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Leong LM, Storace DA. Imaging different cell populations in the mouse olfactory bulb using the genetically encoded voltage indicator ArcLight. NEUROPHOTONICS 2024; 11:033402. [PMID: 38288247 PMCID: PMC10823906 DOI: 10.1117/1.nph.11.3.033402] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2023] [Revised: 11/30/2023] [Accepted: 12/14/2023] [Indexed: 01/31/2024]
Abstract
Genetically encoded voltage indicators (GEVIs) are protein-based optical sensors that allow for measurements from genetically defined populations of neurons. Although in vivo imaging in the mammalian brain with early generation GEVIs was difficult due to poor membrane expression and low signal-to-noise ratio, newer and more sensitive GEVIs have begun to make them useful for answering fundamental questions in neuroscience. We discuss principles of imaging using GEVIs and genetically encoded calcium indicators, both useful tools for in vivo imaging of neuronal activity, and review some of the recent mechanistic advances that have led to GEVI improvements. We provide an overview of the mouse olfactory bulb (OB) and discuss recent studies using the GEVI ArcLight to study different cell types within the bulb using both widefield and two-photon microscopy. Specific emphasis is placed on using GEVIs to begin to study the principles of concentration coding in the OB, how to interpret the optical signals from population measurements in the in vivo brain, and future developments that will push the field forward.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lee Min Leong
- Florida State University, Department of Biological Science, Tallahassee, Florida, United States
| | - Douglas A. Storace
- Florida State University, Department of Biological Science, Tallahassee, Florida, United States
- Florida State University, Program in Neuroscience, Tallahassee, Florida, United States
- Florida State University, Institute of Molecular Biophysics, Tallahassee, Florida, United States
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2
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Zecevic D. Electrical properties of dendritic spines. Biophys J 2023; 122:4303-4315. [PMID: 37837192 PMCID: PMC10698282 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpj.2023.10.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/20/2023] [Revised: 09/27/2023] [Accepted: 10/11/2023] [Indexed: 10/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Dendritic spines are small protrusions that mediate most of the excitatory synaptic transmission in the brain. Initially, the anatomical structure of spines has suggested that they serve as isolated biochemical and electrical compartments. Indeed, following ample experimental evidence, it is now widely accepted that a significant physiological role of spines is to provide biochemical compartmentalization in signal integration and plasticity in the nervous system. In contrast to the clear biochemical role of spines, their electrical role is uncertain and is currently being debated. This is mainly because spines are small and not accessible to conventional experimental methods of electrophysiology. Here, I focus on reviewing the literature on the electrical properties of spines, including the initial morphological and theoretical modeling studies, indirect experimental approaches based on measurements of diffusional resistance of the spine neck, indirect experimental methods using two-photon uncaging of glutamate on spine synapses, optical imaging of intracellular calcium concentration changes, and voltage imaging with organic and genetically encoded voltage-sensitive probes. The interpretation of evidence from different preparations obtained with different methods has yet to reach a consensus, with some analyses rejecting and others supporting an electrical role of spines in regulating synaptic signaling. Thus, there is a need for a critical comparison of the advantages and limitations of different methodological approaches. The only experimental study on electrical signaling monitored optically with adequate sensitivity and spatiotemporal resolution using voltage-sensitive dyes concluded that mushroom spines on basal dendrites of cortical pyramidal neurons in brain slices have no electrical role.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dejan Zecevic
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Physiology, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut.
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3
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Pressler RT, Strowbridge BW. Extraglomerular Excitation of Rat Olfactory Bulb Mitral Cells by Depolarizing GABAergic Synaptic Input. J Neurosci 2022; 42:6878-6893. [PMID: 35906068 PMCID: PMC9464016 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.0094-22.2022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2022] [Revised: 07/19/2022] [Accepted: 07/22/2022] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Principal cells in the olfactory bulb (OB), mitral and tufted cells, receive direct sensory input and generate output signals that are transmitted to downstream cortical targets. Excitatory input from glutamatergic receptor neurons are the primary known sources of rapid excitation to OB principal cells. Principal cells also receive inhibitory input from local GABAergic interneurons in both the glomerular and plexiform layers. Previous work suggests that the functional effect of these inhibitory inputs, including numerous dendrodendritic synapses with GABAergic granule cells, is to reduce firing probability. In this study, we use in vitro patch-clamp recordings to demonstrate that rat (of both sexes) OB mitral cells also can be excited by GABAergic synapses formed outside the glomerular layer. Depolarizing GABAergic responses to focal extracellular stimulation were revealed when fast ionotropic glutamate receptors were blocked, and occurred with short, monosynaptic latencies. These novel synaptic responses were abolished by gabazine, bicuculline, and picrotoxin, three structurally dissimilar GABAA receptor antagonists. The likely location of depolarizing GABAergic input to mitral cells was the proximal axon based on the actions of focally applied gabazine and GABA near this region. Excitatory GABAergic synaptic responses, commonly studied in cortical brain regions, have not been reported previously in OB principal cells. Excitatory GABAergic responses promote action potential firing and provide a mechanism for mitral cells to be excited independently of olfactory sensory input.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Odor stimuli generate distinctive activity patterns in olfactory bulb neurons through a combination of excitatory and inhibitory synaptic interactions. Most of the excitatory drive to each principal cell is assumed to arise from a highly restricted subset of sensory neurons. This study describes a novel second source of synaptic excitation to principal cells to arise from GABAergic inputs to the proximal axon, a common site of action potential initiation. This new pathway provides a synaptic mechanism to excite OB principal cells that is independent of the canonical excitatory sensory input contained in the glomerular layer.
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Affiliation(s)
- R Todd Pressler
- Department of Neurosciences, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio 44106
| | - Ben W Strowbridge
- Department of Neurosciences, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio 44106
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4
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Aghvami SS, Kubota Y, Egger V. Anatomical and Functional Connectivity at the Dendrodendritic Reciprocal Mitral Cell–Granule Cell Synapse: Impact on Recurrent and Lateral Inhibition. Front Neural Circuits 2022; 16:933201. [PMID: 35937203 PMCID: PMC9355734 DOI: 10.3389/fncir.2022.933201] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2022] [Accepted: 05/27/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
In the vertebrate olfactory bulb, reciprocal dendrodendritic interactions between its principal neurons, the mitral and tufted cells, and inhibitory interneurons in the external plexiform layer mediate both recurrent and lateral inhibition, with the most numerous of these interneurons being granule cells. Here, we used recently established anatomical parameters and functional data on unitary synaptic transmission to simulate the strength of recurrent inhibition of mitral cells specifically from the reciprocal spines of rat olfactory bulb granule cells in a quantitative manner. Our functional data allowed us to derive a unitary synaptic conductance on the order of 0.2 nS. The simulations predicted that somatic voltage deflections by even proximal individual granule cell inputs are below the detection threshold and that attenuation with distance is roughly linear, with a passive length constant of 650 μm. However, since recurrent inhibition in the wake of a mitral cell action potential will originate from hundreds of reciprocal spines, the summated recurrent IPSP will be much larger, even though there will be substantial mutual shunting across the many inputs. Next, we updated and refined a preexisting model of connectivity within the entire rat olfactory bulb, first between pairs of mitral and granule cells, to estimate the likelihood and impact of recurrent inhibition depending on the distance between cells. Moreover, to characterize the substrate of lateral inhibition, we estimated the connectivity via granule cells between any two mitral cells or all the mitral cells that belong to a functional glomerular ensemble (i.e., which receive their input from the same glomerulus), again as a function of the distance between mitral cells and/or entire glomerular mitral cell ensembles. Our results predict the extent of the three regimes of anatomical connectivity between glomerular ensembles: high connectivity within a glomerular ensemble and across the first four rings of adjacent glomeruli, substantial connectivity to up to eleven glomeruli away, and negligible connectivity beyond. Finally, in a first attempt to estimate the functional strength of granule-cell mediated lateral inhibition, we combined this anatomical estimate with our above simulation results on attenuation with distance, resulting in slightly narrowed regimes of a functional impact compared to the anatomical connectivity.
