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Postsynaptic potentials and morphology of tectal cells responding to electrical stimulation of the bullfrog nucleus isthmi

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 June 2009

S.R. Wang  and
N. Matsumoto
S.R. Wang
Affiliation:
Department of Visual Information Processing, Institute of Biophysics, Academia Sinica, 100080 Beijing, China
N. Matsumoto
Affiliation:
Department of Biophysical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering Science, Osaka University, Osaka 560, Japan
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Abstract

Postsynaptic responses of tectal cells in the bullfrog (Rana catesbeiana) were intracellularly recorded following electrical stimulation of the optic tract and the nucleus isthmi, and fluorescent dye, Lucifer yellow, was injected into some of the impaled cells to show their morphologies. Two main response types were found: The first type was an EPSP followed by an IPSP, and the second type was single IPSP. The first type predominates in cells responding to the optic tract stimulation and the second type prevails in cells responding to the isthmic stimulation. Fifteen cells stained with Lucifer yellow were localized in layer 6 (11 cells), layer 7 (1 cell), and layer 8 (3 cells). They were mainly identified as pear-shaped cells, large ganglionic cells, and stellate cells. Three injections demonstrated “dye-coupling,” which labeled up to six cells following one injection. Comparisons of postsynaptic potentials with cellular morphologies suggested that the nucleus isthmi could directly excite large ganglionic neurons in layer 6. Synaptic mechanisms for strong isthmic inhibition on the tectal neurons remain unknown.

Keywords

Electrical stimulationIntracellular stainingPostsynaptic potentialTectal neuronNucleus isthmiBullfrog
Type
Research Article
Information
Visual Neuroscience , Volume 5 , Issue 5 , November 1990 , pp. 479 - 488
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1990

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