especially during the initial portion of the d wave. There is possibly a small Muller cell contribution.
Calcium accumulation in visual interneurons of the fly: stimulus dependence and relationship to membrane potential
Authors: Egelhaaf M. , Borst A.
Published: December 2017

1. The large motion-sensitive tangential neurons in the fly third visual neuropil spatially pool the postsynaptic signals of many local elements. The changes in membrane potential and calcium concentration induced in these cells by visual motion are analyzed in vivo by simultaneous optical and intracellular voltage recording techniques. 2. Visual motion in the preferred direction leads to depolarization of the cell and to calcium accumulation mainly in the axon terminal, the soma, and the dendritic tree. During motion in the null direction, the cell hyperpolarizes and virtually no changes in calcium concentration can be observed. 3. Dendritic calcium accumulation is first restricted to those dendritic branches that are close to the sites of direct synaptic input. In other parts of the dendrite the calcium concentration increases more slowly and usually reaches only lower levels. 4. Calcium starts accumulating at the onset of motion. However, the calcium concentration reaches its final steady-state level much later than the corresponding membrane potential changes. Even if these are completely transient at high temporal frequencies of pattern motion, the calcium signal stays high until the stimulus pattern stops moving. 5. The amplitude of the calcium signal depends on the temporal frequency of pattern motion in a similar way as do the corresponding membrane potential changes. However, there exist differences that can be attributed to the different time courses of both signals. 6. Depolarization of the dendritic tree by current injection through a microelectrode leads to similar changes in calcium accumulation as does activation by synaptic input, suggesting that calcium enters the cell via voltage-dependent channels. The possible function of calcium channels for dendritic integration of synaptic input is discussed.
In CA1 hippocampal neurons, the redox state of NMDA receptors determines LTP expressed by NMDA but not by AMPA receptors
Authors: Gozlan H. , Khazipov R. , Diabira D. , Ben-Ari Y.
Published: December 2017

1. Using extracellular recording techniques in the CA1 region of the rat hippocampus, we have evaluated the effects of the redox reagents 5,5O-dithiobis-2-nitrobenzoic acid (DTNB) and tris (carboxyethyl) phosphine (TCEP) on long-term potentiation (LTP) expressed by alpha-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-isoxazole-4-propionic acid (AMPA) and N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptors. In physiological conditions a high-frequency stimulation (HFS) of Schaffer collateral-commissural fibers induced a LTP expressed by a persistent increase (73 +/- 13%, mean +/- SE, n = 8/10) of AMPA field potentials (LTPA). In the presence of 10 microM of 6-cyano-7-nitroquinoxaline-2,3-dione (CNQX) and reduced concentration of Mg2+ (0.1 mM) to boost NMDA receptors, the HFS induced LTP of NMDA field potentials (LTPN; 62 +/- 11%, n = 8/10). 2. The thiol-oxidizing reagent DTNB (200 microM) reduced, by 46 +/- 5% (n = 24), NMDA-receptor field potentials (NMDA-FP), and this effect could not be reversed by extensive washing. The disulfide-reducing agent TCEP (200 microM) slightly increased AMPA-FP and reversed the DTNB-induced inhibition of NMDA-FP. 3. DTNB (200 microM, 10 min), and TCEP (200 microM, 20 min), had no effect on AMPA-FP (98 +/- 3% and 101 +/- 5%, respectively, n = 12). 4. DTNB (200 microM, 15 min) did not prevent the induction or expression of LTPA (-12 and -5%, respectively, n = 8/8). Similar results were observed with TCEP (200 microM, 20 min).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Development of glycine- and GABA-gated currents in rat spinal motoneurons
Authors: Gao B. X. , Ziskind-Conhaim L.
Published: December 2017