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Affiliation(s)
- S. Sara Aghvami
- School of Cognitive Sciences, Institute for Research in Fundamental Sciences (IPM), Tehran, Iran
| | - Yoshiyuki Kubota
- Division of Cerebral Circuitry, National Institute for Physiological Sciences (NIPS), Okazaki, Japan
| | - Veronica Egger
- Neurophysiology, Institute of Zoology, Regensburg University, Regensburg, Germany
- *Correspondence: Veronica Egger,
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5
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Quicke P, Howe CL, Song P, Jadan HV, Song C, Knöpfel T, Neil M, Dragotti PL, Schultz SR, Foust AJ. Subcellular resolution three-dimensional light-field imaging with genetically encoded voltage indicators. NEUROPHOTONICS 2020; 7:035006. [PMID: 32904628 PMCID: PMC7456658 DOI: 10.1117/1.nph.7.3.035006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/26/2020] [Accepted: 08/07/2020] [Indexed: 05/13/2023]
Abstract
Significance: Light-field microscopy (LFM) enables high signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and light efficient volume imaging at fast frame rates. Voltage imaging with genetically encoded voltage indicators (GEVIs) stands to particularly benefit from LFM's volumetric imaging capability due to high required sampling rates and limited probe brightness and functional sensitivity. Aim: We demonstrate subcellular resolution GEVI light-field imaging in acute mouse brain slices resolving dendritic voltage signals in three spatial dimensions. Approach: We imaged action potential-induced fluorescence transients in mouse brain slices sparsely expressing the GEVI VSFP-Butterfly 1.2 in wide-field microscopy (WFM) and LFM modes. We compared functional signal SNR and localization between different LFM reconstruction approaches and between LFM and WFM. Results: LFM enabled three-dimensional (3-D) localization of action potential-induced fluorescence transients in neuronal somata and dendrites. Nonregularized deconvolution decreased SNR with increased iteration number compared to synthetic refocusing but increased axial and lateral signal localization. SNR was unaffected for LFM compared to WFM. Conclusions: LFM enables 3-D localization of fluorescence transients, therefore eliminating the need for structures to lie in a single focal plane. These results demonstrate LFM's potential for studying dendritic integration and action potential propagation in three spatial dimensions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peter Quicke
- Imperial College London, Department of Bioengineering, London, United Kingdom
- Imperial College London, Centre for Neurotechnology, London, United Kingdom
| | - Carmel L. Howe
- Imperial College London, Department of Bioengineering, London, United Kingdom
- Imperial College London, Centre for Neurotechnology, London, United Kingdom
| | - Pingfan Song
- Imperial College London, Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, London, United Kingdom
| | - Herman V. Jadan
- Imperial College London, Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, London, United Kingdom
| | - Chenchen Song
- Imperial College London, Department of Brain Sciences, London, United Kingdom
| | - Thomas Knöpfel
- Imperial College London, Centre for Neurotechnology, London, United Kingdom
- Imperial College London, Department of Brain Sciences, London, United Kingdom
| | - Mark Neil
- Imperial College London, Centre for Neurotechnology, London, United Kingdom
- Imperial College London, Department of Physics, London, United Kingdom
| | - Pier L. Dragotti
- Imperial College London, Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, London, United Kingdom
| | - Simon R. Schultz
- Imperial College London, Department of Bioengineering, London, United Kingdom
- Imperial College London, Centre for Neurotechnology, London, United Kingdom
- Address all correspondence to Simon R. Schultz, E-mail: ; Amanda J. Foust, E-mail:
| | - Amanda J. Foust
- Imperial College London, Department of Bioengineering, London, United Kingdom
- Imperial College London, Centre for Neurotechnology, London, United Kingdom
- Address all correspondence to Simon R. Schultz, E-mail: ; Amanda J. Foust, E-mail:
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6
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Abstract
Imaging techniques may overcome the limitations of electrode techniques to measure locally not only membrane potential changes, but also ionic currents. Here, we review a recently developed approach to image native neuronal Ca2+ currents from brain slices. The technique is based on combined fluorescence recordings using low-affinity Ca2+ indicators possibly in combination with voltage sensitive dyes. We illustrate how the kinetics of a Ca2+ current can be estimated from the Ca2+ fluorescence change and locally correlated with the change of membrane potential, calibrated on an absolute scale, from the voltage fluorescence change. We show some representative measurements from the dendrites of CA1 hippocampal pyramidal neurons, from olfactory bulb mitral cells and from cerebellar Purkinje neurons. We discuss the striking difference in data analysis and interpretation between Ca2+ current measurements obtained using classical electrode techniques and the physiological currents obtained using this novel approach. Finally, we show how important is the kinetic information on the native Ca2+ current to explore the potential molecular targets of the Ca2+ flux from each individual Ca2+ channel.
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7
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Radivojevic M, Franke F, Altermatt M, Müller J, Hierlemann A, Bakkum DJ. Tracking individual action potentials throughout mammalian axonal arbors. eLife 2017; 6. [PMID: 28990925 PMCID: PMC5633342 DOI: 10.7554/elife.30198] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2017] [Accepted: 09/28/2017] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Axons are neuronal processes specialized for conduction of action potentials (APs). The timing and temporal precision of APs when they reach each of the synapses are fundamentally important for information processing in the brain. Due to small diameters of axons, direct recording of single AP transmission is challenging. Consequently, most knowledge about axonal conductance derives from modeling studies or indirect measurements. We demonstrate a method to noninvasively and directly record individual APs propagating along millimeter-length axonal arbors in cortical cultures with hundreds of microelectrodes at microsecond temporal resolution. We find that cortical axons conduct single APs with high temporal precision (~100 µs arrival time jitter per mm length) and reliability: in more than 8,000,000 recorded APs, we did not observe any conduction or branch-point failures. Upon high-frequency stimulation at 100 Hz, successive became slower, and their arrival time precision decreased by 20% and 12% for the 100th AP, respectively.
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Affiliation(s)
- Milos Radivojevic
- Department of Biosystems Science and Engineering, ETH Zurich, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Felix Franke
- Department of Biosystems Science and Engineering, ETH Zurich, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Michael Altermatt
- Department of Biosystems Science and Engineering, ETH Zurich, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Jan Müller
- Department of Biosystems Science and Engineering, ETH Zurich, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Andreas Hierlemann
- Department of Biosystems Science and Engineering, ETH Zurich, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Douglas J Bakkum
- Department of Biosystems Science and Engineering, ETH Zurich, Basel, Switzerland
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8
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Measuring the olfactory bulb input-output transformation reveals a contribution to the perception of odorant concentration invariance. Nat Commun 2017; 8:81. [PMID: 28724907 PMCID: PMC5517565 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-017-00036-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/16/2016] [Accepted: 05/01/2017] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Humans and other animals can recognize an odorant as the same over a range of odorant concentrations. It remains unclear whether the olfactory bulb, the brain structure that mediates the first stage of olfactory information processing, participates in generating this perceptual concentration invariance. Olfactory bulb glomeruli are regions of neuropil that contain input and output processes: olfactory receptor neuron nerve terminals (input) and mitral/tufted cell apical dendrites (output). Differences between the input and output of a brain region define the function(s) carried out by that region. Here we compare the activity signals from the input and output across a range of odorant concentrations. The output maps maintain a relatively stable representation of odor identity over the tested concentration range, even though the input maps and signals change markedly. These results provide direct evidence that the mammalian olfactory bulb likely participates in generating the perception of concentration invariance of odor quality. Humans and animals recognize an odorant across a range of odorant concentrations, but where in the olfactory processing pathway this invariance is generated is unclear. By measuring and comparing olfactory bulb outputs to inputs, the authors show that the olfactory bulb participates in generating the perception of odorant concentration invariance.
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9
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Tanese D, Weng JY, Zampini V, De Sars V, Canepari M, Rozsa B, Emiliani V, Zecevic D. Imaging membrane potential changes from dendritic spines using computer-generated holography. NEUROPHOTONICS 2017; 4:031211. [PMID: 28523281 PMCID: PMC5428833 DOI: 10.1117/1.nph.4.3.031211] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2017] [Accepted: 04/24/2017] [Indexed: 05/08/2023]
Abstract
Electrical properties of neuronal processes are extraordinarily complex, dynamic, and, in the general case, impossible to predict in the absence of detailed measurements. To obtain such a measurement one would, ideally, like to be able to monitor electrical subthreshold events as they travel from synapses on distal dendrites and summate at particular locations to initiate action potentials. It is now possible to carry out these measurements at the scale of individual dendritic spines using voltage imaging. In these measurements, the voltage-sensitive probes can be thought of as transmembrane voltmeters with a linear scale, which directly monitor electrical signals. Grinvald et al. were important early contributors to the methodology of voltage imaging, and they pioneered some of its significant results. We combined voltage imaging and glutamate uncaging using computer-generated holography. The results demonstrated that patterned illumination, by reducing the surface area of illuminated membrane, reduces photodynamic damage. Additionally, region-specific illumination practically eliminated the contamination of optical signals from individual spines by the scattered light from the parent dendrite. Finally, patterned illumination allowed one-photon uncaging of glutamate on multiple spines to be carried out in parallel with voltage imaging from the parent dendrite and neighboring spines.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dimitrii Tanese
- Paris Descartes University, Neurophotonics Laboratory, CNRS UMR8250, Paris, France
| | - Ju-Yun Weng
- Yale University School of Medicine, Department of Cellular and Molecular Physiology, New Haven, Connecticut, United States
| | - Valeria Zampini
- Paris Descartes University, Neurophotonics Laboratory, CNRS UMR8250, Paris, France
| | - Vincent De Sars
- Paris Descartes University, Neurophotonics Laboratory, CNRS UMR8250, Paris, France
| | - Marco Canepari
- Université Grenoble Alpes and CNRS, Laboratory for Interdisciplinary Physics, UMR 5588, Saint Martin d’Hères, France
- Laboratories of Excellence, Ion Channel Science and Therapeutics, France
- Institut National de la Santé et Recherche Médicale, Grenoble, France
| | - Balazs Rozsa
- Institute of Experimental Medicine of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Valentina Emiliani
- Paris Descartes University, Neurophotonics Laboratory, CNRS UMR8250, Paris, France
| | - Dejan Zecevic
- Yale University School of Medicine, Department of Cellular and Molecular Physiology, New Haven, Connecticut, United States
- Address all correspondence to: Dejan Zecevic, E-mail:
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10
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Ona-Jodar T, Gerkau NJ, Sara Aghvami S, Rose CR, Egger V. Two-Photon Na + Imaging Reports Somatically Evoked Action Potentials in Rat Olfactory Bulb Mitral and Granule Cell Neurites. Front Cell Neurosci 2017; 11:50. [PMID: 28293175 PMCID: PMC5329072 DOI: 10.3389/fncel.2017.00050] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2016] [Accepted: 02/14/2017] [Indexed: 12/05/2022] Open
