1
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Sardi S, Vardi R, Tugendhaft Y, Sheinin A, Goldental A, Kanter I. Long anisotropic absolute refractory periods with rapid rise times to reliable responsiveness. Phys Rev E 2022; 105:014401. [PMID: 35193251 DOI: 10.1103/physreve.105.014401] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2021] [Accepted: 12/22/2021] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
Refractoriness is a fundamental property of excitable elements, such as neurons, indicating the probability for re-excitation in a given time lag, and is typically linked to the neuronal hyperpolarization following an evoked spike. Here we measured the refractory periods (RPs) in neuronal cultures and observed that an average anisotropic absolute RP could exceed 10 ms and its tail is 20 ms, independent of a large stimulation frequency range. It is an order of magnitude longer than anticipated and comparable with the decaying membrane potential time scale. It is followed by a sharp rise-time (relative RP) of merely ∼1 md to complete responsiveness. Extracellular stimulations result in longer absolute RPs than solely intracellular ones, and a pair of extracellular stimulations from two different routes exhibits distinct absolute RPs, depending on their order. Our results indicate that a neuron is an accurate excitable element, where the diverse RPs cannot be attributed solely to the soma and imply fast mutual interactions between different stimulation routes and dendrites. Further elucidation of neuronal computational capabilities and their interplay with adaptation mechanisms is warranted.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shira Sardi
- Department of Physics, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat-Gan 52900, Israel
| | - Roni Vardi
- Gonda Interdisciplinary Brain Research Center and the Goodman Faculty of Life Sciences, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat-Gan 52900, Israel
| | - Yael Tugendhaft
- Department of Physics, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat-Gan 52900, Israel
| | - Anton Sheinin
- Sagol School of Neuroscience, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 69978, Israel
| | - Amir Goldental
- Department of Physics, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat-Gan 52900, Israel
| | - Ido Kanter
- Department of Physics, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat-Gan 52900, Israel.,Gonda Interdisciplinary Brain Research Center and the Goodman Faculty of Life Sciences, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat-Gan 52900, Israel
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2
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Nogueira J, Castelló ME, Lescano C, Caputi ÁA. Distinct neuron phenotypes may serve object feature sensing in the electrosensory lobe of Gymnotus omarorum. J Exp Biol 2021; 224:237807. [PMID: 33707195 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.242242] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2021] [Accepted: 03/01/2021] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Early sensory relay circuits in the vertebrate medulla often adopt a cerebellum-like organization specialized for comparing primary afferent inputs with central expectations. These circuits usually have a dual output, carried by center ON and center OFF neurons responding in opposite ways to the same stimulus at the center of their receptive fields. Here, we show in the electrosensory lateral line lobe of Gymnotiform weakly electric fish that basilar pyramidal neurons, representing 'ON' cells, and non-basilar pyramidal neurons, representing 'OFF' cells, have different intrinsic electrophysiological properties. We used classical anatomical techniques and electrophysiological in vitro recordings to compare these neurons. Basilar neurons are silent at rest, have a high threshold to intracellular stimulation, delayed responses to steady-state depolarization and low pass responsiveness to membrane voltage variations. They respond to low-intensity depolarizing stimuli with large, isolated spikes. As stimulus intensity increases, the spikes are followed by a depolarizing after-potential from which phase-locked spikes often arise. Non-basilar neurons show a pacemaker-like spiking activity, smoothly modulated in frequency by slow variations of stimulus intensity. Spike-frequency adaptation provides a memory of their recent firing, facilitating non-basilar response to stimulus transients. Considering anatomical and functional dimensions, we conclude that basilar and non-basilar pyramidal neurons are clear-cut, different anatomo-functional phenotypes. We propose that, in addition to their role in contrast processing, basilar pyramidal neurons encode sustained global stimuli such as those elicited by large or distant objects while non-basilar pyramidal neurons respond to transient stimuli due to movement of objects with a textured surface.
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Affiliation(s)
- Javier Nogueira
- Departamento Neurociencias Integrativas y Computacionales, Instituto de Investigaciones Biológicas Clemente Estable, Av. Italia 3318, Montevideo, Uruguay.,Departamento de Histología y Embriología, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de la República, Av. Gral Flores 2515, Montevideo, Uruguay
| | - María E Castelló
- Laboratorio Desarrollo y Evolución Neural, Instituto de Investigaciones Biológicas Clemente Estable, Av. Italia 3318, Montevideo, Uruguay
| | - Carolina Lescano
- Laboratorio Desarrollo y Evolución Neural, Instituto de Investigaciones Biológicas Clemente Estable, Av. Italia 3318, Montevideo, Uruguay
| | - Ángel A Caputi
- Departamento Neurociencias Integrativas y Computacionales, Instituto de Investigaciones Biológicas Clemente Estable, Av. Italia 3318, Montevideo, Uruguay
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3
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Banaie Boroujeni K, Tiesinga P, Womelsdorf T. Adaptive spike-artifact removal from local field potentials uncovers prominent beta and gamma band neuronal synchronization. J Neurosci Methods 2019; 330:108485. [PMID: 31705936 DOI: 10.1016/j.jneumeth.2019.108485] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2019] [Revised: 10/26/2019] [Accepted: 10/29/2019] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Many neurons synchronize their action potentials to the phase of local field potential (LFP) fluctuations in one or more frequency bands. Analyzing this spike-to-LFP synchronization is challenging, however, when neural spikes and LFP are generated in the same local circuit, because the spike's action potential waveform leak into the LFP and distort phase synchrony estimates. Existing approaches to address this spike bleed-through artifact relied on removing the average action potential waveforms of neurons, but this leaves artifacts in the LFP and distorts synchrony estimates. NEW METHOD We describe a spike-removal method that surpasses these limitations by decomposing individual action potentials into their frequency components before their removal from the LFP. The adaptively estimated frequency components allow for variable spread, strength and temporal variation of the spike artifact. RESULTS This adaptive approach effectively removes spike bleed-through artifacts in synthetic data with known ground truth, and in single neuron and LFP recordings in nonhuman primate striatum. For a large population of neurons with both narrow and broad action potential waveforms, the use of adaptive artifact removal uncovered 20-35 Hz beta and 35-45 Hz gamma band spike-LFP synchronization that would have remained contaminated otherwise. COMPARISON WITH EXISTING METHODS We demonstrate that adaptive spike-artifact removal cleans LFP data that remained contaminated when applying existing Bayesian and non-Bayesian methods of average spike-artifact removal. CONCLUSIONS Applying adaptive spike-removal from field potentials allows to estimate the phase at which neurons synchronize and the consistency of their phase-locked firing for both beta and low gamma frequencies. These metrics may prove essential to understand cell-to-circuit neuronal interactions in multiple brain systems.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Paul Tiesinga
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour Radboud University Nijmegen, 6525 EN Nijmegen, Netherlands
| | - Thilo Womelsdorf
- Department of Psychology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37240, United States; Department of Biology, Centre for Vision Research, York University, 4700 Keele Street, Toronto, Ontario M6J 1P3, Canada.