1. Developmental changes in glycine- and gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA)-activated currents were studied in spinal motoneurons of embryonic and neonatal rats with the use of whole cell recording techniques. 2. Pressure ejection of glycine or GABA onto motoneuron somata produced Cl(-)-mediated inward currents and membrane depolarizations. During embryonic development, the average amplitude of GABA-gated currents was threefold larger than that of glycine-gated currents, but as a result of a large eightfold postnatal increase in glycine-activated currents, similar currents were produced by both amino acids after birth. 3. At all ages the decay of glycine- and GABA-gated currents best fit one-exponential curve, and their time constants were similar. The average decay time constant decreased by twofold after birth. 4. The ionic specificity of glycine- and GABA-gated channels was studied to determine whether the large amplitude of GABA-activated currents in embryonic motoneurons resulted from the contribution of an outward HCO-3 movement. Manipulations of Cl- and HCO-3 concentrations produced changes in the reversal potentials of glycine and GABA that were similar to the calculated changes in the equilibrium potentials of Cl-. This suggested that glycine- and GABA-gated currents were Cl- specific, and HCO-3 movement did not contribute more to the current generated by GABA than that produced by glycine. 5. Glycine- and GABA-gated currents were associated with severalfold increases in membrane conductance. The conductance increase generated by GABA in embryonic motoneurons was sevenfold larger than that generated by glycine, but similar conductance changes were produced by both amino acids after birth.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Kinetic properties of NMDA receptors in embryonic Xenopus spinal neurons
Authors: Zhang Y. , Auerbach A.
Published: December 2017

1. The kinetic properties of embryonic Xenopus spinal cord neuron N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA)-activated receptors (NMDAR) were examined at the single-channel level. These receptors have a main conductance state of 50 pS and make occasional sojourns to a subconductance level of approximately 40 pS. The open channel lifetime is 1.3 ms at -80 mV and in 1 mM Ca(2+)-, Mg(2+)-free solution. Extracellular Mg2+ blocks the channel at a rate of 2.9 x 10(8) M-1 s-1 and with a Kd of approximately 20 microM at -80 mV. In patches with only one channel active, the closed interval duration distribution requires at least four exponentials to be fit. The time constant of one closed interval component decreases with increasing NMDA concentration. Kinetic modeling indicates that these NMDA receptors open at a rate of 230 s-1 and close at a rate of 167 s-1, that in the absence of desensitization the maximum probability of being open is approximately 0.5, and that this probability is half-maximal at approximately 150 microM NMDA.
Epileptiform activity in the dentate gyrus during low-calcium perfusion and exposure to transient electric fields
Authors: Richardson T. L. , O'Reilly C. N.
Published: December 2017

1. The dentate gyrus fails to develop epileptiform activity in many experimental models of epilepsy, including the in vitro low-Ca2+ model. Although manipulating the K+ concentration or osmolality of normal low-Ca2+ perfusion mediums can enhance the propensity of the dentate gyrus to develop seizure activity, the specific mechanisms contributing to this change are still under investigation. Identification of these mechanisms should improve our understanding of epileptogenesis and of the factors contributing to the propensity for seizure discharge in other tissues. 2. In the present experiments we used externally generated electric fields to depolarize the somata of large populations of dentate granule cells during exposure to a perfusion medium with no added Ca2+ (low-Ca2+ medium). Uniform electric fields were generated across an individual slice by passing current between two parallel AgCl-coated silver wires placed on the surface of the artificial cerebral spinal fluid. The wires were positioned to straddle the slice such that the current flow was parallel to the dendrosomatic axis of the cell population under investigation. 3. Under control conditions (low-Ca2+ medium, no applied field), stimulation of the dentate hilus evoked a single antidromic population spike in 89% of the slices studied (n = 27). During application of electric fields the same stimulus evoked epileptiform activity in all trials. Well-formed bursts first occurred at an average field intensity of +22.9 +/- 2.5 (SE) mV/mm (n = 24). The amplitude of individual spikes and the total number of spikes, within a burst increased in a graded fashion as the magnitude of the applied field was increased. 4. High field intensities evoked epileptiform activity in the absence of a synchronizing antidromic stimulus. These field-induced bursts occurred after a progressive buildup of rhythmic activity recorded in the extrasomatic space and could persist for the entire duration of an applied field, lasting for several seconds. The average field intensity required to produce a threshold burst was +84.6 +/- 3.6 mV/mm (n = 24). 5. In 11% of trials (3 of 27) the dentate gyrus exhibited poorly developed antidromic bursting without the application of depolarizing electric fields. These bursts were completely suppressed by hyperpolarizing fields in the range of -10 to -20 mV/mm. 6. The results of this investigation support the hypothesis that granule cell sensitivity to nonsynaptic interactions is adequate to support bursting in a normal low-Ca2+ medium, but bursting fails to occur because these cells are normally too hyperpolarized relative to their action potential threshold.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
Gustatory neural coding in the monkey cortex: acid stimuli
Authors: Plata-Salaman C. R. , Scott T. R. , Smith-Swintosky V. L.
Published: December 2017