Abstract
Dendrodendritic synaptic interactions are a hallmark of neuronal processing in the vertebrate olfactory bulb. Many classes of olfactory bulb neurons including the principal mitral cells (MCs) and the axonless granule cells (GCs) dispose of highly efficient propagation of action potentials (AP) within their dendrites, from where they can release transmitter onto each other. So far, backpropagation in GC dendrites has been investigated indirectly via Ca2+ imaging. Here, we used two-photon Na+ imaging to directly report opening of voltage-gated sodium channels due to AP propagation in both cell types. To this end, neurons in acute slices from juvenile rat bulbs were filled with 1 mM SBFI via whole-cell patch-clamp. Calibration of SBFI signals revealed that a change in fluorescence ΔF/F by 10% corresponded to a Δ[Na+]i of ∼22 mM. We then imaged proximal axon segments of MCs during somatically evoked APs (sAP). While single sAPs were detectable in ∼50% of axons, trains of 20 sAPs at 50 Hz always resulted in substantial ΔF/F of ∼15% (∼33 mM Δ[Na+]i). ΔF/F was significantly larger for 80 Hz vs. 50 Hz trains, and decayed with half-durations τ1/2 ∼0.6 s for both frequencies. In MC lateral dendrites, AP trains yielded small ΔF/F of ∼3% (∼7 mM Δ[Na+]i). In GC apical dendrites and adjacent spines, single sAPs were not detectable. Trains resulted in an average dendritic ΔF/F of 7% (16 mM Δ[Na+]i) with τ1/2 ∼1 s, similar for 50 and 80 Hz. Na+ transients were indistinguishable between large GC spines and their adjacent dendrites. Cell-wise analysis revealed two classes of GCs with the first showing a decrease in ΔF/F along the dendrite with distance from the soma and the second an increase. These classes clustered with morphological parameters. Simulations of Δ[Na+]i replicated these behaviors via negative and positive gradients in Na+ current density, assuming faithful AP backpropagation. Such specializations of dendritic excitability might confer specific temporal processing capabilities to bulbar principal cell-GC subnetworks. In conclusion, we show that Na+ imaging provides a valuable tool for characterizing AP invasion of MC axons and GC dendrites and spines.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tiffany Ona-Jodar
- Neurophysiology, Institute of Zoology, Universität Regensburg Regensburg, Germany
| | - Niklas J Gerkau
- Institute of Neurobiology, Heinrich-Heine-Universität Düsseldorf Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - S Sara Aghvami
- Neurophysiology, Institute of Zoology, Universität RegensburgRegensburg, Germany; School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of TehranTehran, Iran; School of Cognitive Science, Institute for Research in Fundamental ScienceTehran, Iran
| | - Christine R Rose
- Institute of Neurobiology, Heinrich-Heine-Universität Düsseldorf Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Veronica Egger
- Neurophysiology, Institute of Zoology, Universität RegensburgRegensburg, Germany; Regensburg Center of Neuroscience, Universität RegensburgRegensburg, Germany
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11
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Dover K, Marra C, Solinas S, Popovic M, Subramaniyam S, Zecevic D, D'Angelo E, Goldfarb M. FHF-independent conduction of action potentials along the leak-resistant cerebellar granule cell axon. Nat Commun 2016; 7:12895. [PMID: 27666389 PMCID: PMC5052690 DOI: 10.1038/ncomms12895] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2015] [Accepted: 08/11/2016] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Neurons in vertebrate central nervous systems initiate and conduct sodium action potentials in distinct subcellular compartments that differ architecturally and electrically. Here, we report several unanticipated passive and active properties of the cerebellar granule cell's unmyelinated axon. Whereas spike initiation at the axon initial segment relies on sodium channel (Nav)-associated fibroblast growth factor homologous factor (FHF) proteins to delay Nav inactivation, distal axonal Navs show little FHF association or FHF requirement for high-frequency transmission, velocity and waveforms of conducting action potentials. In addition, leak conductance density along the distal axon is estimated as <1% that of somatodendritic membrane. The faster inactivation rate of FHF-free Navs together with very low axonal leak conductance serves to minimize ionic fluxes and energetic demand during repetitive spike conduction and at rest. The absence of FHFs from Navs at nodes of Ranvier in the central nervous system suggests a similar mechanism of current flux minimization along myelinated axons. FHFs are known to regulate voltage-gated sodium channels (NaVs). Here, the authors compare the role of FHFs in cerebellar granule cell propagation, and find NaVs in the distal axon function independently of FHFs, allowing for faster inactivation rates and reducing energy demands during repetitive spiking.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katarzyna Dover
- Department of Biological Sciences, Hunter College of City University, 695 Park Avenue, New York, New York 10065, USA.,Graduate Center of City University, Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology Subprogram, 365 Fifth Avenue, New York, New York 10016, USA
| | - Christopher Marra
- Department of Biological Sciences, Hunter College of City University, 695 Park Avenue, New York, New York 10065, USA.,Graduate Center of City University, Neuroscience Subprogram, 365 Fifth Avenue, New York, New York 10016, USA
| | - Sergio Solinas
- Brain Connectivity Center, C. Mondino National Neurological Institute, Via Forlanini 6, Pavia 27100, Italy
| | - Marko Popovic
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Physiology, Yale University School of Medicine, 333 Cedar Street, New Haven, Connecticut 06510, USA
| | - Sathyaa Subramaniyam
- Department of Brain and Behavioral Science, University of Pavia, Via Forlanini 6, Pavia 27100, Italy
| | - Dejan Zecevic
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Physiology, Yale University School of Medicine, 333 Cedar Street, New Haven, Connecticut 06510, USA
| | - Egidio D'Angelo
- Brain Connectivity Center, C. Mondino National Neurological Institute, Via Forlanini 6, Pavia 27100, Italy.,Department of Brain and Behavioral Science, University of Pavia, Via Forlanini 6, Pavia 27100, Italy
| | - Mitchell Goldfarb
- Department of Biological Sciences, Hunter College of City University, 695 Park Avenue, New York, New York 10065, USA.,Graduate Center of City University, Neuroscience Subprogram, 365 Fifth Avenue, New York, New York 10016, USA
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12
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Consistent estimation of complete neuronal connectivity in large neuronal populations using sparse "shotgun" neuronal activity sampling. J Comput Neurosci 2016; 41:157-84. [PMID: 27515518 DOI: 10.1007/s10827-016-0611-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2015] [Revised: 06/09/2016] [Accepted: 06/13/2016] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
We investigate the properties of recently proposed "shotgun" sampling approach for the common inputs problem in the functional estimation of neuronal connectivity. We study the asymptotic correctness, the speed of convergence, and the data size requirements of such an approach. We show that the shotgun approach can be expected to allow the inference of complete connectivity matrix in large neuronal populations under some rather general conditions. However, we find that the posterior error of the shotgun connectivity estimator grows quickly with the size of unobserved neuronal populations, the square of average connectivity strength, and the square of observation sparseness. This implies that the shotgun connectivity estimation will require significantly larger amounts of neuronal activity data whenever the number of neurons in observed neuronal populations remains small. We present a numerical approach for solving the shotgun estimation problem in general settings and use it to demonstrate the shotgun connectivity inference in the examples of simulated synfire and weakly coupled cortical neuronal networks.
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13
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McIntyre ABR, Cleland TA. Biophysical constraints on lateral inhibition in the olfactory bulb. J Neurophysiol 2016; 115:2937-49. [PMID: 27009162 DOI: 10.1152/jn.00671.2015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2015] [Accepted: 03/16/2016] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
The mitral cells (MCs) of the mammalian olfactory bulb (OB) constitute one of two populations of principal neurons (along with middle/deep tufted cells) that integrate afferent olfactory information with top-down inputs and intrinsic learning and deliver output to downstream olfactory areas. MC activity is regulated in part by inhibition from granule cells, which form reciprocal synapses with MCs along the extents of their lateral dendrites. However, with MC lateral dendrites reaching over 1.5 mm in length in rats, the roles of distal inhibitory synapses pose a quandary. Here, we systematically vary the properties of a MC model to assess the capacity of inhibitory synaptic inputs on lateral dendrites to influence afferent information flow through MCs. Simulations using passivized models with varying dendritic morphologies and synaptic properties demonstrated that, even with unrealistically favorable parameters, passive propagation fails to convey effective inhibitory signals to the soma from distal sources. Additional simulations using an active model exhibiting action potentials, subthreshold oscillations, and a dendritic morphology closely matched to experimental values further confirmed that distal synaptic inputs along the lateral dendrite could not exert physiologically relevant effects on MC spike timing at the soma. Larger synaptic conductances representative of multiple simultaneous inputs were not sufficient to compensate for the decline in signal with distance. Reciprocal synapses on distal MC lateral dendrites may instead serve to maintain a common fast oscillatory clock across the OB by delaying spike propagation within the lateral dendrites themselves.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexa B R McIntyre
- Tri-Institutional Program in Computational Biology and Medicine, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York; and
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14
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Abstract
UNLABELLED The role of interneurons in cortical microcircuits is strongly influenced by their passive and active electrical properties. Although different types of interneurons exhibit unique electrophysiological properties recorded at the soma, it is not yet clear whether these differences are also manifested in other neuronal compartments. To address this question, we have used voltage-sensitive dye to image the propagation of action potentials into the fine collaterals of axons and dendrites in two of the largest cortical interneuron subtypes in the mouse: fast-spiking interneurons, which are typically basket or chandelier neurons; and somatostatin containing interneurons, which are typically regular spiking Martinotti cells. We found that fast-spiking and somatostatin-expressing interneurons differed in their electrophysiological characteristics along their entire dendrosomatoaxonal extent. The action potentials generated in the somata and axons, including axon collaterals, of somatostatin-expressing interneurons are significantly broader than those generated in the same compartments of fast-spiking inhibitory interneurons. In addition, action potentials back-propagated into the dendrites of somatostatin-expressing interneurons much more readily than fast-spiking interneurons. Pharmacological investigations suggested that axonal action potential repolarization in both cell types depends critically upon Kv1 channels, whereas the axonal and somatic action potentials of somatostatin-expressing interneurons also depend on BK Ca(2+)-activated K(+) channels. These results indicate that the two broad classes of interneurons studied here have expressly different subcellular physiological properties, allowing them to perform unique computational roles in cortical circuit operations. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Neurons in the cerebral cortex are of two major types: excitatory and inhibitory. The proper balance of excitation and inhibition in the brain is critical for its operation. Neurons contain three main compartments: dendritic, somatic, and axonal. How the neurons receive information, process it, and pass on new information depends upon how these three compartments operate. While it has long been assumed that axons are simply for conducting information from the cell body to the synapses, here we demonstrate that the axons of different types of interneurons, the inhibitory cells, possess differing electrophysiological properties. This result implies that differing types of interneurons perform different tasks in the cortex, not only through their anatomical connections, but also through how their axons operate.