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4
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Motipally SI, Allen KM, Williamson DK, Marsat G. Differences in Sodium Channel Densities in the Apical Dendrites of Pyramidal Cells of the Electrosensory Lateral Line Lobe. Front Neural Circuits 2019; 13:41. [PMID: 31213991 PMCID: PMC6558084 DOI: 10.3389/fncir.2019.00041] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2019] [Accepted: 05/20/2019] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Heterogeneity of neural properties within a given neural class is ubiquitous in the nervous system and permits different sub-classes of neurons to specialize for specific purposes. This principle has been thoroughly investigated in the hindbrain of the weakly electric fish A. leptorhynchus in the primary electrosensory area, the Electrosensory Lateral Line lobe (ELL). The pyramidal cells (PCs) that receive inputs from tuberous electroreceptors are organized in three maps in distinct segments of the ELL. The properties of these cells vary greatly across maps due to differences in connectivity, receptor expression, and ion channel composition. These cells are a seminal example of bursting neurons and their bursting dynamic relies on the presence of voltage-gated Na+ channels in the extensive apical dendrites of the superficial PCs. Other ion channels can affect burst generation and their expression varies across ELL neurons and segments. For example, SK channels cause hyperpolarizing after-potentials decreasing the likelihood of bursting, yet bursting propensity is similar across segments. We question whether the depolarizing mechanism that generates the bursts presents quantitative differences across segments that could counterbalance other differences having the opposite effect. Although their presence and role are established, the distribution and density of the apical dendrites' Na+ channels have not been quantified and compared across ELL maps. Therefore, we test the hypothesis that Na+ channel density varies across segment by quantifying their distribution in the apical dendrites of immunolabeled ELL sections. We found the Na+ channels to be two-fold denser in the lateral segment (LS) than in the centro-medial segment (CMS), the centro-lateral segment (CLS) being intermediate. Our results imply that this differential expression of voltage-gated Na+ channels could counterbalance or interact with other aspects of neuronal physiology that vary across segments (e.g., SK channels). We argue that burst coding of sensory signals, and the way the network regulates bursting, should be influenced by these variations in Na+ channel density.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sree I Motipally
- Department of Biology, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, United States
| | - Kathryne M Allen
- Department of Biology, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, United States
| | - Daniel K Williamson
- Department of Biology, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, United States
| | - Gary Marsat
- Department of Biology, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, United States
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5
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Wang J, Liu S, Lu B, Zeng Y. The role of relative membrane capacitance and time delay in cerebellar Purkinje cells. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2018; 62:529-536. [PMID: 27987351 DOI: 10.1515/bmt-2015-0212] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2016] [Accepted: 11/15/2016] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
The membrane capacitance of a neuron can influence the synaptic efficacy and the speed of electrical signal propagation. Exploring the role of membrane capacitance will help facilitate a deeper understanding of the electrical properties of neurons. Thus, in this paper, we investigated the neuronal firing behaviors of a two-compartment model in Purkinje cells. We evaluated the influence of membrane capacitance under two different circumstances: in the absence of time delay and in the presence of time delay. Firstly, we separately studied the influence of somatic membrane capacitance Cs and dendritic membrane capacitance Cd on neuronal firing patterns. Through numerical simulation, we observed that they had two different types of period-adding scenarios, i.e. with and without chaotic bursting. Secondly, our results indicated that when the time delay was included in the model, periodic motions were more inclined to be destroyed, while at the same time, corresponding new chaotic motions were induced. These findings suggested that membrane capacitance and time delay play a pivotal functional role in modulating dynamical firing properties of neurons, especially aspects which lead to behaviors which result in changes to bursting patterns.
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6
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Watson BO, Ding M, Buzsáki G. Temporal coupling of field potentials and action potentials in the neocortex. Eur J Neurosci 2018; 48:2482-2497. [PMID: 29250852 PMCID: PMC6005737 DOI: 10.1111/ejn.13807] [Citation(s) in RCA: 85] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/14/2017] [Revised: 10/27/2017] [Accepted: 11/23/2017] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
The local field potential (LFP) is an aggregate measure of group neuronal activity and is often correlated with the action potentials of single neurons. In recent years, investigators have found that action potential firing rates increase during elevations in power high-frequency band oscillations (50-200 Hz range). However, action potentials also contribute to the LFP signal itself, making the spike-LFP relationship complex. Here, we examine the relationship between spike rates and LFP in varying frequency bands in rat neocortical recordings. We find that 50-180 Hz oscillations correlate most consistently with high firing rates, but that other LFP bands also carry information relating to spiking, including in some cases anti-correlations. Relatedly, we find that spiking itself and electromyographic activity contribute to LFP power in these bands. The relationship between spike rates and LFP power varies between brain states and between individual cells. Finally, we create an improved oscillation-based predictor of action potential activity by specifically utilizing information from across the entire recorded frequency spectrum of LFP. The findings illustrate both caveats and improvements to be taken into account in attempts to infer spiking activity from LFP.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brendon O. Watson
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Michigan, BSRB 109 Zina Pitcher Place, Ann Arbor, 48109 MI, USA
| | - Mingxin Ding
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Michigan, BSRB 109 Zina Pitcher Place, Ann Arbor, 48109 MI, USA
| | - György Buzsáki
- The Neuroscience Institute, School of Medicine, New York University, New York, NY, USA
- Center for Neural Science, School of Medicine, New York University, New York, NY, USA
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7
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Jaffe DB, Brenner R. A computational model for how the fast afterhyperpolarization paradoxically increases gain in regularly firing neurons. J Neurophysiol 2018; 119:1506-1520. [PMID: 29357445 DOI: 10.1152/jn.00385.2017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
The gain of a neuron, the number and frequency of action potentials triggered in response to a given amount of depolarizing injection, is an important behavior underlying a neuron's function. Variations in action potential waveform can influence neuronal discharges by the differential activation of voltage- and ion-gated channels long after the end of a spike. One component of the action potential waveform, the afterhyperpolarization (AHP), is generally considered an inhibitory mechanism for limiting firing rates. In dentate gyrus granule cells (DGCs) expressing fast-gated BK channels, large fast AHPs (fAHP) are paradoxically associated with increased gain. In this article, we describe a mechanism for this behavior using a computational model. Hyperpolarization provided by the fAHP enhances activation of a dendritic inward current (a T-type Ca2+ channel is suggested) that, in turn, boosts rebound depolarization at the soma. The model suggests that the fAHP may both reduce Ca2+ channel inactivation and, counterintuitively, enhance its activation. The magnitude of the rebound depolarization, in turn, determines the activation of a subsequent, slower inward current (a persistent Na+ current is suggested) limiting the interspike interval. Simulations also show that the effect of AHP on gain is also effective for physiologically relevant stimulation; varying AHP amplitude affects interspike interval across a range of "noisy" stimulus frequency and amplitudes. The mechanism proposed suggests that small fAHPs in DGCs may contribute to their limited excitability. NEW & NOTEWORTHY The afterhyperpolarization (AHP) is canonically viewed as a major factor underlying the refractory period, serving to limit neuronal firing rate. We recently reported that enhancing the amplitude of the fast AHP (fAHP) in a relatively slowly firing neuron (vs. fast spiking neurons) expressing fast-gated BK channels augments neuronal excitability. In this computational study, we present a novel, quantitative hypothesis for how varying the amplitude of the fAHP can, paradoxically, influence a subsequent spike tens of milliseconds later.