1. We sought to define the gustatory neural code for acidic stimuli. Therefore we analyzed the responses of 44 single neurons in the insular cortex of four alert cynomolgus macaques in response to the oral application of four basic taste stimuli (glucose, NaCl, HCl, and quinine HCl) and fruit juice, and to a series of 20 additional acids. 2. Neurons responsive to gustatory stimulation were encountered within a volume of 38.2 mm3 (3.5 mm anteroposterior x 2.1 mm mediolateral x 5.2 mm dorsoventral). Taste cells constituted 81 (5.2%) of the 1,552 neurons whose sensitivities were tested. Of these, the activity of 44 was followed through at least one complete application of the stimulus series, and those responses compose the data of this study. Nongustatory cells included those responsive to mouth movements (36.3%), tactile stimulation within the mouth (2.1%), visual approach of the taste stimulus (1.4%), and extension of the tongue (0.1%). The functions of the remaining 54.8% were not determined. 3. The mean spontaneous discharge rate of these cortical taste cells was 3.0 spikes/s (range 0.0–14.4 spikes/s). The mean breadth of tuning coefficient was a moderate 0.72 (range 0.26–0.98). Most evoked activity was excitatory, although inhibition was a prominent response option for four (9%) taste cells. 4. There was no evidence that taste cells with similar functional characteristics were clustered within the cortex, i.e., there was no apparent topographic organization of taste quality. 5. Thirty-four of the 44 cells were divisible into three functional types on the basis of their response profiles to the four basic stimuli used here.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Mechanical and electromyographic analysis of reciprocal inhibition at the human ankle joint
Authors: Sinkjaer T. , Nielsen J. , Toft E.
Published: December 2017

1. The purpose of the present study is to investigate how reciprocal inhibition influences the mechanical and electromyographic (EMG) properties of the ankle plantar flexors in humans during a voluntary contraction. 2. At different levels of maintained plantar flexion contractions ranging from 0 to 20 Nm, the size of the soleus EMG stretch reflex and the ankle joint stiffness (ration between the torque increment and the amplitude of the stretch) were measured in response to an imposed dorsiflexion. At matched plantar flexion contraction levels, stretch responses were compared before and after reversible block of the common peroneal nerve (CPN). Stretch responses were also measured during an attempted voluntary fictive dorsiflexion after CPN block. 3. In the preactivated soleus muscles, the phasic EMG response to stretch consisted of two peaks labeled M1 and M2. After CPN block, the M1 short-latency stretch reflex on average increased by 25 +/- 5.7%, mean +/- SD (P < 0.001), and the M2 stretch reflex increased on average by 29 +/- 13.0% (P = 0.002). 4. The total stiffness of the ankle joint during a stretch is the sum of the nonreflex and the reflex mediated stiffness. The total stiffness after CPN block increased on average by 13 +/- 2.7% (P = 0.002) and the estimated reflex stiffness by 33 +/- 6.5% (P < 0.001). 5. When the subjects were asked to make a strong dorsiflexion after CPN block, the soleus stretch reflex was depressed to the extent that the reflex mediated mechanical effect around the ankle joint was abolished.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Subthreshold synaptic activation of voltage-gated Ca2+ channels mediates a localized Ca2+ influx into the dendrites of hippocampal pyramidal neurons
Authors: Magee J. C. , Christofi G. , Miyakawa H. , Christie B. , Lasser-Ross N. , Johnston D.
Published: December 2017