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15
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Popovic MA, Carnevale N, Rozsa B, Zecevic D. Electrical behaviour of dendritic spines as revealed by voltage imaging. Nat Commun 2015; 6:8436. [PMID: 26436431 PMCID: PMC4594633 DOI: 10.1038/ncomms9436] [Citation(s) in RCA: 58] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/16/2015] [Accepted: 08/20/2015] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Thousands of dendritic spines on individual neurons process information and mediate plasticity by generating electrical input signals using a sophisticated assembly of transmitter receptors and voltage-sensitive ion channel molecules. Our understanding, however, of the electrical behaviour of spines is limited because it has not been possible to record input signals from these structures with adequate sensitivity and spatiotemporal resolution. Current interpretation of indirect data and speculations based on theoretical considerations are inconclusive. Here we use an electrochromic voltage-sensitive dye which acts as a transmembrane optical voltmeter with a linear scale to directly monitor electrical signals from individual spines on thin basal dendrites. The results show that synapses on these spines are not electrically isolated by the spine neck to a significant extent. Electrically, they behave as if they are located directly on dendrites.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marko A Popovic
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Physiology, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut 06510, USA.,Institute for Multidisciplinary Research, Belgrade University, Belgrade 11030, Serbia
| | - Nicholas Carnevale
- Department of Neurobiology, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut 06510, USA
| | - Balazs Rozsa
- Institute of Experimental Medicine of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Budapest H-1083, Hungary.,The Faculty of Information Technology, Pázmány Péter University, Budapest H-1083, Hungary
| | - Dejan Zecevic
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Physiology, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut 06510, USA.,Kavli Institute for Neuroscience, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut 06510, USA
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16
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Tonic firing rate controls dendritic Ca2+ signaling and synaptic gain in substantia nigra dopamine neurons. J Neurosci 2015; 35:5823-36. [PMID: 25855191 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.3904-14.2015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Substantia nigra dopamine neurons fire tonically resulting in action potential backpropagation and dendritic Ca(2+) influx. Using Ca(2+) imaging in acute mouse brain slices, we find a surprisingly steep relationship between tonic firing rate and dendritic Ca(2+). Increasing the tonic rate from 1 to 6 Hz generated Ca(2+) signals up to fivefold greater than predicted by linear summation of single spike-evoked Ca(2+)-transients. This "Ca(2+) supralinearity" was produced largely by depolarization of the interspike voltage leading to activation of subthreshold Ca(2+) channels and was present throughout the proximal and distal dendrites. Two-photon glutamate uncaging experiments show somatic depolarization enhances NMDA receptor-mediated Ca(2+) signals >400 μm distal to the soma, due to unusually tight electrotonic coupling of the soma to distal dendrites. Consequently, we find that fast tonic firing intensifies synaptically driven burst firing output in dopamine neurons. These results show that modulation of background firing rate precisely tunes dendritic Ca(2+) signaling and provides a simple yet powerful mechanism to dynamically regulate the gain of synaptic input.
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17
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Zhou WL, Short SM, Rich MT, Oikonomou KD, Singh MB, Sterjanaj EV, Antic SD. Branch specific and spike-order specific action potential invasion in basal, oblique, and apical dendrites of cortical pyramidal neurons. NEUROPHOTONICS 2015; 2:021006. [PMID: 26157997 PMCID: PMC4478750 DOI: 10.1117/1.nph.2.2.021006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2014] [Accepted: 11/10/2014] [Indexed: 06/04/2023]
Abstract
In neocortical pyramidal neurons, action potentials (APs) propagate from the axon into the dendritic tree to influence distal synapses. Traditionally, AP backpropagation was studied in the thick apical trunk. Here, we used the principles of optical imaging developed by Cohen to investigate AP invasion into thin dendritic branches (basal, oblique, and tuft) of prefrontal cortical L5 pyramidal neurons. Multisite optical recordings from neighboring dendrites revealed a clear dichotomy between two seemingly equal dendritic branches belonging to the same cell ("sister branches"). We documented the variable efficacy of AP invasion in basal and oblique branches by revealing their AP voltage waveforms. Using fast multisite calcium imaging, we found that trains of APs are filtered differently between two apical tuft branches. Although one dendritic branch passes all spikes in an AP train, another branch belonging to the same neuron, same cortical layer, and same path distance from the cell body, experiences only one spike. Our data indicate that the vast differences in dendritic voltage and calcium transients, detected in dendrites of pyramidal neurons, arise from a nonuniform distribution of A-type [Formula: see text] conductance, an aggregate number of branch points in the path of the AP propagation and minute differences in dendritic diameter.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wen-Liang Zhou
- University of Connecticut, Stem Cell Institute, Institute for Systems Genomics, UConn Health, Department of Neuroscience, 263 Farmington Avenue, Farmington, Connecticut 06030-3401, United States
| | - Shaina M. Short
- University of Connecticut, Stem Cell Institute, Institute for Systems Genomics, UConn Health, Department of Neuroscience, 263 Farmington Avenue, Farmington, Connecticut 06030-3401, United States
| | - Matthew T. Rich
- University of Connecticut, Stem Cell Institute, Institute for Systems Genomics, UConn Health, Department of Neuroscience, 263 Farmington Avenue, Farmington, Connecticut 06030-3401, United States
| | - Katerina D. Oikonomou
- University of Connecticut, Stem Cell Institute, Institute for Systems Genomics, UConn Health, Department of Neuroscience, 263 Farmington Avenue, Farmington, Connecticut 06030-3401, United States
| | - Mandakini B. Singh
- University of Connecticut, Stem Cell Institute, Institute for Systems Genomics, UConn Health, Department of Neuroscience, 263 Farmington Avenue, Farmington, Connecticut 06030-3401, United States
| | - Enas V. Sterjanaj
- University of Connecticut, Stem Cell Institute, Institute for Systems Genomics, UConn Health, Department of Neuroscience, 263 Farmington Avenue, Farmington, Connecticut 06030-3401, United States
| | - Srdjan D. Antic
- University of Connecticut, Stem Cell Institute, Institute for Systems Genomics, UConn Health, Department of Neuroscience, 263 Farmington Avenue, Farmington, Connecticut 06030-3401, United States
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18
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Jaafari N, Vogt KE, Saggau P, Leslie LM, Zecevic D, Canepari M. Combining Membrane Potential Imaging with Other Optical Techniques. ADVANCES IN EXPERIMENTAL MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY 2015; 859:103-25. [PMID: 26238050 DOI: 10.1007/978-3-319-17641-3_4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
Membrane potential imaging using voltage-sensitive dyes can be combined with other optical techniques for a variety of applications. Combining voltage imaging with Ca2+ imaging allows correlating membrane potential changes with intracellular Ca2+ signals or with Ca2+ currents. Combining voltage imaging with uncaging techniques allows analyzing electrical signals elicited by photorelease of a particular molecule. This approach is also a useful tool to calibrate the change in fluorescence intensity in terms of membrane potential changes from different sites permitting spatial mapping of electrical activity. Finally, combining voltage imaging with optogenetics, in particular with channelrhodopsin stimulation, opens the gate to novel investigations of brain circuitries by allowing measurements of synaptic signals mediated by specific sets of neurons. Here we describe in detail the methods of membrane potential imaging in combination with other optical techniques and discus some important applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nadia Jaafari
- Inserm U836, Grenoble Institute of Neuroscience, Team 3, Grenoble Cedex 09, France
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19
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Imaging Submillisecond Membrane Potential Changes from Individual Regions of Single Axons, Dendrites and Spines. ADVANCES IN EXPERIMENTAL MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY 2015; 859:57-101. [PMID: 26238049 PMCID: PMC5671121 DOI: 10.1007/978-3-319-17641-3_3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Abstract
A central question in neuronal network analysis is how the interaction between individual neurons produces behavior and behavioral modifications. This task depends critically on how exactly signals are integrated by individual nerve cells functioning as complex operational units. Regional electrical properties of branching neuronal processes which determine the input-output function of any neuron are extraordinarily complex, dynamic, and, in the general case, impossible to predict in the absence of detailed measurements. To obtain such a measurement one would, ideally, like to be able to monitor, at multiple sites, subthreshold events as they travel from the sites of origin (synaptic contacts on distal dendrites) and summate at particular locations to influence action potential initiation. It became possible recently to carry out this type of measurement using high-resolution multisite recording of membrane potential changes with intracellular voltage-sensitive dyes. This chapter reviews the development and foundation of the method of voltage-sensitive dye recording from individual neurons. Presently, this approach allows monitoring membrane potential transients from all parts of the dendritic tree as well as from axon collaterals and individual dendritic spines.