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Affiliation(s)
- David B Jaffe
- Department of Biology, UTSA Neurosciences Institute, University of Texas at San Antonio , San Antonio, Texas
| | - Robert Brenner
- Department of Cell and Integrative Physiology, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio , San Antonio, Texas
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8
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Metzen MG, Krahe R, Chacron MJ. Burst Firing in the Electrosensory System of Gymnotiform Weakly Electric Fish: Mechanisms and Functional Roles. Front Comput Neurosci 2016; 10:81. [PMID: 27531978 PMCID: PMC4969294 DOI: 10.3389/fncom.2016.00081] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2016] [Accepted: 07/20/2016] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Neurons across sensory systems and organisms often display complex patterns of action potentials in response to sensory input. One example of such a pattern is the tendency of neurons to fire packets of action potentials (i.e., a burst) followed by quiescence. While it is well known that multiple mechanisms can generate bursts of action potentials at both the single-neuron and the network level, the functional role of burst firing in sensory processing is not so well understood to date. Here we provide a comprehensive review of the known mechanisms and functions of burst firing in processing of electrosensory stimuli in gymnotiform weakly electric fish. We also present new evidence from existing data showing that bursts and isolated spikes provide distinct information about stimulus variance. It is likely that these functional roles will be generally applicable to other systems and species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael G Metzen
- Department of Physiology, McGill University Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Rüdiger Krahe
- Department of Biology, McGill University Montreal, QC, Canada
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9
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Sun J, Jacobs KM. Knockout of Cyclophilin-D Provides Partial Amelioration of Intrinsic and Synaptic Properties Altered by Mild Traumatic Brain Injury. Front Syst Neurosci 2016; 10:63. [PMID: 27489538 PMCID: PMC4951523 DOI: 10.3389/fnsys.2016.00063] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2016] [Accepted: 07/07/2016] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Mitochondria are central to cell survival and Ca2+ homeostasis due to their intracellular buffering capabilities. Mitochondrial dysfunction resulting in mitochondrial permeability transition pore (mPTP) opening has been reported after mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI). Cyclosporine A provides protection against the mPTP opening through its interaction with cyclophilin-D (CypD). A recent study has found that the extent of axonal injury after mTBI was diminished in neocortex in cyclophilin-D knockout (CypDKO) mice. Here we tested whether this CypDKO could also provide protection from the increased intrinsic and synaptic neuronal excitability previously described after mTBI in a mild central fluid percussion injury mice model. CypDKO mice were crossed with mice expressing yellow fluorescent protein (YFP) in layer V pyramidal neurons in neocortex to create CypDKO/YFP-H mice. Whole cell patch clamp recordings from axotomized (AX) and intact (IN) YFP+ layer V pyramidal neurons were made 1 and 2 days after sham or mTBI in slices from CypDKO/YFP-H mice. Both excitatory post synaptic currents (EPSCs) recorded in voltage clamp and intrinsic cellular properties, including action potential (AP), afterhyperpolarization (AHP), and depolarizing after potential (DAP) characteristics recorded in current clamp were evaluated. There was no significant difference between sham and mTBI for either spontaneous or miniature EPSC frequency, suggesting that CypDKO ameliorates excitatory synaptic abnormalities. There was a partial amelioration of intrinsic properties altered by mTBI. Alleviated were the increased slope of the AP frequency vs. injected current plot, the increased AP, AHP and DAP amplitudes. Other properties that saw a reversal that became significant in the opposite direction include the current rheobase and AP overshoot. The AP threshold remained depolarized and the input resistance remained increased in mTBI compared to sham. Additional altered properties suggest that the CypDKO likely has a direct effect on membrane properties, rather than producing a selective reduction of the effects of mTBI. These results suggest that inhibiting CypD after TBI is an effective strategy to reduce synaptic hyperexcitation, making it a continued target for potential treatment of network abnormalities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jianli Sun
- Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, Virginia Commonwealth University Richmond, VA, USA
| | - Kimberle M Jacobs
- Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, Virginia Commonwealth University Richmond, VA, USA
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10
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Clarke SE, Longtin A, Maler L. The neural dynamics of sensory focus. Nat Commun 2015; 6:8764. [PMID: 26549346 PMCID: PMC4659932 DOI: 10.1038/ncomms9764] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2015] [Accepted: 09/25/2015] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Coordinated sensory and motor system activity leads to efficient localization behaviours; but what neural dynamics enable object tracking and what are the underlying coding principles? Here we show that optimized distance estimation from motion-sensitive neurons underlies object tracking performance in weakly electric fish. First, a relationship is presented for determining the distance that maximizes the Fisher information of a neuron's response to object motion. When applied to our data, the theory correctly predicts the distance chosen by an electric fish engaged in a tracking behaviour, which is associated with a bifurcation between tonic and burst modes of spiking. Although object distance, size and velocity alter the neural response, the location of the Fisher information maximum remains invariant, demonstrating that the circuitry must actively adapt to maintain ‘focus' during relative motion. Animals tracking objects can adapt their movements to optimise sensory coding. Using fish that sense objects as perturbations to an electric field, Clarke et al. reveal that the optimal object distance maintained by the fish is encoded within the firing properties of electrosensory neurons.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephen E Clarke
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada K1N 8M5
| | - André Longtin
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada K1N 8M5.,Department of Physics, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada K1N 6N5.,Center for Neural Dynamics, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
| | - Leonard Maler
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada K1N 8M5.,Center for Neural Dynamics, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
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11
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Márquez BT, Krahe R, Chacron MJ. Neuromodulation of early electrosensory processing in gymnotiform weakly electric fish. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2014; 216:2442-50. [PMID: 23761469 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.082370] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Sensory neurons continually adapt their processing properties in response to changes in the sensory environment or the brain's internal state. Neuromodulators are thought to mediate such adaptation through a variety of receptors and their action has been implicated in processes such as attention, learning and memory, aggression, reproductive behaviour and state-dependent mechanisms. Here, we review recent work on neuromodulation of electrosensory processing by acetylcholine and serotonin in the weakly electric fish Apteronotus leptorhynchus. Specifically, our review focuses on how experimental application of these neuromodulators alters excitability and responses to sensory input of pyramidal cells within the hindbrain electrosensory lateral line lobe. We then discuss current hypotheses on the functional roles of these two neuromodulatory pathways in regulating electrosensory processing at the organismal level and the need for identifying the natural behavioural conditions that activate these pathways.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brenda Toscano Márquez
- Department of Biology, McGill University, 1205 Docteur Penfield, Montreal, QC, Canada, H3A 1B1
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12
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Abstract
We studied the effects of increased sodium conductance on firing rate and gain in two populations of conductance-based, single-compartment model neurons. The first population consisted of 1000 model neurons with differing values of seven voltage-dependent conductances. In many of these models, increasing the sodium conductance threefold unexpectedly reduced the firing rate and divisively scaled the gain at high input current. In the second population, consisting of 1000 simplified model neurons, we found that enhanced sodium conductance changed the frequency-current (FI) curve in two computationally distinct ways, depending on the firing rate. In these models, increased sodium conductance produced a subtractive shift in the FI curve at low firing rates because the additional sodium conductance allowed the neuron to respond more strongly to equivalent input current. In contrast, at high input current, the increase in sodium conductance resulted in a divisive change in the gain because the increased conductance produced a proportionally larger activation of the delayed rectifier potassium conductance. The control and sodium-enhanced FI curves intersect at a point that delimits two regions in which the same biophysical manipulation produces two fundamentally different changes to the model neuron's computational properties. This suggests a potentially difficult problem for homeostatic regulation of intrinsic excitability.