1. Whole cell recordings and high-speed fluorescence imaging were used to investigate the spatial and temporal characteristics of Ca2+ influx during synaptic activity in hippocampal CA1 pyramidal neurons. Brief, subthreshold trains of synaptic potentials elicited by Schaffer collateral stimulation produced transient increases in [Ca2+]i in the apical dendrites near the site of synaptic input. The rises in [Ca2+]i were not due to Ca2+ entry through N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA)-activated or non-NMDA-activated glutamate channels, but were reduced by low concentrations of Ni2+. Hyperpolarizing prepulses caused an increase in the synaptically evoked Ca2+ transients, whereas strong hyperpolarization during the train prevented the rise in [Ca2+]i. The data suggest that subthreshold synaptic activity can open low-voltage-activated (T-type) Ca2+ channels and produce a local increase in intradendritic [Ca2+]. Such local increases in [Ca2+]i may be important for modulating the strength of synaptic connections.
Do neurons from rat neostriatum express both a TTX-sensitive and a TTX-insensitive slow Na+ current?
Authors: Chao T. I. , Alzheimer C.
Published: December 2017

1. The properties of a tetrodotoxin (TTX)-sensitive, persistent Na+ current and a purported TTX-insensitive slow Na+ current were studied in acutely isolated neurons from rat neostriatum with the use of the whole cell configuration of the patch-clamp technique. 2. A TTX-sensitive, persistent Na+ current (INaP) was activated positive to -60 mV and reached a peak amplitude of -40 to -120 pA at about -40 mV. As indicated by slow depolarizing voltage ramps, activation of INaP did not require preceding activation of the fast, rapidly inactivating Na+ current. 3. The current-voltage (I-V) relationship of INaP displayed an unexpected inflection after passing through its peak value near -40 mV. Between -40 and -10 mV, INaP declined more rapidly with depolarization than it did at more depolarized potentials. The corresponding conductance (GNaP) peaked at -40 mV and declined to a smaller limiting value at potentials positive to about -10 mV. 4. This behavior is not consistent with the notion that INaP arises solely from a bell-shaped window conductance that results from the overlapping steady-state activation and inactivation curves of the fast Na+ current in a narrow voltage range, nor with the notion that INaP is generated by a single uniform conductance independent of the fast Na+ current. 5. In addition to INaP, a second slow inward current (IS) was evoked when small monovalent cations were omitted from the internal solution. INaP and IS were present both in cells resembling medium spiny neurons and in cells resembling aspiny interneurons. 6. IS was insensitive to TTX (1.2 microM) and the Ca2+ channel blocker, cadmium.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Segment-specific effects of FMRFamide on membrane properties of heart interneurons in the leech
Authors: Schmidt J. , Gramoll S. , Calabrese R. L.
Published: December 2017

1. The effects of Phe-Met-Arg-Phe (FMRF)amide (10(-6) M) on membrane properties of heart interneurons in the third, fourth, and fifth segmental ganglia [HN(3), HN(4), and HN(5) cells, respectively] of the leech were studied using discontinuous current-clamp and single-electrode voltage-clamp techniques. FMRFamide was focally applied onto the soma of the cell under investigation. 2. Application of FMRFamide depolarized HN(3) and HN(4) cells by evoking an inward current. These responses were subject to pronounced desensitization. The inward currents evoked by application of FMRFamide were associated with an increase in membrane conductance and appeared to be voltage dependent. Currents were enhanced at more depolarized potentials. 3. The responsiveness of the HN(3) and HN(4) cells was not affected when the Ca2+ concentration in the bath saline was reduced from normal (1.8 mM) to 0.1 mM. The depolarizing response on application of FMRFamide was blocked when Co2+ was substituted for Ca2+. 4. HN(3) and HN(4) cells did not respond to FMRFamide application in Na(+)-free solution. Inward currents were largely reduced when bath saline with 30% of the normal Na+ concentration was used. When Li+ was substituted for Na+ in the saline, application of FMRFamide still evoked depolarizing responses in HN(3) and HN(4) cells. 5. We conclude that focal application of FMRFamide onto the somata of HN(3) and HN(4) cells evokes a voltage-dependent inward current, carried largely by Na+. 6. Focal application of FMRFamide onto somata of HN(5) cells hyperpolarized these cells by activating a voltage-dependent outward current. 7. HN(5) cells were loaded with Cl- until inhibitory postsynaptic potentials carried by Cl- reversed. Cl(-)-loaded cells still responded with a hyperpolarization when FMRFamide was applied onto their somata. Therefore the outward current evoked by FMRFamide appears to be mediated by a K+ conductance increase. 8. Application of FMRFamide onto the somata of HN(5) cells enhanced outward currents that were evoked by depolarizing voltage steps from a holding potential of -45 mV. 9. We conclude that the hyperpolarizing response of HN(5) cells to focal application of FMRFamide onto their somata is the result of an up-regulation of a voltage-dependent K+ current.
Dissociation of human prefrontal cortical areas across different speech production tasks and gender groups
Authors: Buckner R. L. , Raichle M. E. , Petersen S. E.
Published: December 2017