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20
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Fast state-space methods for inferring dendritic synaptic connectivity. J Comput Neurosci 2013; 36:415-43. [DOI: 10.1007/s10827-013-0478-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2012] [Revised: 07/22/2013] [Accepted: 08/14/2013] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
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21
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Chen X, Iremonger K, Herbison A, Kirk V, Sneyd J. Regulation of electrical bursting in a spatiotemporal model of a GnRH neuron. Bull Math Biol 2013; 75:1941-60. [PMID: 23943344 DOI: 10.1007/s11538-013-9877-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2013] [Accepted: 07/16/2013] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Abstract
Gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) neurons are hypothalamic neurons that control the pulsatile release of GnRH that governs fertility and reproduction in mammals. The mechanisms underlying the pulsatile release of GnRH are not well understood. Some mathematical models have been developed previously to explain different aspects of these activities, such as the properties of burst action potential firing and their associated Ca(2+) transients. These previous studies were based on experimental recordings taken from the soma of GnRH neurons. However, some research groups have shown that the dendrites of GnRH neurons play very important roles. In particular, it is now known that the site of action potential initiation in these neurons is often in the dendrite, over 100 μm from the soma. This raises an important question. Since some of the mechanisms for controlling the burst length and interburst interval are located in the soma, how can electrical bursting be controlled when initiated at a site located some distance from these controlling mechanisms? In order to answer this question, we construct a spatio-temporal mathematical model that includes both the soma and the dendrite. Our model shows that the diffusion coefficient for the spread of electrical potentials in the dendrite is large enough to coordinate burst firing of action potentials when the initiation site is located at some distance from the soma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xingjiang Chen
- Department of Mathematics, The University of Auckland, Private Bag 92019, Auckland, 1142, New Zealand,
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22
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Davies R, Graham J, Canepari M. Light sources and cameras for standard in vitro membrane potential and high-speed ion imaging. J Microsc 2013; 251:5-13. [PMID: 23692638 DOI: 10.1111/jmi.12047] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2013] [Accepted: 04/04/2013] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Membrane potential and fast ion imaging are now standard optical techniques routinely used to record dynamic physiological signals in several preparations in vitro. Although detailed resolution of optical signals can be improved by confocal or two-photon microscopy, high spatial and temporal resolution can be obtained using conventional microscopy and affordable light sources and cameras. Thus, standard wide-field imaging methods are still the most common in research laboratories and can often produce measurements with a signal-to-noise ratio that is superior to other optical approaches. This paper seeks to review the most important instrumentation used in these experiments, with particular reference to recent technological advances. We analyse in detail the optical constraints dictating the type of signals that are obtained with voltage and ion imaging and we discuss how to use this information to choose the optimal apparatus. Then, we discuss the available light sources with specific attention to light emitting diodes and solid state lasers. We then address the current state-of-the-art of available charge coupled device, electron multiplying charge coupled device and complementary metal oxide semiconductor cameras and we analyse the characteristics that need to be taken into account for the choice of optimal detector. Finally, we conclude by discussing prospective future developments that are likely to further improve the quality of the signals expanding the capability of the techniques and opening the gate to novel applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- R Davies
- CAIRN Research Ltd, Faversham, UK
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23
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Zhou WL, Oikonomou KD, Short SM, Antic SD. Dopaminergic regulation of dendritic calcium: fast multisite calcium imaging. Methods Mol Biol 2013; 964:123-38. [PMID: 23296782 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-62703-251-3_9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Abstract
Optimal dopamine tone is required for the normal cortical function; however it is still unclear how cortical-dopamine-release affects information processing in individual cortical neurons. Thousands of glutamatergic inputs impinge onto elaborate dendritic trees of neocortical pyramidal neurons. In the process of ensuing synaptic integration (information processing), a variety of calcium transients are generated in remote dendritic compartments. In order to understand the cellular mechanisms of dopaminergic modulation it is important to know whether and how dopaminergic signals affect dendritic calcium transients. In this chapter, we describe a relatively inexpensive method for monitoring dendritic calcium fluctuations at multiple loci across the pyramidal dendritic tree, at the same moment of time (simultaneously). The experiments have been designed to measure the amplitude, time course and spatial extent of action potential-associated dendritic calcium transients before and after application of dopaminergic drugs. In the examples provided here the dendritic calcium transients were evoked by triggering the somatic action potentials (backpropagation-evoked), and puffs of exogenous dopamine were applied locally onto selected dendritic branches.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wen-Liang Zhou
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Connecticut Health Center, Farmington, CT, USA
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24
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Popovic M, Gao X, Zecevic D. Voltage-sensitive dye recording from axons, dendrites and dendritic spines of individual neurons in brain slices. J Vis Exp 2012:e4261. [PMID: 23222505 PMCID: PMC3565854 DOI: 10.3791/4261] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Understanding the biophysical properties and functional organization of single neurons and how they process information is fundamental for understanding how the brain works. The primary function of any nerve cell is to process electrical signals, usually from multiple sources. Electrical properties of neuronal processes are extraordinarily complex, dynamic, and, in the general case, impossible to predict in the absence of detailed measurements. To obtain such a measurement one would, ideally, like to be able to monitor, at multiple sites, subthreshold events as they travel from the sites of origin on neuronal processes and summate at particular locations to influence action potential initiation. This goal has not been achieved in any neuron due to technical limitations of measurements that employ electrodes. To overcome this drawback, it is highly desirable to complement the patch-electrode approach with imaging techniques that permit extensive parallel recordings from all parts of a neuron. Here, we describe such a technique - optical recording of membrane potential transients with organic voltage-sensitive dyes (V(m)-imaging) - characterized by sub-millisecond and sub-micrometer resolution. Our method is based on pioneering work on voltage-sensitive molecular probes (2). Many aspects of the initial technology have been continuously improved over several decades (3, 5, 11). Additionally, previous work documented two essential characteristics of V(m)-imaging. Firstly, fluorescence signals are linearly proportional to membrane potential over the entire physiological range (-100 mV to +100 mV; (10, 14, 16)). Secondly, loading neurons with the voltage-sensitive dye used here (JPW 3028) does not have detectable pharmacological effects. The recorded broadening of the spike during dye loading is completely reversible (4, 7). Additionally, experimental evidence shows that it is possible to obtain a significant number (up to hundreds) of recordings prior to any detectable phototoxic effects (4, 6, 12, 13). At present, we take advantage of the superb brightness and stability of a laser light source at near-optimal wavelength to maximize the sensitivity of the V(m)-imaging technique. The current sensitivity permits multiple site optical recordings of V(m) transients from all parts of a neuron, including axons and axon collaterals, terminal dendritic branches, and individual dendritic spines. The acquired information on signal interactions can be analyzed quantitatively as well as directly visualized in the form of a movie.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marko Popovic
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Physiology, Yale University School of Medicine, CT, USA
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25
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Popovic MA, Gao X, Carnevale NT, Zecevic D. Cortical dendritic spine heads are not electrically isolated by the spine neck from membrane potential signals in parent dendrites. Cereb Cortex 2012; 24:385-95. [PMID: 23054810 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhs320] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The evidence for an important hypothesis that cortical spine morphology might participate in modifying synaptic efficacy that underlies plasticity and possibly learning and memory mechanisms is inconclusive. Both theory and experiments suggest that the transfer of excitatory postsynaptic potential signals from spines to parent dendrites depends on the spine neck morphology and resistance. Furthermore, modeling of signal transfer in the opposite direction predicts that synapses on spine heads are not electrically isolated from voltages in the parent dendrite. In sharp contrast to this theoretical prediction, one of a very few measurements of electrical signals from spines reported that slow hyperpolarizing membrane potential changes are attenuated considerably by the spine neck as they spread from dendrites to synapses on spine heads. This result challenges our understanding of the electrical behavior of spines at a fundamental level. To re-examine the specific question of the transfer of dendritic signals to synapses of spines, we took advantage of a high-sensitivity Vm-imaging technique and carried out optical measurements of electrical signals from 4 groups of spines with different neck length and simultaneously from parent dendrites. The results show that spine neck does not filter membrane potential signals as they spread from the dendrites into the spine heads.
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26
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Fink AE, Bender KJ, Trussell LO, Otis TS, DiGregorio DA. Two-photon compatibility and single-voxel, single-trial detection of subthreshold neuronal activity by a two-component optical voltage sensor. PLoS One 2012; 7:e41434. [PMID: 22870221 PMCID: PMC3411718 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0041434] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/24/2012] [Accepted: 06/27/2012] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Minimally invasive measurements of neuronal activity are essential for understanding how signal processing is performed by neuronal networks. While optical strategies for making such measurements hold great promise, optical sensors generally lack the speed and sensitivity necessary to record neuronal activity on a single-trial, single-neuron basis. Here we present additional biophysical characterization and practical improvements of a two-component optical voltage sensor (2cVoS), comprised of the neuronal tracer dye, DiO, and dipicrylamine (DiO/DPA). Using laser spot illumination we demonstrate that membrane potential-dependent fluorescence changes can be obtained in a wide variety of cell types within brain slices. We show a correlation between membrane labeling and the sensitivity of the magnitude of fluorescence signal, such that neurons with the brightest membrane labeling yield the largest ΔF/F values per action potential (AP; ∼40%). By substituting a blue-shifted donor for DiO we confirm that DiO/DPA works, at least in part, via a Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET) mechanism. We also describe a straightforward iontophoretic method for labeling multiple neurons with DiO and show that DiO/DPA is compatible with two-photon (2P) imaging. Finally, exploiting the high sensitivity of DiO/DPA, we demonstrate AP-induced fluorescence transients (fAPs) recorded from single spines of hippocampal pyramidal neurons and single-trial measurements of subthreshold synaptic inputs to granule cell dendrites. Our findings suggest that the 2cVoS, DiO/DPA, enables optical measurements of trial-to-trial voltage fluctuations with very high spatial and temporal resolution, properties well suited for monitoring electrical signals from multiple neurons within intact neuronal networks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ann E Fink
- Unit of Dynamic Neuronal Imaging, Department of Neuroscience, Paris, France
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27
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Active action potential propagation but not initiation in thalamic interneuron dendrites. J Neurosci 2012; 31:18289-302. [PMID: 22171033 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.4417-11.2011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Inhibitory interneurons of the dorsal lateral geniculate nucleus of the thalamus modulate the activity of thalamocortical cells in response to excitatory input through the release of inhibitory neurotransmitter from both axons and dendrites. The exact mechanisms by which release can occur from dendrites are, however, not well understood. Recent experiments using calcium imaging have suggested that Na/K-based action potentials can evoke calcium transients in dendrites via local active conductances, making the backpropagating action potential a candidate for dendritic neurotransmitter release. In this study, we used high temporal and spatial resolution voltage-sensitive dye imaging to assess the characteristics of dendritic voltage deflections in response to Na/K action potentials in interneurons of the mouse dorsal lateral geniculate nucleus. We found that trains or single action potentials elicited by somatic current injection or local synaptic stimulation rapidly and actively backpropagated throughout the entire dendritic arbor and into the fine filiform dendritic appendages known to release GABAergic vesicles. Action potentials always appeared first in the soma or proximal dendrite in response to somatic current injection or local synaptic stimulation, and the rapid backpropagation into the dendritic arbor depended upon voltage-gated sodium and tetraethylammonium chloride-sensitive potassium channels. Our results indicate that thalamic interneuron dendrites integrate synaptic inputs that initiate action potentials, most likely in the axon initial segment, that then backpropagate with high fidelity into the dendrites, resulting in a nearly synchronous release of GABA from both axonal and dendritic compartments.
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28
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Somatic membrane potential and Kv1 channels control spike repolarization in cortical axon collaterals and presynaptic boutons. J Neurosci 2011; 31:15490-8. [PMID: 22031895 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.2752-11.2011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 64] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
The shape of action potentials invading presynaptic terminals, which can vary significantly from spike waveforms recorded at the soma, may critically influence the probability of synaptic neurotransmitter release. Revealing the conductances that determine spike shape in presynaptic boutons is important for understanding how changes in the electrochemical context in which a spike is generated, such as subthreshold depolarization spreading from the soma, can modulate synaptic strength. Utilizing recent improvements in the signal-to-noise ratio of voltage-sensitive dye imaging in mouse brain slices, we demonstrate that intracortical axon collaterals and en passant presynaptic terminals of layer 5 pyramidal cells exhibit a high density of Kv1 subunit-containing ion channels, which generate a slowly inactivating K(+) current critically important for spike repolarization in these compartments. Blockade of the current by low doses of 4-aminopyridine or α-dendrotoxin dramatically slows the falling phase of action potentials in axon collaterals and presynaptic boutons. Furthermore, subthreshold depolarization of the soma broadened action potentials in collaterals bearing presynaptic boutons, an effect abolished by blocking Kv1 channels with α-dendrotoxin. These results indicate that action potential-induced synaptic transmission may operate through a mix of analog-digital transmission owing to the properties of Kv1 channels in axon collaterals and presynaptic boutons.