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13
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Engbers JDT, Fernandez FR, Turner RW. Bistability in Purkinje neurons: ups and downs in cerebellar research. Neural Netw 2012; 47:18-31. [PMID: 23041207 DOI: 10.1016/j.neunet.2012.09.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2012] [Revised: 09/07/2012] [Accepted: 09/08/2012] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
Abstract
The output of cerebellar Purkinje cells has been characterized extensively and theories regarding the role of simple spike (SS) and complex spike (CS) patterns have evolved through many different studies. A bistable pattern of SS output can be observed in vitro; however, differing views exist regarding the occurrence of bistable SS output in vivo. Bistability in Purkinje cell output is characterized by abrupt transitions between tonic firing and quiescence, usually evoked by synaptic inputs to the neuron. This is in contrast to the trimodal pattern of activity which has been found in vitro and in vivo when climbing fiber input to Purkinje cells is removed. The mechanisms underlying bistable membrane properties in Purkinje cells have been determined through in vitro studies and computational analysis. In vitro studies have further established that Purkinje cells possess the ability to toggle between firing states, but in vivo studies in both awake and anesthetized animals have found conflicting results as to the presence of toggling in the intact circuit. Here, we provide an overview of the current state of research on bistability, examining the mechanisms underlying bistability and current findings from in vivo studies. We also suggest possible reasons for discrepancies between in vivo studies and propose future studies which would aid in clarifying the role of bistability in the cerebellar circuit.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jordan D T Engbers
- Hotchkiss Brain Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada T2N 4N1
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14
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Efficient computation via sparse coding in electrosensory neural networks. Curr Opin Neurobiol 2011; 21:752-60. [PMID: 21683574 DOI: 10.1016/j.conb.2011.05.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 76] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2011] [Revised: 05/17/2011] [Accepted: 05/20/2011] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
The electric sense combines spatial aspects of vision and touch with temporal features of audition. Its accessible neural architecture shares similarities with mammalian sensory systems and allows for recordings from successive brain areas to test hypotheses about neural coding. Further, electrosensory stimuli encountered during prey capture, navigation, and communication, can be readily synthesized in the laboratory. These features enable analyses of the neural circuitry that reveal general principles of encoding and decoding, such as segregation of information into separate streams and neural response sparsification. A systems level understanding arises via linkage between cellular differentiation and network architecture, revealed by in vitro and in vivo analyses, while computational modeling reveals how single cell dynamics and connectivity shape the sparsification process.
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15
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Routing the flow of sensory signals using plastic responses to bursts and isolated spikes: experiment and theory. J Neurosci 2011; 31:2461-73. [PMID: 21325513 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.4672-10.2011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Processing complex sensory environments efficiently requires a diverse array of neural coding strategies. Neural codes relying on specific temporal patterning of action potentials may offer advantages over using solely spike rate codes. In particular, stimulus-dependent burst firing may carry additional information that isolated spikes do not. We use the well characterized electrosensory system of weakly electric fish to address how stimulus-dependent burst firing can determine the flow of information in feedforward neural circuits with different forms of short-term synaptic plasticity. Pyramidal cells in the electrosensory lateral line lobe burst in response to low-frequency, local (prey) signals. We show that the ability of pyramidal cells to code for local signals in the presence of additional high-frequency, global (communication) stimuli is uncompromised, while burst firing is reduced. We developed a bursting neuron model to understand how these effects, in particular noise-induced burst suppression, arise from interplay between incoming sensory signals and intrinsic neuronal dynamics. Finally, we examined how postsynaptic target populations preferentially respond to one of the two sensory mixtures (local vs local plus global) depending on whether the populations are in receipt of facilitating or depressing synapses. This form of feedforward neural architecture may allow for efficient information flow in the same neural pathway via either isolated or burst spikes, where the mechanisms by which stimuli are encoded are adaptable and sensitive to a diverse array of stimulus and contextual mixtures.
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16
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Avila-Akerberg O, Krahe R, Chacron MJ. Neural heterogeneities and stimulus properties affect burst coding in vivo. Neuroscience 2010; 168:300-13. [PMID: 20298764 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2010.03.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2009] [Revised: 03/03/2010] [Accepted: 03/07/2010] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Many neurons tend to fire clusters of action potentials called bursts followed by quiescence in response to sensory input. While the mechanisms that underlie burst firing are generally well understood in vitro, the functional role of these bursts in generating behavioral responses to sensory input in vivo are less clear. Pyramidal cells within the electrosensory lateral line lobe (ELL) of weakly electric fish offer an attractive model system for studying the coding properties of burst firing, because the anatomy and physiology of the electrosensory circuitry are well understood, and the burst mechanism of ELL pyramidal cells has been thoroughly characterized in vitro. We investigated the coding properties of bursts generated by these cells in vivo in response to mimics of behaviorally relevant sensory input. We found that heterogeneities within the pyramidal cell population had quantitative but not qualitative effects on burst coding for the low frequency components of broadband time varying input. Moreover, spatially localized stimuli mimicking, for example, prey tended to elicit more bursts than spatially global stimuli mimicking conspecific-related stimuli. We also found small but significant correlations between burst attributes such as the number of spikes per burst or the interspike interval during the burst and stimulus attributes such as stimulus amplitude or slope. These correlations were much weaker in magnitude than those observed in vitro. More surprisingly, our results show that correlations between burst and stimulus attributes actually decreased in magnitude when we used low frequency stimuli that are expected to promote burst firing. We propose that this discrepancy is attributable to differences between ELL pyramidal cell burst firing under in vivo and in vitro conditions.
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Molineux ML, Mehaffey WH, Tadayonnejad R, Anderson D, Tennent AF, Turner RW. Ionic Factors Governing Rebound Burst Phenotype in Rat Deep Cerebellar Neurons. J Neurophysiol 2008; 100:2684-701. [DOI: 10.1152/jn.90427.2008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Large diameter cells in rat deep cerebellar nuclei (DCN) can be distinguished according to the generation of a transient or weak rebound burst and the expression of T-type Ca2+ channel isoforms. We studied the ionic basis for the distinction in burst phenotypes in rat DCN cells in vitro. Following a hyperpolarization, transient burst cells generated a high-frequency spike burst of ≤450 Hz, whereas weak burst cells generated a lower-frequency increase (<140 Hz). Both cell types expressed a low voltage–activated (LVA) Ca2+ current near threshold for rebound burst discharge (−50 mV) that was consistent with T-type Ca2+ current, but on average 7 times more current was recorded in transient burst cells. The number and frequency of spikes in rebound bursts was tightly correlated with the peak Ca2+ current at −50 mV, showing a direct relationship between the availability of LVA Ca2+ current and spike output. Transient burst cells exhibited a larger spike depolarizing afterpotential that was insensitive to blockers of voltage-gated Na+ or Ca2+ channels. In comparison, weak burst cells exhibited larger afterhyperpolarizations (AHPs) that reduced cell excitability and rebound spike output. The sensitivity of AHPs to Ca2+ channel blockers suggests that both LVA and high voltage–activated (HVA) Ca2+ channels trigger AHPs in weak burst compared with only HVA Ca2+ channels in transient burst cells. The two burst phenotypes in rat DCN cells thus derive in part from a difference in the availability of LVA Ca2+ current following a hyperpolarization and a differential activation of AHPs that establish distinct levels of membrane excitability.
