| HOME | HELP | FEEDBACK | SUBSCRIPTIONS | ARCHIVE | SEARCH |
|
|
|
|||||||
|
|||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
1 Neurophysiology, Gunma University Graduate School of Medicine, Maebashi, Gunma 371-8511, Japan; Anesthesiology, Gunma University Graduate School of Medicine, Maebashi, Gunma 371-8511, Japan
2 Neurophysiology, Gunma University Graduate School of Medicine, Maebashi, Gunma 371-8511, Japan
* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: syasu{at}med.gunma-u.ac.jp.
In previous studies, neurons in the medial vestibular nucleus (MVN) were classified mainly into two types according to their intrinsic membrane properties in in vitro slice preparations. However, it has not been determined whether the classified neurons are excitatory or inhibitory ones. In the present study, to clarify the relationship between the chemical and electrophysiological properties of MVN neurons, we explored mRNAs of cellular markers for GABAergic (glutamic acid decarboxylase 65, 67, and neuronal GABA transporter), glutamatergic (vesicular glutamate transporter 1 and 2), glycinergic (glycine transporter 2), and cholinergic neurons (choline acetyltransferase and vesicular acetylcholine transporter) expressed in electrophysiologically characterized MVN neurons in rat brainstem slice preparations. For this purpose, we combined whole-cell patch clamp recording analysis with single-cell reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) analysis. We examined the membrane properties such as afterhyperpolarization (AHP), firing pattern, and response to hyperpolarizing current pulse to classify MVN neurons. From the single-cell RT-PCR analysis, we found that GABAergic neurons consisted of heterogeneous populations with different membrane properties. Comparison of the membrane properties of GABAergic neurons with those of other neurons revealed that AHPs without slow components and a firing pattern with delayed spike generation (late spiking) were preferential properties of GABAergic neurons. On the other hand, most glutamatergic neurons formed a homogeneous subclass of neurons exhibiting AHPs with slow components, repetitive firings with constant interspike intervals (continuous spiking), and time-dependent inward rectification in response to hyperpolarizing current pulses. We also found a small number of cholinergic neurons with various membrane properties. These findings clarify the electrophysiological properties of excitatory and inhibitory neurons in the MVN, and the information about the preferential membrane properties may be useful for identifying GABAergic and glutamatergic MVN neurons electrophysiologically.
This article has been cited by other articles:
|
|
 |
|
  A. H. Gittis and S. du Lac Similar Properties of Transient, Persistent, and Resurgent Na Currents in GABAergic and Non-GABAergic Vestibular Nucleus Neurons J Neurophysiol, May 1, 2008; 99(5): 2060 - 2065. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
S. Biesdorf, D. Malinvaud, I. Reichenberger, S. Pfanzelt, and H. Straka Differential Inhibitory Control of Semicircular Canal Nerve Afferent-Evoked Inputs in Second-Order Vestibular Neurons by Glycinergic and GABAergic Circuits J Neurophysiol, April 1, 2008; 99(4): 1758 - 1769. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
M. Beraneck and K. E. Cullen Activity of Vestibular Nuclei Neurons During Vestibular and Optokinetic Stimulation in the Alert Mouse J Neurophysiol, September 1, 2007; 98(3): 1549 - 1565. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
A. H. Gittis and S. du Lac Firing Properties of GABAergic Versus Non-GABAergic Vestibular Nucleus Neurons Conferred by a Differential Balance of Potassium Currents J Neurophysiol, June 1, 2007; 97(6): 3986 - 3996. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 M. W. Bagnall, R. J. Stevens, and S. du Lac Transgenic Mouse Lines Subdivide Medial Vestibular Nucleus Neurons into Discrete, Neurochemically Distinct Populations J. Neurosci., February 28, 2007; 27(9): 2318 - 2330. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
A. J. Camp, R. J. Callister, and A. M. Brichta Inhibitory Synaptic Transmission Differs in Mouse Type A and B Medial Vestibular Nucleus Neurons In Vitro J Neurophysiol, May 1, 2006; 95(5): 3208 - 3218. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
C. Sekirnjak and S. du Lac Physiological and Anatomical Properties of Mouse Medial Vestibular Nucleus Neurons Projecting to the Oculomotor Nucleus J Neurophysiol, May 1, 2006; 95(5): 3012 - 3023. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
R. Benini and M. Avoli Altered Inhibition in Lateral Amygdala Networks in a Rat Model of Temporal Lobe Epilepsy J Neurophysiol, April 1, 2006; 95(4): 2143 - 2154. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
| HOME | HELP | FEEDBACK | SUBSCRIPTIONS | ARCHIVE | SEARCH |
| Visit Other APS Journals Online |