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29
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Zhang J, Ackman JB, Dhande OS, Crair MC. Visualization and manipulation of neural activity in the developing vertebrate nervous system. Front Mol Neurosci 2011; 4:43. [PMID: 22121343 PMCID: PMC3219918 DOI: 10.3389/fnmol.2011.00043] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2011] [Accepted: 10/30/2011] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Neural activity during vertebrate development has been unambiguously shown to play a critical role in sculpting circuit formation and function. Patterned neural activity in various parts of the developing nervous system is thought to modulate neurite outgrowth, axon targeting, and synapse refinement. The nature and role of patterned neural activity during development has been classically studied with in vitro preparations using pharmacological manipulations. In this review we discuss newly available and developing molecular-genetic tools for the visualization and manipulation of neural activity patterns specifically during development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiayi Zhang
- Department of Neurobiology, Yale UniversityNew Haven, CT, USA
| | - James B. Ackman
- Department of Neurobiology, Yale UniversityNew Haven, CT, USA
| | - Onkar S. Dhande
- Department of Neurobiology, Yale UniversityNew Haven, CT, USA
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30
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Combining membrane potential imaging with L-glutamate or GABA photorelease. PLoS One 2011; 6:e24911. [PMID: 22022367 PMCID: PMC3191132 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0024911] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2011] [Accepted: 08/23/2011] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Combining membrane potential imaging using voltage sensitive dyes with photolysis of l-glutamate or GABA allows the monitoring of electrical activity elicited by the neurotransmitter at different sub-cellular sites. Here we describe a simple system and some basic experimental protocols to achieve these measurements. We show how to apply the neurotransmitter and how to vary the dimension of the area of photolysis. We assess the localisation of photolysis and of the recorded membrane potential changes by depolarising the dendrites of cerebellar Purkinje neurons with l-glutamate photorelease using different experimental protocols. We further show in the apical dendrites of CA1 hippocampal pyramidal neurons how l-glutamate photorelease can be used to calibrate fluorescence changes from voltage sensitive dyes in terms of membrane potential changes (in mV) and how GABA photorelease can be used to investigate the phenomenon of shunting inhibition. We also show how GABA photorelease can be used to measure chloride-mediated changes of membrane potential under physiological conditions originating from different regions of a neuron, providing important information on the local intracellular chloride concentrations. The method and the proof of principle reported here open the gateway to a variety of important applications where the advantages of this approach are necessary.
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31
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Pagès S, Côté D, De Koninck P. Optophysiological approach to resolve neuronal action potentials with high spatial and temporal resolution in cultured neurons. Front Cell Neurosci 2011; 5:20. [PMID: 22016723 PMCID: PMC3191737 DOI: 10.3389/fncel.2011.00020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2011] [Accepted: 09/15/2011] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Cell to cell communication in the central nervous system is encoded into transient and local membrane potential changes (ΔVm). Deciphering the rules that govern synaptic transmission and plasticity entails to be able to perform Vm recordings throughout the entire neuronal arborization. Classical electrophysiology is, in most cases, not able to do so within small and fragile neuronal subcompartments. Thus, optical techniques based on the use of fluorescent voltage-sensitive dyes (VSDs) have been developed. However, reporting spontaneous or small ΔVm from neuronal ramifications has been challenging, in part due to the limited sensitivity and phototoxicity of VSD-based optical measurements. Here we demonstrate the use of water soluble VSD, ANNINE-6plus, with laser-scanning microscopy to optically record ΔVm in cultured neurons. We show that the sensitivity (>10% of fluorescence change for 100 mV depolarization) and time response (sub millisecond) of the dye allows the robust detection of action potentials (APs) even without averaging, allowing the measurement of spontaneous neuronal firing patterns. In addition, we show that back-propagating APs can be recorded, along distinct dendritic sites and within dendritic spines. Importantly, our approach does not induce any detectable phototoxic effect on cultured neurons. This optophysiological approach provides a simple, minimally invasive, and versatile optical method to measure electrical activity in cultured neurons with high temporal (ms) resolution and high spatial (μm) resolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stéphane Pagès
- Centre de Recherche Université Laval Robert-Giffard, Université Laval Québec, QC, Canada
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Angelo K, Margrie TW. Population diversity and function of hyperpolarization-activated current in olfactory bulb mitral cells. Sci Rep 2011; 1:50. [PMID: 22355569 PMCID: PMC3216537 DOI: 10.1038/srep00050] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2011] [Accepted: 07/13/2011] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Although neurons are known to exhibit a broad array of intrinsic properties that impact critically on the computations they perform, very few studies have quantified such biophysical diversity and its functional consequences. Using in vivo and in vitro whole-cell recordings here we show that mitral cells are extremely heterogeneous in their expression of a rebound depolarization (sag) at hyperpolarized potentials that is mediated by a ZD7288-sensitive current with properties typical of hyperpolarization-activated cyclic nucleotide gated (HCN) channels. The variability in sag expression reflects a functionally diverse population of mitral cells. For example, those cells with large amplitude sag exhibit more membrane noise, a lower rheobase and fire action potentials more regularly than cells where sag is absent. Thus, cell-to-cell variability in sag potential amplitude reflects diversity in the integrative properties of mitral cells that ensures a broad dynamic range for odor representation across these principal neurons.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kamilla Angelo
- Department of Neuroscience, Physiology and Pharmacology, University College London, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT, United Kingdom
- Department of Neuroscience and Pharmacology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Troy W. Margrie
- Department of Neuroscience, Physiology and Pharmacology, University College London, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT, United Kingdom
- Department of Neurophysiology, The National Institute for Medical Research, Mill Hill, London NW7 1AA, United Kingdom
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Popovic MA, Foust AJ, McCormick DA, Zecevic D. The spatio-temporal characteristics of action potential initiation in layer 5 pyramidal neurons: a voltage imaging study. J Physiol 2011; 589:4167-87. [PMID: 21669974 DOI: 10.1113/jphysiol.2011.209015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 96] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
The spatial pattern of Na(+) channel clustering in the axon initial segment (AIS) plays a critical role in tuning neuronal computations, and changes in Na(+) channel distribution have been shown to mediate novel forms of neuronal plasticity in the axon. However, immunocytochemical data on channel distribution may not directly predict spatio-temporal characteristics of action potential initiation, and prior electrophysiological measures are either indirect (extracellular) or lack sufficient spatial resolution (intracellular) to directly characterize the spike trigger zone (TZ). We took advantage of a critical methodological improvement in the high sensitivity membrane potential imaging (V(m) imaging) technique to directly determine the location and length of the spike TZ as defined in functional terms. The results show that in mature axons of mouse cortical layer 5 pyramidal cells, action potentials initiate in a region ∼20 μm in length centred between 20 and 40 μm from the soma. From this region, the AP depolarizing wave invades initial nodes of Ranvier within a fraction of a millisecond and propagates in a saltatory fashion into axonal collaterals without failure at all physiologically relevant frequencies. We further demonstrate that, in contrast to the saltatory conduction in mature axons, AP propagation is non-saltatory (monotonic) in immature axons prior to myelination.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marko A Popovic
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Physiology, Yale University School of Medicine, Department C/M Physiology, 333 Cedar Street, New Haven, CT, USA
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Mishchenko Y, Vogelstein JT, Paninski L. A Bayesian approach for inferring neuronal connectivity from calcium fluorescent imaging data. Ann Appl Stat 2011. [DOI: 10.1214/09-aoas303] [Citation(s) in RCA: 67] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
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Pavlov AM, Sapelkin AV, Huang X, P'ng KMY, Bushby AJ, Sukhorukov GB, Skirtach AG. Neuron Cells Uptake of Polymeric Microcapsules and Subsequent Intracellular Release. Macromol Biosci 2011; 11:848-54. [DOI: 10.1002/mabi.201000494] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2010] [Revised: 02/07/2011] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
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Canepari M, Willadt S, Zecevic D, Vogt KE. Imaging inhibitory synaptic potentials using voltage sensitive dyes. Biophys J 2010; 98:2032-40. [PMID: 20441768 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpj.2010.01.024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 59] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/19/2009] [Revised: 01/14/2010] [Accepted: 01/15/2010] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Studies of the spatio-temporal distribution of inhibitory postsynaptic potentials (IPSPs) in a neuron have been limited by the spatial information that can be obtained by electrode recordings. We describe a method that overcomes these limitations by imaging IPSPs with voltage-sensitive dyes. CA1 hippocampal pyramidal neurons from brain slices were loaded with the voltage-sensitive dye JPW-1114 from a somatic patch electrode in whole-cell configuration. After removal of the patch electrode, we found that neurons recover their physiological intracellular chloride concentration. Using an improved voltage-imaging technique, dendritic GABAergic IPSPs as small as 1 mV could be resolved optically from multiple sites with spatial averaging. We analyzed the sensitivity of the technique, in relation to its spatial resolution. We monitored the origin and the spread of IPSPs originating in different areas of the apical dendrite and reconstructed their spatial distribution. We achieved a clear discrimination of IPSPs from the dendrites and from the axon. This study indicates that voltage imaging is a uniquely suited approach for the investigation of several fundamental aspects of inhibitory synaptic transmission that require spatial information.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marco Canepari
- Division of Pharmacology and Neurobiology, Biozentrum-University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland.