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Mehaffey WH, Fernandez FR, Doiron B, Turner RW. Regulation of somatic firing dynamics by backpropagating dendritic spikes. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2008; 102:181-94. [PMID: 18984047 DOI: 10.1016/j.jphysparis.2008.10.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
Pyramidal cells of the apteronotid ELL have been shown to display a characteristic mechanism of burst discharge, which has been shown to play an important role in sensory coding. This form of bursting depends on a reciprocal dendro-somatic interaction, in which discharge of a somatic spike causes a dendritic spike, which in turn contributes a dendro-somatic current flow to create a depolarizing afterpotential (DAP) in the soma. We review here our recent work showing how the timing of this DAP influences the somatic firing dynamics, and how the degree of inactivation of dendritic Na(+) currents can cause an increased delay between somatic and dendritic spikes. This ultimately allows the DAP to become more effective at increasing the excitability of the somatic spike generating mechanism. Further, this delay between dendritic and somatic spiking can be regulated by strongly hyperpolarizing GABA(B) mediated dendritic inhibition, allowing the burst dynamics to fall under synaptic regulation. In contrast, a weaker, shunting inhibition due to GABA(A) mediated dendritic inhibition can regulate the dendritic spike waveform to decrease the dendro-somatic current flow and the resulting DAP. We therefore show that the qualitative behaviour of an individual cell can depend on the degree of synaptic input, and the exact timing of events across the spatial extent of the neuron. Thus, our results serve to illustrate the complex dynamics that can be observed in cells with significant dendritic arborisation, a nearly ubiquitous adaptation amongst principal neurons.
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Affiliation(s)
- W Hamish Mehaffey
- Hotchkiss Brain Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
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19
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Engelmann J, van den Burg E, Bacelo J, de Ruijters M, Kuwana S, Sugawara Y, Grant K. Dendritic backpropagation and synaptic plasticity in the mormyrid electrosensory lobe. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2008; 102:233-45. [PMID: 18992811 DOI: 10.1016/j.jphysparis.2008.10.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
This study is concerned with the origin of backpropagating action potentials in GABAergic, medium ganglionic layer neurones (MG-cells) of the mormyrid electrosensory lobe (ELL). The characteristically broad action potentials of these neurones are required for the expression of spike timing dependent plasticity (STDP) at afferent parallel fibre synapses. It has been suggested that this involves active conductances in MG-cell apical dendrites, which constitute a major component of the ELL molecular layer. Immunohistochemistry showed dense labelling of voltage gated sodium channels (VGSC) throughout the molecular layer, as well as in the ganglionic layer containing MG somata, and in the plexiform and upper granule cell layers of ELL. Potassium channel labelling was sparse, being most abundant in the deep fibre layer and the nucleus of the electrosensory lobe. Intracellular recordings from MG-cells in vitro, made in conjunction with voltage sensitive dye measurements, confirmed that dendritic backpropagation is active over at least the inner half of the molecular layer. Focal TTX applications demonstrated that in most case the origin of the backpropagating action potentials is in the proximal dendrites, whereas the small narrow spikes also seen in these neurones most likely originate in the axon. It had been speculated that the slow time course of membrane repolarisation following the broad action potentials was due to a poor expression of potassium channels in the dendritic compartments, or to their voltage- or calcium-sensitive inactivation. However application of TEA and 4AP confirmed that both A-type and delayed rectifying potassium channels normally contribute to membrane repolarisation following dendritic and axonal spikes. An alternative explanation for the shape of MG action potentials is that they represent the summation of active events occurring more or less synchronously in distal dendrites. Coincidence of backpropagating action potentials with parallel fibre input produces a strong local depolarisation that could be sufficient to cause local secretion of GABA, which might then cause plastic change through an action on presynaptic GABA(B) receptors. However, STP depression remained robust in the presence of GABAB receptor antagonists.
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Affiliation(s)
- J Engelmann
- Unité de Neurosciences Intégratives et Computationnelles, CNRS, Gif sur Yvette, France.
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20
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Eger EI, Raines DE, Shafer SL, Hemmings HC, Sonner JM. Is a new paradigm needed to explain how inhaled anesthetics produce immobility? Anesth Analg 2008; 107:832-48. [PMID: 18713892 DOI: 10.1213/ane.0b013e318182aedb] [Citation(s) in RCA: 70] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
A paradox arises from present information concerning the mechanism(s) by which inhaled anesthetics produce immobility in the face of noxious stimulation. Several findings, such as additivity, suggest a common site at which inhaled anesthetics act to produce immobility. However, two decades of focused investigation have not identified a ligand- or voltage-gated channel that alone is sufficient to mediate immobility. Indeed, most putative targets provide minimal or no mediation. For example, opioid, 5-HT3, gamma-aminobutyric acid type A and glutamate receptors, and potassium and calcium channels appear to be irrelevant or play only minor roles. Furthermore, no combination of actions on ligand- or voltage-gated channels seems sufficient. A few plausible targets (e.g., sodium channels) merit further study, but there remains the possibility that immobilization results from a nonspecific mechanism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Edmond I Eger
- Department of Anesthesia and Perioperative Care, University of California, San Francisco, California 94143-0464, USA.
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21
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Mehaffey WH, Ellis LD, Krahe R, Dunn RJ, Chacron MJ. Ionic and neuromodulatory regulation of burst discharge controls frequency tuning. JOURNAL OF PHYSIOLOGY, PARIS 2008; 102:195-208. [PMID: 18992813 PMCID: PMC4529324 DOI: 10.1016/j.jphysparis.2008.10.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
Sensory neurons encode natural stimuli by changes in firing rate or by generating specific firing patterns, such as bursts. Many neural computations rely on the fact that neurons can be tuned to specific stimulus frequencies. It is thus important to understand the mechanisms underlying frequency tuning. In the electrosensory system of the weakly electric fish, Apteronotus leptorhynchus, the primary processing of behaviourally relevant sensory signals occurs in pyramidal neurons of the electrosensory lateral line lobe (ELL). These cells encode low frequency prey stimuli with bursts of spikes and high frequency communication signals with single spikes. We describe here how bursting in pyramidal neurons can be regulated by intrinsic conductances in a cell subtype specific fashion across the sensory maps found within the ELL, thereby regulating their frequency tuning. Further, the neuromodulatory regulation of such conductances within individual cells and the consequences to frequency tuning are highlighted. Such alterations in the tuning of the pyramidal neurons may allow weakly electric fish to preferentially select for certain stimuli under various behaviourally relevant circumstances.