1. Data from a series of positron emission tomography (PET) experiments were analyzed with two goals. The first goal was to determine whether there were reliable differences in prefrontal cortex activation across two different speech production tasks. Such differences are important in determining functional subdivisions within prefrontal cortex. The second goal was to determine whether there were any gender differences across the two speech production tasks. 2. To accomplish these goals, PET subtraction images were generated for each of two speech production tasks (stem completion and verb generation). For the stem completion task, subjects viewed word stems (e.g., "GRE") and said aloud words that could complete the stems (e.g., "green"). For the verb generation task, subjects viewed nouns (e.g., "CHAIR") and said aloud words that were meaningfully related verbs (e.g., "sit"). Different groups of subjects performed the stem completion (N = 29) and verb generation (N = 32) tasks. 3. Data from each task subtraction were further divided by gender group (i.e., verb generation: male group; verb generation: female group, etc.). PET activations were separately identified in prefrontal cortex for each of the four resulting images. Activations were identified primarily in left prefrontal cortex for both tasks and both gender groups. Activations in right prefrontal cortex were small or absent. 4. Across tasks, the subtraction images showed both common activations in prefrontal cortex and one clear difference. Activations in left inferior prefrontal cortex (near Brodmann's areas 44 or 45) were observed in both male and female group images for both task subtractions. Activations in left anterior prefrontal cortex (near Brodmann's areas 10 or 46) were only observed for the verb generation subtraction images, formally demonstrating a functional dissociation between left inferior prefrontal cortex and more anterior prefrontal cortex. 5. This dissociation between prefrontal areas was highly robust and reliable across both gender groups. The left inferior prefrontal area(s) common to all of the subtraction images appears to be activated by tasks that demand high-level word retrieval and production processes. This area is distinct from the more anterior area(s), which is not always activated by such tasks. Dissociations in prefrontal areas are important because current descriptions of human functional anatomy often treat activations within large regions of cortex (e.g., dorsolateral prefrontal cortex) as single entities. 6. No qualitative differences in activation between gender groups were detected. For both subtractions, all activations identified within one gender group generalized to the other gender group. For the verb generation subtraction image, however, activations in male subjects were larger in magnitude than in female subjects.
Changes in the control of arm position, movement, and thalamic discharge during local inactivation in the globus pallidus of the monkey
Authors: Inase M. , Buford J. A. , Anderson M. E.
Published: December 2017

1. To examine the effect of disruption of basal ganglia output on limb stability and movement, muscimol was injected into the internal globus pallidus (GPi) of monkeys trained to make arm movements to visible or remembered targets in a two-dimensional workspace. 2. Injections of as little as 0.25 micrograms muscimol at GPi sites at which pallidal neurons with arm movement activity had been recorded were followed by drift of the contralateral arm within < 10 min. Drift was usually in the flexor direction. Injections at a few sites in or near the external pallidal segment sometimes were followed by extensor drift. 3. Drift was active (accompanied by activation of agonist muscles), but could be overcome by the animal, resulting in an oscillating movement off and on the required position. 4. The pallidal-receiving (PR) area of the thalamus was identified by recording the response of thalamic neurons to stimulation in the globus pallidus. The activity of 15 neurons identified as PR cells (n = 6) or within the PR region was recorded both before and after injection of muscimol into GPi. After the injection, the tonic discharge increased during the hold period in 47% of the cells studied. When postural drift also occurred, there was a close temporal correlation between the postinjection time at which drift occurred and the time at which the tonic discharge rate increased in thalamic neurons that were clearly related to arm movement. 5. The peak velocity of arm movements to visible or remembered visual target locations was decreased after injection of muscimol into GPi, sometimes with an increase in movement time. 6. The firing rate of PR thalamic neurons after injection of muscimol was also increased during the perimovement period. Because of the increase in the tonic discharge rate, however, the phasic movement-related change in activity could stay the same or even decrease. Postinjection changes in this movement-related phasic activity, however, were not necessarily coincident with changes in peak movement velocity. 7. Changes in reaction time were variable after injection of muscimol. In some cases it was increased, and in others decreased. The time of onset of phasic movement-related changes in the activity of PR neurons studied was not altered by the injection. 8. Our data indicate that the tonic inhibitory output of GPi, in particular to the cortical motor areas, is especially important in the maintenance of postural stability. In the absence of normal pallidal output, desired limb position can be achieved on the basis of either current or prior visual cues, but targeted movements are slowed.
Effects of rhinal cortex lesions combined with hippocampectomy on visual recognition memory in rhesus monkeys
Authors: Meunier M. , Hadfield W. , Bachevalier J. , Murray E. A.
Published: December 2017