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Ma J, Lowe G. Correlated firing in tufted cells of mouse olfactory bulb. Neuroscience 2010; 169:1715-38. [PMID: 20600657 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2010.06.033] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2009] [Revised: 06/14/2010] [Accepted: 06/15/2010] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
Temporally correlated spike discharges are proposed to be important for the coding of olfactory stimuli. In the olfactory bulb, correlated spiking is known in two classes of output neurons, the mitral cells and external tufted cells. We studied a third major class of bulb output neurons, the middle tufted cells, analyzing their bursting and spike timing correlations, and their relation to mitral cells. Using patch-clamp and fluorescent tracing, we recorded spontaneous spiking from tufted-tufted or mitral-tufted cell pairs with visualized dendritic projections in mouse olfactory bulb slices. We found peaks in spike cross-correlograms indicating correlated activity on both fast (peak width 1-50 ms) and slow (peak width>50 ms) time scales, only in pairs with convergent glomerular projections. Coupling appeared tighter in tufted-tufted pairs, which showed correlated firing patterns and smaller mean width and lag of narrow peaks. Some narrow peaks resolved into 2-3 sub-peaks (width 1-12 ms), indicating multiple modes of fast correlation. Slow correlations were related to bursting activity, while fast correlations were independent of slow correlations, occurring in both bursting and non-bursting cells. The AMPA receptor antagonist NBQX (20 microM) failed to abolish broad or narrow peaks in either tufted-tufted or mitral-tufted pairs, and changes of peak height and width in NBQX were not significantly different from spontaneous drift. Thus, AMPA-receptors are not required for fast and slow spike correlations. Electrical coupling was observed in all convergent tufted-tufted and mitral-tufted pairs tested, suggesting a potential role for gap junctions in concerted firing. Glomerulus-specific correlation of spiking offers a useful mechanism for binding the output signals of diverse neurons processing and transmitting different sensory information encoded by common olfactory receptors.
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Affiliation(s)
- J Ma
- Monell Chemical Senses Center, 3500 Market Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104-3308, USA
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38
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Action potentials initiate in the axon initial segment and propagate through axon collaterals reliably in cerebellar Purkinje neurons. J Neurosci 2010; 30:6891-902. [PMID: 20484631 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.0552-10.2010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 114] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Purkinje neurons are the output cells of the cerebellar cortex and generate spikes in two distinct modes, known as simple and complex spikes. Revealing the point of origin of these action potentials, and how they conduct into local axon collaterals, is important for understanding local and distal neuronal processing and communication. By using a recent improvement in voltage-sensitive dye imaging technique that provided exceptional spatial and temporal resolution, we were able to resolve the region of spike initiation as well as follow spike propagation into axon collaterals for each action potential initiated on single trials. All fast action potentials, for both simple and complex spikes, whether occurring spontaneously or in response to a somatic current pulse or synaptic input, initiated in the axon initial segment. At discharge frequencies of less than approximately 250 Hz, spikes propagated faithfully through the axon and axon collaterals, in a saltatory manner. Propagation failures were only observed for very high frequencies or for the spikelets associated with complex spikes. These results demonstrate that the axon initial segment is a critical decision point in Purkinje cell processing and that the properties of axon branch points are adjusted to maintain faithful transmission.
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Holthoff K, Zecevic D, Konnerth A. Rapid time course of action potentials in spines and remote dendrites of mouse visual cortex neurons. J Physiol 2010; 588:1085-96. [PMID: 20156851 DOI: 10.1113/jphysiol.2009.184960] [Citation(s) in RCA: 65] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Axonally initiated action potentials back-propagate into spiny dendrites of central mammalian neurons and thereby regulate plasticity at excitatory synapses on individual spines as well as linear and supralinear integration of synaptic inputs along dendritic branches. Thus, the electrical behaviour of individual dendritic spines and terminal dendritic branches is critical for the integrative function of nerve cells. The actual dynamics of action potentials in spines and terminal branches, however, are not entirely clear, mostly because electrode recording from such small structures is not feasible. Additionally, the available membrane potential imaging techniques are limited in their sensitivity and require substantial signal averaging for the detection of electrical events at the spatial scale of individual spines. We made a critical improvement in the voltage-sensitive dye imaging technique to achieve multisite recordings of backpropagating action potentials from individual dendritic spines at a high frame rate. With this approach, we obtained direct evidence that in layer 5 pyramidal neurons from the visual cortex of juvenile mice, the rapid time course of somatic action potentials is preserved throughout all cellular compartments, including dendritic spines and terminal branches of basal and apical dendrites. The rapid time course of the action potential in spines may be a critical determinant for the precise regulation of spike timing-dependent synaptic plasticity within a narrow time window.
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Affiliation(s)
- Knut Holthoff
- Center for Intergrated Protein Science and Institute of Neuroscience, Technical University Munich, Biedersteinerstr. 29, 80802 München, Germany
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40
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Johnston J, Delaney KR. Synaptic activation of T-type Ca2+ channels via mGluR activation in the primary dendrite of mitral cells. J Neurophysiol 2010; 103:2557-69. [PMID: 20071628 DOI: 10.1152/jn.00796.2009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Mitral cells are the primary output of the olfactory bulb, projecting to many higher brain areas. Understanding how mitral cells process and transmit information is key to understanding olfactory perception. Mitral dendrites possess high densities of voltage-gated channels, are able to initiate and propagate orthodromic and antidromic action potentials, and release neurotransmitter. We show that mitral cells also possess a low-voltage-activated T-type Ca(2+) current. Immunohistochemistry shows strong Cav3.3 labeling in the primary dendrite and apical tuft with weaker staining in basal dendrites and no staining in somata. A low-voltage-activated Ca(2+) current activates from -68 mV, is blocked by 500 microM Ni(2+) and 50 microM NNC 55-0396, but is insensitive to 50 microM Ni(2+) and 500 microM isradipine. 2-photon Ca(2+) imaging shows that T channels are functionally expressed in the primary dendrite where their activity determines the resting [Ca(2+)] and are responsible for subthreshold voltage-dependent Ca(2+) changes previously observed in vivo. Application of the group 1 mGluR agonist dihydroxyphenylglycine (DHPG) (50 microM) robustly upregulates T-channel current in the primary and apical tuft dendrite. Olfactory nerve stimulation generates a long-lasting depolarization, and we show that mGluRs recruit T channels to contribute approximately 36% of the voltage integral of this depolarization. The long-lasting depolarization results in sustained firing and block of T channels decreased action potential firing by 84.1 +/- 4.6%. Therefore upregulation of T channels by mGluRs is required for prolonged firing in response to olfactory nerve input.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jamie Johnston
- Department of Biology, University of Victoria, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
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41
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Abstract
Electrophysiology, the 'gold standard' for investigating neuronal signalling, is being challenged by a new generation of optical probes. Together with new forms of microscopy, these probes allow us to measure and control neuronal signals with spatial resolution and genetic specificity that already greatly surpass those of electrophysiology. We predict that the photon will progressively replace the electron for probing neuronal function, particularly for targeted stimulation and silencing of neuronal populations. Although electrophysiological characterization of channels, cells and neural circuits will remain necessary, new combinations of electrophysiology and imaging should lead to transformational discoveries in neuroscience.
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42
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Paninski L. Fast Kalman filtering on quasilinear dendritic trees. J Comput Neurosci 2009; 28:211-28. [DOI: 10.1007/s10827-009-0200-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/16/2009] [Revised: 11/03/2009] [Accepted: 11/13/2009] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
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43
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Homma R, Baker BJ, Jin L, Garaschuk O, Konnerth A, Cohen LB, Zecevic D. Wide-field and two-photon imaging of brain activity with voltage- and calcium-sensitive dyes. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2009; 364:2453-67. [PMID: 19651647 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2009.0084] [Citation(s) in RCA: 54] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
This review presents three examples of using voltage- or calcium-sensitive dyes to image the activity of the brain. Our aim is to discuss the advantages and disadvantages of each method with particular reference to its application to the study of the brainstem. Two of the examples use wide-field (one-photon) imaging; the third uses two-photon scanning microscopy. Because the measurements have limited signal-to-noise ratio, the paper also discusses the methodological aspects that are critical for optimizing the signal. The three examples are the following. (i) An intracellularly injected voltage-sensitive dye was used to monitor membrane potential in the dendrites of neurons in in vitro preparations. These experiments were directed at understanding how individual neurons convert complex synaptic inputs into the output spike train. (ii) An extracellular, bath application of a voltage-sensitive dye was used to monitor population signals from different parts of the dorsal brainstem. We describe recordings made during respiratory activity. The population signals indicated four different regions with distinct activity correlated with inspiration. (iii) Calcium-sensitive dyes can be used to label many individual cells in the mammalian brain. This approach, combined with two-photon microscopy, made it possible to follow the spike activity in an in vitro brainstem preparation during fictive respiratory rhythms. The organic voltage- and ion-sensitive dyes used today indiscriminatively stain all of the cell types in the preparation. A major effort is underway to develop fluorescent protein sensors of activity for selectively staining individual cell types.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ryota Homma
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Physiology, Yale University School of Medicine, 333 Cedar Street, New Haven, CT 06520, USA.