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Affiliation(s)
- W. Hamish Mehaffey
- Hotchkiss Brain Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada T2N 4N1
| | - Lee D. Ellis
- Center for Research in Neuroscience, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada H3G 1A4
| | - Rüdiger Krahe
- Department of Biology, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada H3A 1B1
| | - Robert J. Dunn
- Center for Research in Neuroscience, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada H3G 1A4
| | - Maurice J. Chacron
- Department of Physiology and Physics, Center for Non-linear Dynamics, McGill University, McIntyre Medical Sciences Building, 3655 Promenade Sir William Osler, Montréal, Québec, Canada H3G 1Y6
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22
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Mehaffey WH, Maler L, Turner RW. Intrinsic frequency tuning in ELL pyramidal cells varies across electrosensory maps. J Neurophysiol 2008; 99:2641-55. [PMID: 18367702 DOI: 10.1152/jn.00028.2008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
The tuning of neuronal responsiveness to specific stimulus frequencies is an important computation across many sensory modalities. The weakly electric fish Apteronotus leptorhynchus detects amplitude modulations of a self-generated quasi-sinusoidal electric organ discharge to sense its environment. These fish have to parse a complicated electrosensory environment with a wide range of possible frequency content. One solution has been to create multiple representations of the sensory input across distinct maps in the electrosensory lateral line lobe (ELL) that participate in distinct behavioral functions. E- and I-type pyramidal cells in the ELL that process sensory input further exhibit a preferred range of stimulus frequencies in relation to the different behaviors and sensory maps. We tested the hypothesis that variations in the intrinsic spiking mechanism of E- and I-type pyramidal cells contribute to map-specific frequency tuning. We find that E-cells exhibit a systematic change in their intrinsic spike characteristics and frequency tuning across sensory maps, whereas I-cells are constant in both spike characteristics and frequency tuning. As frequency tuning becomes more high-pass in E-cells, the refractory variables of spike half-width and afterhyperpolarization magnitude increase, spike threshold increases, adaptation becomes faster, and the gain of the spiking response decreases. These findings indicate that frequency tuning across sensory maps in the ELL is supported by differences in the intrinsic spike characteristics of pyramidal cells, revealing a link between cellular biophysical properties and signal processing in sensory maps with defined behavioral roles.
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Affiliation(s)
- W Hamish Mehaffey
- Hotchkiss Brain Institute, University of Calgary, 3330 Hospital Drive NW, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
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23
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Weaver CM, Wearne SL. Neuronal firing sensitivity to morphologic and active membrane parameters. PLoS Comput Biol 2007; 4:e11. [PMID: 18208320 PMCID: PMC2211531 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.0040011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 67] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2007] [Accepted: 12/06/2007] [Indexed: 02/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Both the excitability of a neuron's membrane, driven by active ion channels, and dendritic morphology contribute to neuronal firing dynamics, but the relative importance and interactions between these features remain poorly understood. Recent modeling studies have shown that different combinations of active conductances can evoke similar firing patterns, but have neglected how morphology might contribute to homeostasis. Parameterizing the morphology of a cylindrical dendrite, we introduce a novel application of mathematical sensitivity analysis that quantifies how dendritic length, diameter, and surface area influence neuronal firing, and compares these effects directly against those of active parameters. The method was applied to a model of neurons from goldfish Area II. These neurons exhibit, and likely contribute to, persistent activity in eye velocity storage, a simple model of working memory. We introduce sensitivity landscapes, defined by local sensitivity analyses of firing rate and gain to each parameter, performed globally across the parameter space. Principal directions over which sensitivity to all parameters varied most revealed intrinsic currents that most controlled model output. We found domains where different groups of parameters had the highest sensitivities, suggesting that interactions within each group shaped firing behaviors within each specific domain. Application of our method, and its characterization of which models were sensitive to general morphologic features, will lead to advances in understanding how realistic morphology participates in functional homeostasis. Significantly, we can predict which active conductances, and how many of them, will compensate for a given age- or development-related structural change, or will offset a morphologic perturbation resulting from trauma or neurodegenerative disorder, to restore normal function. Our method can be adapted to analyze any computational model. Thus, sensitivity landscapes, and the quantitative predictions they provide, can give new insight into mechanisms of homeostasis in any biological system. Homeostasis is a process that allows a system to maintain a certain level of output over a long time, even though the inputs controlling the output are changing. Recently, studies of neurons and neuronal networks have shown that the “active” parameters that describe the movement of ions across the cell membrane contribute to homeostasis, since these parameters can be combined in different ways to maintain a specific output. There is also evidence that the physical shape (“morphology”) of the neuron may play a role in homeostasis, but this possibility has not been explored in computational models. We have developed a method that uses sensitivity analysis to evaluate how different kinds of parameters, like active and morphologic ones, affect model output. Across a multi-dimensional parameter space, we identified both local and global trends in parameter sensitivities that indicate regions where different parameters, even morphologic ones, contribute strongly to homeostasis. Significantly, the authors used sensitivities to predict which parameters should change, and by how much, to compensate for changes in another parameter to restore normal function. These predictions may prove important to neuronal aging, disease, and trauma research, but the method can be used to analyze any computational model.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christina M Weaver
- Laboratory of Biomathematics, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, New York, United States of America
- Computational Neurobiology and Imaging Center, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, New York, United States of America
- Department of Neuroscience, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, New York, United States of America
- * To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: (CMW), (SLW)
| | - Susan L Wearne
- Laboratory of Biomathematics, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, New York, United States of America
- Computational Neurobiology and Imaging Center, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, New York, United States of America
- Department of Neuroscience, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, New York, United States of America
- * To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: (CMW), (SLW)
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24
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Chacron MJ, Lindner B, Longtin A. Threshold fatigue and information transfer. J Comput Neurosci 2007; 23:301-11. [PMID: 17436067 PMCID: PMC5053818 DOI: 10.1007/s10827-007-0033-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2006] [Revised: 03/08/2007] [Accepted: 03/13/2007] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Abstract
Neurons in vivo must process sensory information in the presence of significant noise. It is thus plausible to assume that neural systems have developed mechanisms to reduce this noise. Theoretical studies have shown that threshold fatigue (i.e. cumulative increases in the threshold during repetitive firing) could lead to noise reduction at certain frequencies bands and thus improved signal transmission as well as noise increases and decreased signal transmission at other frequencies: a phenomenon called noise shaping. There is, however, no experimental evidence that threshold fatigue actually occurs and, if so, that it will actually lead to noise shaping. We analyzed action potential threshold variability in intracellular recordings in vivo from pyramidal neurons in weakly electric fish and found experimental evidence for threshold fatigue: an increase in instantaneous firing rate was on average accompanied by an increase in action potential threshold. We show that, with a minor modification, the standard Hodgkin-Huxley model can reproduce this phenomenon. We next compared the performance of models with and without threshold fatigue. Our results show that threshold fatigue will lead to a more regular spike train as well as robustness to intrinsic noise via noise shaping. We finally show that the increased/reduced noise levels due to threshold fatigue correspond to decreased/increased information transmission at different frequencies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maurice J Chacron
- Department of Physiology, Center for Nonlinear Dynamics, McGill University, Montreal, H3G-1Y6, Canada.