1. We assessed the visual recognition abilities, as measured by delayed nonmatching-to-sample with trial-unique objects, of rhesus monkeys with hippocampectomy (i.e., removal of the hippocampal formation plus parahippocampal gyrus) combined with ablations of the rhinal cortex (i.e., entorhinal cortex plus perirhinal cortex). 2. Relative to unoperated controls, monkeys with combined hippocampectomy and rhinal cortex ablation (H+Rh) were significantly impaired in visual recognition. 3. Comparison of the scores of the monkeys in the present H+Rh group, which sustained near-complete rhinal cortex damage, with the scores of monkeys in an earlier H+Rh group in which the rostral part of the rhinal cortex had been spared indicates that the magnitude of the impairment is greater in the group with the more complete rhinal cortex damage. This finding is consistent with the idea that the rhinal cortex is critical for visual recognition. 4. Comparison of the present results with those from an earlier study on visual recognition that employed lesions limited to the rhinal cortex (Rh group) shows, paradoxically, that adding removal of the hippocampal formation and parahippocampal gyrus to a rhinal cortex lesion significantly reduces the recognition impairment produced by rhinal cortex lesions alone. 5. Our findings do not fit the view that the hippocampal formation, parahippocampal gyrus, and rhinal cortex constitute parts of a single functional system, such that the greater the damage to the entire system, the more severe the impairment. Instead, the results are consistent with the view that there are multiple functional subdivisions within the medial temporal lobe.
Sweet taste transduction in hamster: sweeteners and cyclic nucleotides depolarize taste cells by reducing a K+ current
Authors: Cummings T. A. , Daniels C. , Kinnamon S. C.
Published: December 2017

1. The gigaseal voltage-clamp technique was used to record responses of hamster taste receptor cells to synthetic sweeteners and cyclic nucleotides. Voltage-dependent currents and steady-state currents were monitored during bath exchanges of saccharin, two high-potency sweeteners, 8-chlorophenylthio-adenosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate (8cpt-cAMP), and dibutyryl-guanosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate (db-cGMP). 2. Of the 237 fungiform taste cells studied, only one in eight was sweet responsive. Outward currents, both voltage-dependent and resting, were reduced by all of the sweeteners tested in sweet-responsive taste cells, whereas these currents were unaffected by sweeteners in sweet-unresponsive taste cells. 3. In every sweet-responsive cell tested, 8cpt-cAMP and db-cGMP mimicked the response to the sweeteners, but neither nucleotide elicited responses in sweet-unresponsive cells. Thus there was a one-to-one correlation between sweet responsivity and cyclic nucleotide responsivity. 4. Sweet responses showed cross adaptation with cyclic nucleotide responses. This indicates that the same ion channel is modulated by sweeteners and cyclic nucleotides. 5. The sweetener- and cyclic nucleotide-blocked current had an apparent reversal potential of -50 mV, which was close to the potassium reversal potential in these experiments. In addition, there was no effect of sweeteners and cyclic nucleotides in the presence of the K+ channel blocker tetraethylammonium bromide (TEA). These data suggest that block of a resting, TEA-sensitive K+ current is the final common step leading to taste cell depolarization during sweet transduction. 6. These data, together with data from a previous study (Cummings et al. 1993), suggest that both synthetic sweeteners and sucrose utilize second-messenger pathways that block a resting K+ conductance to depolarize the taste cell membrane.