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Bradley J, Luo R, Otis TS, DiGregorio DA. Submillisecond optical reporting of membrane potential in situ using a neuronal tracer dye. J Neurosci 2009; 29:9197-209. [PMID: 19625510 PMCID: PMC2909666 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.1240-09.2009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 75] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/12/2009] [Revised: 06/02/2009] [Accepted: 06/17/2009] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
A major goal in neuroscience is the development of optical reporters of membrane potential that are easy to use, have limited phototoxicity, and achieve the speed and sensitivity necessary for detection of individual action potentials in single neurons. Here we present a novel, two-component optical approach that attains these goals. By combining DiO, a fluorescent neuronal tracer dye, with dipicrylamine (DPA), a molecule whose membrane partitioning is voltage-sensitive, optical signals related to changes in membrane potential based on FRET (Förster resonance energy transfer) are reported. Using DiO/DPA in HEK-293 cells with diffraction-limited laser spot illumination, depolarization-induced fluorescence changes of 56% per 100 mV (tau approximately 0.1 ms) were obtained, while in neuronal cultures and brain slices, action potentials (APs) generated a Delta F/F per 100 mV of >25%. The high sensitivity provided by DiO/DPA enabled the detection of subthreshold activity and high-frequency APs in single trials from somatic, axonal, or dendritic membrane compartments. Recognizing that DPA can depress excitability, we assayed the amplitude and duration of single APs, burst properties, and spontaneous firing in neurons of primary cultures and brain slices and found that they are undetectably altered by up to 2 microm DPA and only slightly perturbed by 5 microm DPA. These findings substantiate a simple, noninvasive method that relies on a neuronal tracer dye for monitoring electrical signal flow, and offers unique flexibility for the study of signaling within intact neuronal circuits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonathan Bradley
- Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique UMR8118, Laboratoire de Physiologie Cérébrale, Université Paris Descartes, 75006 Paris, France, and
| | - Ray Luo
- Department of Neurobiology, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California 90095
| | - Thomas S. Otis
- Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique UMR8118, Laboratoire de Physiologie Cérébrale, Université Paris Descartes, 75006 Paris, France, and
- Department of Neurobiology, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California 90095
| | - David A. DiGregorio
- Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique UMR8118, Laboratoire de Physiologie Cérébrale, Université Paris Descartes, 75006 Paris, France, and
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Membrane potential changes in dendritic spines during action potentials and synaptic input. J Neurosci 2009; 29:6897-903. [PMID: 19474316 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.5847-08.2009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 101] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Excitatory input onto many neurons in the brain occurs onto specialized projections called dendritic spines. Despite their potential importance in neuronal function, direct experimental evidence on electrical signaling in dendritic spines is lacking as their small size makes them inaccessible to standard electrophysiological techniques. Here, we investigate electrical signaling in dendritic spines using voltage-sensitive dye imaging in cortical pyramidal neurons during backpropagating action potentials and synaptic input. Backpropagating action potentials were found to fully invade dendritic spines without voltage loss. The voltage change in dendritic spines during synaptic input ranged from a few millivolts up to approximately 20 mV. During hyperpolarization of the membrane potential, the amplitude of the synaptic voltage in spines was increased, consistent with the expected change resulting from the increased driving force. This observation suggests that voltage-activated channels do not significantly boost the voltage response in dendritic spines during synaptic input. Finally, we used simulations of our experimental observations in morphologically realistic models to estimate spine neck resistance. These simulations indicated that spine neck resistance ranges up to approximately 500 Mohms. Spine neck resistances of this magnitude reduce somatic EPSPs by <15%, indicating that the spine neck is unlikely to act as a physical device to significantly modify synaptic strength.
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46
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Huys QJM, Paninski L. Smoothing of, and parameter estimation from, noisy biophysical recordings. PLoS Comput Biol 2009; 5:e1000379. [PMID: 19424506 PMCID: PMC2676511 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1000379] [Citation(s) in RCA: 67] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2007] [Accepted: 04/01/2009] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Biophysically detailed models of single cells are difficult to fit to real data. Recent advances in imaging techniques allow simultaneous access to various intracellular variables, and these data can be used to significantly facilitate the modelling task. These data, however, are noisy, and current approaches to building biophysically detailed models are not designed to deal with this. We extend previous techniques to take the noisy nature of the measurements into account. Sequential Monte Carlo ("particle filtering") methods, in combination with a detailed biophysical description of a cell, are used for principled, model-based smoothing of noisy recording data. We also provide an alternative formulation of smoothing where the neural nonlinearities are estimated in a non-parametric manner. Biophysically important parameters of detailed models (such as channel densities, intercompartmental conductances, input resistances, and observation noise) are inferred automatically from noisy data via expectation-maximization. Overall, we find that model-based smoothing is a powerful, robust technique for smoothing of noisy biophysical data and for inference of biophysical parameters in the face of recording noise.
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Affiliation(s)
- Quentin J M Huys
- Gatsby Computational Neuroscience Unit, University College London, London, United Kingdom.
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47
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Wide-field and two-photon imaging of brain activity with voltage- and calcium-sensitive dyes. Methods Mol Biol 2009; 489:43-79. [PMID: 18839087 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-59745-543-5_3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
This chapter presents three examples of imaging brain activity with voltage- or calcium-sensitive dyes. Because experimental measurements are limited by low sensitivity, the chapter then discusses the methodological aspects that are critical for optimal signal-to-noise ratio. Two of the examples use wide-field (1-photon) imaging and the third uses two-photon scanning microscopy. These methods have relatively high temporal resolution ranging from 10 to 10,000 Hz. The three examples are the following: (1) Internally injected voltage-sensitive dye can be used to monitor membrane potential in the dendrites of invertebrate and vertebrate neurons in in vitro preparations. These experiments are directed at understanding how individual neurons convert the complex input synaptic activity into the output spike train. (2) Recently developed methods for staining many individual cells in the mammalian brain with calcium-sensitive dyes together with two-photon microscopy made it possible to follow the spike activity of many neurons simultaneously while in vivo preparations are responding to stimulation. (3) Calcium-sensitive dyes that are internalized into olfactory receptor neurons in the nose will, after several days, be transported to the nerve terminals of these cells in the olfactory bulb glomeruli. There, the population signals can be used as a measure of the input from the nose to the bulb. Three kinds of noise in measuring light intensity are discussed: (1) Shot noise from the random emission of photons from the preparation. (2) Extraneous (technical) noise from external sources. (3) Noise that occurs in the absence of light, the dark noise. In addition, we briefly discuss the light sources, the optics, and the detectors and cameras. The commonly used organic voltage and ion sensitive dyes stain all of the cell types in the preparation indiscriminately. A major effort is underway to find methods for staining individual cell types in the brain selectively. Most of these efforts center around fluorescent protein activity sensors because transgenic methods can be used to express them in individual cell types.
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48
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Acker CD, Antic SD. Quantitative assessment of the distributions of membrane conductances involved in action potential backpropagation along basal dendrites. J Neurophysiol 2008; 101:1524-41. [PMID: 19118105 DOI: 10.1152/jn.00651.2007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Basal dendrites of prefrontal cortical neurons receive strong synaptic drive from recurrent excitatory synaptic inputs. Synaptic integration within basal dendrites is therefore likely to play an important role in cortical information processing. Both synaptic integration and synaptic plasticity depend crucially on dendritic membrane excitability and the backpropagation of action potentials. We carried out multisite voltage-sensitive dye imaging of membrane potential transients from thin basal branches of prefrontal cortical pyramidal neurons before and after application of channel blockers. We found that backpropagating action potentials (bAPs) are predominantly controlled by voltage-gated sodium and A-type potassium channels. In contrast, pharmacologically blocking the delayed rectifier potassium, voltage-gated calcium, or I(h) conductance had little effect on dendritic AP propagation. Optically recorded bAP waveforms were quantified and multicompartmental modeling was used to link the observed behavior with the underlying biophysical properties. The best-fit model included a nonuniform sodium channel distribution with decreasing conductance with distance from the soma, together with a nonuniform (increasing) A-type potassium conductance. AP amplitudes decline with distance in this model, but to a lesser extent than previously thought. We used this model to explore the mechanisms underlying two sets of published data involving high-frequency trains of APs and the local generation of sodium spikelets. We also explored the conditions under which I(A) down-regulation would produce branch strength potentiation in the proposed model. Finally, we discuss the hypothesis that a fraction of basal branches may have different membrane properties compared with sister branches in the same dendritic tree.
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Affiliation(s)
- Corey D Acker
- Department of Neuroscience, UConn Health Center, Farmington, CT 06030, USA
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49
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Lin JW. Electrophysiological events recorded at presynaptic terminals of the crayfish neuromuscular junction with a voltage indicator. J Physiol 2008; 586:4935-50. [PMID: 18755747 DOI: 10.1113/jphysiol.2008.158089] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
The water-soluble voltage indicator JPW1114 was used to stain thin axons and terminal varicosities of the crayfish neuromuscular junction. A slow, overnight injection protocol was developed to brightly stain fine structures without cytotoxicity. Fluorescence transients filtered at 2 kHz showed that the duration of terminal action potentials was shorter than that of those recorded in the main trunk of the axons. In addition, the repolarization phases of the terminal and axonal action potentials overlapped in time, suggesting that the entire axonal arborization repolarizes simultaneously. Manipulating resting membrane potential, +/-15-20 mV, did not alter the peak level or duration of action potentials if they fired in isolation. A prolongation of action potential, by 23%, could be induced if a 10-spike burst at 100 Hz was fired from depolarized membrane potential. No such change was observed when the high frequency train was fired from resting or hyperpolarized levels. Microelectrodes in the main trunk of axons typically recorded a depolarizing after-potential (DAP) following an action potential initiated from resting membrane potential. The DAP could be inverted and enlarged by depolarization and hyperpolarization, respectively. Fluorescence transients recorded from terminals exhibited similar DAP characteristics. The ratio of DAP to action potential amplitude recorded from terminals was similar to that recorded from the main axon. Thus, the entire axonal arborization returned to resting level in a spatially uniform manner during the DAP. The functional significance of DAP is discussed in the light of these observations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jen-Wei Lin
- Biology Department, Boston University, 5 Cummington Street, Boston, MA 02215, USA.
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Combining voltage and calcium imaging from neuronal dendrites. Cell Mol Neurobiol 2008; 28:1079-93. [PMID: 18500551 DOI: 10.1007/s10571-008-9285-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2008] [Accepted: 05/07/2008] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Abstract
The ability to monitor membrane potential (V(m)) and calcium (Ca(2+)) transients at multiple locations on the same neuron can facilitate further progress in our understanding of neuronal function. Here we describe a method to combine V(m) and Ca(2+) imaging using styryl voltage sensitive dyes and Fura type UV-excitable Ca(2+) indicators. In all cases V(m) optical signals are linear with membrane potential changes, but the calibration of optical signals on an absolute scale is presently possible only in some neurons. The interpretation of Ca(2+) optical signals depends on the indicator Ca(2+) buffering capacity relative to the cell endogenous buffering capacity. In hippocampal CA1 pyramidal neurons, loaded with JPW-3028 and 300 microM Bis-Fura-2, V(m) optical signals cannot be calibrated and the physiological Ca(2+) dynamics are compromised by the presence of the indicator. Nevertheless, at each individual site, relative changes in V (m) and Ca(2+) fluorescence signals under different conditions can provide meaningful new information on local dendritic integration. In cerebellar Purkinje neurons, loaded with JPW-1114 and 1 mM Fura-FF, V(m) optical signals can be calibrated in terms of mV and Ca(2+) optical signals quantitatively reveal the physiological changes in free Ca(2+). Using these two examples, the method is explained in detail.
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