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25
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Pan CY, Wu AZ, Chen YT. Lysophospholipids regulate excitability and exocytosis in cultured bovine chromaffin cells. J Neurochem 2007; 102:944-56. [PMID: 17630986 DOI: 10.1111/j.1471-4159.2007.04584.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Bioactive lysophospholipids (LPLs) are released by blood cells and can modulate many cellular activities such as angiogenesis and cell survival. In this study, the effects of sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P) and lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) on excitability and exocytosis in bovine chromaffin cells were investigated using the whole-cell configuration of the patch-clamp. Voltage-gated Ca(2+) current was inhibited by S1P and LPA pre-treatment in a concentration-dependent manner with IC(50)s of 0.46 and 0.79 mumol/L, respectively. Inhibition was mostly reversible upon washout and prevented by suramin, an inhibitor of G-protein signaling. Na(+) current was inhibited by S1P, but not by LPA. However, recovery of Na(+) channels from inactivation was slowed by both LPLs. The outward K(+) current was also significantly reduced by both LPLs. Chromaffin cells fired repetitive action potentials in response to minimal injections of depolarizing current. Repetitive activity was dramatically reduced by LPLs. Consistent with the reduction in Ca(2+) current, exocytosis elicited by a train of depolarizations and the ensuing endocytosis were both inhibited by LPL pre-treatments. These data demonstrate the interaction between immune and endocrine systems mediated by the inhibitory effects of LPLs on the excitability of adrenal chromaffin cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chien-Yuan Pan
- Institute of Zoology, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan.
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26
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Ellis LD, Mehaffey WH, Harvey-Girard E, Turner RW, Maler L, Dunn RJ. SK channels provide a novel mechanism for the control of frequency tuning in electrosensory neurons. J Neurosci 2007; 27:9491-502. [PMID: 17728462 PMCID: PMC6673139 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.1106-07.2007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 55] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
One important characteristic of sensory input is frequency, with sensory neurons often tuned to narrow stimulus frequency ranges. Although vital for many neural computations, the cellular basis of such frequency tuning remains mostly unknown. In the electrosensory system of Apteronotus leptorhynchus, the primary processing of important environmental and communication signals occurs in pyramidal neurons of the electrosensory lateral line lobe. Spike trains transmitted by these cells can encode low-frequency prey stimuli with bursts of spikes and high-frequency communication signals with single spikes. Here, we demonstrate that the selective expression of SK2 channels in a subset of pyramidal neurons reduces their response to low-frequency stimuli by opposing their burst responses. Apamin block of the SK2 current in this subset of cells induced bursting and increased their response to low-frequency inputs. SK channel expression thus provides an intrinsic mechanism that predisposes a neuron to respond to higher frequencies and thus specific, behaviorally relevant stimuli.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lee D. Ellis
- Center for Research in Neuroscience and Departments of Biology and Neurology, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada H3G 1A4
| | - W. Hamish Mehaffey
- Hotchkiss Brain Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada T2N 4N1, and
| | - Erik Harvey-Girard
- Department of Cell and Molecular Medicine and Center for Neural Dynamics, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada K1H 8M5
| | - Ray W. Turner
- Hotchkiss Brain Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada T2N 4N1, and
| | - Leonard Maler
- Department of Cell and Molecular Medicine and Center for Neural Dynamics, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada K1H 8M5
| | - Robert J. Dunn
- Center for Research in Neuroscience and Departments of Biology and Neurology, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada H3G 1A4
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27
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Abstract
The rich temporal structure of neural spike trains provides multiple dimensions to code dynamic stimuli. Popular examples are spike trains from sensory cells where bursts and isolated spikes can serve distinct coding roles. In contrast to analyses of neural coding, the cellular mechanics of burst mechanisms are typically elucidated from the neural response to static input. Bridging the mechanics of bursting with coding of dynamic stimuli is an important step in establishing theories of neural coding. Electrosensory lateral line lobe (ELL) pyramidal neurons respond to static inputs with a complex dendrite-dependent burst mechanism. Here we show that in response to dynamic broadband stimuli, these bursts lack some of the electrophysiological characteristics observed in response to static inputs. A simple leaky integrate-and-fire (LIF)-style model with a dendrite-dependent depolarizing afterpotential (DAP) is sufficient to match both the output statistics and coding performance of experimental spike trains. We use this model to investigate a simplification of interval coding where the burst interspike interval (ISI) codes for the scale of a canonical upstroke rather than a multidimensional stimulus feature. Using this stimulus reduction, we compute a quantization of the burst ISIs and the upstroke scale to show that the mutual information rate of the interval code is maximized at a moderate DAP amplitude. The combination of a reduced description of ELL pyramidal cell bursting and a simplification of the interval code increases the generality of ELL burst codes to other sensory modalities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brent Doiron
- Center for Neural Science, New York University, 4 Washington Pl., New York, NY 10003, USA.
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28
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Ellis LD, Krahe R, Bourque CW, Dunn RJ, Chacron MJ. Muscarinic receptors control frequency tuning through the downregulation of an A-type potassium current. J Neurophysiol 2007; 98:1526-37. [PMID: 17615127 PMCID: PMC5053812 DOI: 10.1152/jn.00564.2007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
The functional role of cholinergic input in the modulation of sensory responses was studied using a combination of in vivo and in vitro electrophysiology supplemented by mathematical modeling. The electrosensory system of weakly electric fish recognizes different environmental stimuli by their unique alteration of a self-generated electric field. Variations in the patterns of stimuli are primarily distinguished based on their frequency. Pyramidal neurons in the electrosensory lateral line lobe (ELL) are often tuned to respond to specific input frequencies. Alterations in the tuning of the pyramidal neurons may allow weakly electric fish to preferentially select for certain stimuli. Here we show that muscarinic receptor activation in vivo enhances the excitability, burst firing, and subsequently the response of pyramidal cells to naturalistic sensory input. Through a combination of in vitro electrophysiology and mathematical modeling, we reveal that this enhanced excitability and bursting likely results from the down-regulation of an A-type potassium current. Further, we provide an explanation of the mechanism by which these currents can mediate frequency tuning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lee D Ellis
- Center for Research in Neuroscience, McGill University, Montreal, Canada
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29
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Mehaffey WH, Fernandez FR, Maler L, Turner RW. Regulation of burst dynamics improves differential encoding of stimulus frequency by spike train segregation. J Neurophysiol 2007; 98:939-51. [PMID: 17581845 DOI: 10.1152/jn.00423.2007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Distinguishing between different signals conveyed in a single sensory modality presents a significant problem for sensory processing. The weakly electric fish Apteronotus leptorhynchus use electrosensory information to encode both low-frequency signals associated with environmental and prey signals and high-frequency communication signals between conspecifics. We identify a mechanism whereby the GABA(B) component of a feedback pathway to the electrosensory lobe is recruited to regulate the intrinsic burst dynamics and coding properties of pyramidal cells for these behaviorally relevant input signals. Through recordings in an in vitro slice preparation and a reduced model of pyramidal cells, we show that recruitment of dendritic GABA(B) currents can shift the timing of a backpropagating spike and its influence on an intrinsic burst mechanism. This regulation of burst firing alters the coding properties of pyramidal cells by improving the correlation of burst and tonic spikes with respect to low- or high-frequency components of complex stimuli. GABA(B) modulation of spike backpropagation thus improves the segregation of burst and tonic spikes evoked by simulated sensory input, allowing pyramidal cells to parcel the spike train into coding streams for the low- and high-frequency components. As the feedback pathway is predicted to be activated in circumstances where environmental and communication stimuli coexist, these data reveal a novel means by which inhibitory input can regulate spike backpropagation to improve signal segregation.
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Affiliation(s)
- W Hamish Mehaffey
- Hotchkiss Brain Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
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30
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Abstract
Knowledge of intrinsic neuronal firing dynamics is a critical first step to establishing an accurate biophysical model of any neuron. In this study we examined cerebellar Purkinje cells to determine the bifurcations likely to underlie firing dynamics within a biophysically realistic and experimentally supported model. We show that Purkinje cell dynamics are consistent with a system undergoing a saddle-node bifurcation of fixed points in the transition from rest to firing and a saddle homoclinic bifurcation from firing to rest. Our analyses account for numerous observed Purkinje cell firing properties that include bistability, plateau potentials, specific aspects of the frequency-current (F-I) relationship, first spike latency, and the ability for climbing fiber input to induce state transitions in the bistable regime. We also experimentally confirm new properties predicted from our model and analysis that include the presence of a depolarizing afterpotential (DAP), the ability to fire at low frequencies (<50 Hz) and with a high gain in the F-I relationship, and a bistable region limited to low-frequency firing. Purkinje cell dynamics, including bistability, prove to arise from numerous biophysical factors that include the DAP, fast refractory dynamics, and a long membrane time constant. A hyperpolarizing activated cation current (I(H)) is shown not to be directly involved in establishing bistable dynamics but rather reduces the range for bistability. A combined electrophysiological and modeling approach thus accounts for several properties of Purkinje cells, providing a firm basis from which to assess Purkinje cell output patterns.
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31
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Abstract
The electrosensory system is used for both spatial navigation tasks and communication. An electric organ generates a sinusoidal electric field and cutaneous electroreceptors respond to this field. Objects such as prey or rocks cause a local low-frequency modulation of the electric field; this cue is used by electric fish for navigation and prey capture. The interference of the electric fields of conspecifics produces beats, often with high frequencies, that are also sensed by the electroreceptors; furthermore, these electric fish can transiently modulate their electric discharge as a communication signal. Thus these fish must therefore detect a variety of low-intensity signals that differ greatly in their spatial extent, frequency, and duration. Behavioral studies suggest that they are highly adapted to these tasks. Experimental and theoretical analyses of the neural circuitry for the electrosense has demonstrated many commonalities with the more common senses, e.g., topographic mapping and receptive fields with On or Off centers and surround inhibition. The integration of computational and experimental analyses has demonstrated novel mechanisms that appear to optimize weak signal detection in the electrosense including: noise shaping by correlations within single spike trains, induction of oscillations by delayed feedback inhibition, the requirement for maps with differing receptive field sizes tuned for different stimulus parameters, and the role of non-plastic feedback for adaptive cancellation of redundant signals. It is likely that these mechanisms will also be operative in other sensory systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leonard Maler
- Department of Cell and Molecular Medicine and Center for Neural Dynamics, University of Ottawa, 451 Smyth Rd, Ottawa, ON K1H 8M5, Canada.
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Chu Z, Moenter SM. Physiologic regulation of a tetrodotoxin-sensitive sodium influx that mediates a slow afterdepolarization potential in gonadotropin-releasing hormone neurons: possible implications for the central regulation of fertility. J Neurosci 2006; 26:11961-73. [PMID: 17108170 PMCID: PMC6674881 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.3171-06.2006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 55] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
The brain controls fertility through release of gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH), but the mechanisms underlying action potential patterning and GnRH release are not understood. We investigated whether GnRH neurons exhibit afterdepolarizing potentials (ADPs) and whether these are modified by reproductive state. Whole-cell current-clamp recordings of GnRH neurons in brain slices from ovariectomized mice revealed a slow ADP (sADP) after action potentials generated by brief current injection. Generating two or four spikes enhanced sADP amplitude and duration. sADP amplitude was not affected by blocking selected neurotransmitter/neuromodulator receptors, delayed-rectifier potassium channels, calcium-dependent cation channels, or hyperpolarization-activated cation channels but was halved by the calcium channel blocker cadmium and abolished by tetrodotoxin. Cadmium also reduced peak latency. Intrinsic mechanisms underlying the sADP were investigated using voltage-clamp protocols simulating action potential waveforms. A single action potential produced an inward current, which increased after double and quadruple stimulation. Cadmium did not affect current amplitude but reduced peak latency. Pretreatment with blockers of calcium-activated potassium currents (I(KCa)) reproduced this shift and blocked subsequent cadmium-induced changes, suggesting cadmium changes latency indirectly by blocking I(KCa). Tetrodotoxin abolished the inward current, suggesting that it is carried by sodium. In contrast, I(KCa) blockers increased the inward current, indicating that I(KCa) may oppose generation of the sADP. Strong sADPs were suprathreshold, generating repetitive spontaneous firing. I(ADP), sADP, and excitability were enhanced by in vivo estradiol, which triggers a preovulatory surge of GnRH release. Physiological feedback modification of this inward current and resulting sADP may modulate action potential firing and subsequent GnRH release.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Suzanne M. Moenter
- Departments of Medicine and
- Cell Biology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia 22908
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Fortune ES. The decoding of electrosensory systems. Curr Opin Neurobiol 2006; 16:474-80. [PMID: 16837187 DOI: 10.1016/j.conb.2006.06.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/02/2006] [Accepted: 06/29/2006] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
Abstract
Progress in the study of electrosensory systems has been facilitated by the systematic use of behavior as a tool to probe the nervous system. Indeed, a specific behavior that is found in a subset of weakly electric fishes, the jamming avoidance response, was used to identify and characterize an entire suite of brain circuits, from sensory receptors to motor units, that are involved in control of this behavior. Recent progress has focused on a re-analysis of this circuit in relation to newly described electrosensory behaviors, including prey capture, social signaling and the tracking of electrosensory objects. This re-analysis has led to a re-evaluation of the broader functional relevance of specific neural solutions to computational problems that are related to the control of the jamming avoidance response. Some of the recent insights that have emerged from this work include descriptions of mechanisms underlying dynamic receptive field properties, descriptions of the neural activity related to simultaneously occurring sensory stimuli, and a greater understanding of the role of short-term synaptic plasticity in temporal processing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eric S Fortune
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Johns Hopkins University, 3400 North Charles Street, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA.
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Gurkiewicz M, Korngreen A. Recording, analysis, and function of dendritic voltage-gated channels. Pflugers Arch 2006; 453:283-92. [PMID: 16604366 DOI: 10.1007/s00424-006-0076-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2006] [Revised: 03/07/2006] [Accepted: 03/13/2006] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Ever since the publication of the Hamill et al. [Hamill et al., Pflügers Arch, 391:85-100, 1981] paper and the following increase in popularity of acute brain slice preparations, there has been a large increase in the volume of publications investigating voltage-gated channels in the central nervous system using the patch-clamp technique. In the preceding decade, investigations of voltage-gated channels have moved out of the somatic region into dendrites providing much needed information about dendritic voltage-gated channels. In this study, we review some aspects related to the investigation of voltage-gated ion channels in dendrites: recording, analysis, and function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Meron Gurkiewicz
- The Mina and Everand Goodman Faculty of Life Sciences and the Leslie and Susan Gonda Multidisciplinary Brain Research Center, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat-Gan, 52900, Israel
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