scholarly journals The initiation of bursts in thalamic neurons and the cortical control of thalamic sensitivity

2002 ◽  
Vol 357 (1428) ◽  
pp. 1649-1657 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alain Destexhe ◽  
Terrence J. Sejnowski

Thalamic neurons generate high–frequency bursts of action potentials when a low–threshold (T–type) calcium current, located in soma and dendrites, becomes activated. Computational models were used to investigate the bursting properties of thalamic relay and reticular neurons. These two types of thalamic cells differ fundamentally in their ability to generate bursts following either excitatory or inhibitory events. Bursts generated with excitatory inputs in relay cells required a high degree of convergence from excitatory inputs, whereas moderate excitation drove burst discharges in reticular neurons from hyperpolarized levels. The opposite holds for inhibitory rebound bursts, which are more difficult to evoke in reticular neurons than in relay cells. The differences between the reticular neurons and thalamocortical neurons were due to different kinetics of the T–current, different electrotonic properties and different distribution patterns of the T–current in the two cell types. These properties enable the cortex to control the sensitivity of the thalamus to inputs and are also important for understanding states such as absence seizures.

1985 ◽  
Vol 54 (6) ◽  
pp. 1473-1497 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Steriade ◽  
M. Deschenes ◽  
L. Domich ◽  
C. Mulle

The effects of depriving thalamic relay and intralaminar nuclei from their reticularis thalami (RE) inputs were investigated in acute and chronic experiments on cat. In acutely prepared animals, two (frontal and parasagittal) thalamic transections were made; extracellular and intracellular recordings were performed in RE-disconnected thalamic nuclei. In chronic experiments, the RE nuclear complex was lesioned by means of kainic acid injections; the activity of RE-deprived thalamocortical neurons was extracellularly studied during wakefulness and synchronized sleep. Two features distinguish RE-deprived nuclei from normal thalamic nuclei: absence of spindle-wave rhythmicity and all-burst activity of neurons. The abolition of spindle-related rhythms (sequences of 7- to 14-Hz waves recurring periodically with a rhythm of 0.1-0.2 Hz) in RE-disconnected thalamic nuclei and ipsilateral neocortical areas contrasted with normal spindling rhythmicity in contralateral EEG leads. Spontaneously occurring, rhythmic, long-lasting inhibitory postsynaptic potentials (IPSPs), as observed in intact preparations, were no longer observed in RE-disconnected thalamic neurons. The remaining inhibitory events consisted of short-duration IPSPs. The possibility that RE nucleus is a pacemaker for spindling rhythms, imposing them through inhibitory projections to target thalamic areas, is supported by our concurrent experiments that indicate RE neurons preserve their rhythmicity after disconnection from their major (cortical and thalamic) input sources. RE-deprived thalamocortical neurons exclusively exhibit high-frequency spike bursts whose intrinsic structure is identical to that of intact thalamic relay cells. Instead of the spindle-related sequences of bursts seen in normal animals, the bursts of RE-disconnected thalamocortical neurons are single events, with a dramatic rhythmicity at 1-2 Hz. The presumed mechanism of this rhythmicity is the periodic activation of a low-threshold somatic conductance whose deinactivation is brought about by temporal integration of short-lasting IPSPs. It is known that high-frequency spike bursts of thalamic relay neurons result from hyperpolarization of cell membrane. We blocked the underlying inhibitory events by bicuculline and reversibly changed the all-burst activity of RE-disconnected neurons into a tonic mode. Since the only activity of RE-deprived thalamocortical neurons consists of burst discharges, we hypothesize that local-circuit GABAergic neurons are released from inhibition after RE disconnection or lesion.


Geosciences ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (7) ◽  
pp. 269
Author(s):  
Olga V. Postnikova ◽  
Alexander V. Postnikov ◽  
Olga A. Zueva ◽  
Artem E. Kozionov ◽  
Ekaterina V. Milovanova ◽  
...  

The deposits of the Bazhenov formation are a unique reservoir of unconventional oil reserves in Western Siberia. They contain both solid organic matter (kerogen) and liquid light oil. The successful development of these hydrocarbons is largely determined by the adequacy of the void space models. The aim of the study is to identify the types of void space in the sediments of the Bazhenov formation and to identify the distribution patterns across the section of the researched wells. The void space was studied by electron and optical microscopy, and the mineral composition of the rocks was determined by X-ray diffraction analysis. The deposits of the Bazhenov productive formation in the territory of Western Siberia are represented by a wide complex of lithotypes, including various kinds of silicites, carbonate, clay rocks, and mixtites. The reservoir space in the reservoir rocks of the Bazhenov formation is a complex and hierarchically subordinated system, which includes voids and fractures of various sizes, configurations, and genesis. The void space of the Bazhenov formation is characterized by a fairly high degree of spatial heterogeneity, which is controlled by lithological, facies, and tectonic factors, as well as the direction of catagenetic processes.


2017 ◽  
Vol 71 (12) ◽  
pp. 2626-2631 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeffrey L. Wheeler ◽  
McKinley Pugh ◽  
S. Jake Atkins ◽  
Jason M. Porter

In this work, the thermal stability of the room temperature ionic liquid (RTIL) 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium ethylsulfate ([EMIM][EtSO4]) is investigated using infrared (IR) spectroscopy. Quantitative IR absorption spectral data are measured for heated [EMIM][EtSO4]. Spectra have been collected between 25 ℃ and 100 ℃ using a heated optical cell. Multiple samples and cell pathlengths are used to determine quantitative values for the molar absorptivity of [EMIM][EtSO4]. These results are compared to previous computational models of the ion pair. These quantitative spectra are used to measure the rate of thermal decomposition of [EMIM][EtSO4] at elevated temperatures. The spectroscopic measurements of the rate of decomposition show that thermogravimetric methods overestimate the thermal stability of [EMIM][EtSO4].


1984 ◽  
Vol 4 (9) ◽  
pp. 1800-1806
Author(s):  
T H Bestor ◽  
S B Hellewell ◽  
V M Ingram

Methyl-accepting assays and a sensitive method for labeling specific CpG sites have been used to show that the DNA of F9 embryonal carcinoma cells decreases in 5-methylcytosine content by ca. 9% during retinoic acid-induced differentiation, whereas the DNA of dimethyl sulfoxide-induced Friend murine erythroleukemia (MEL) cells loses ca. 3.8% of its methyl groups. These values correspond to the demethylation of 2.2 X 10(6) and 0.9 X 10(6) 5'-CpG-3' sites per haploid genome in differentiating F9 and MEL cells, respectively. Fluorography of DNA restriction fragments methylated in vitro and displayed on agarose gels showed that demethylation occurred throughout the genome. In uninduced F9 cells, the sequence TCGA tended to be more heavily methylated than did the sequence CCGG, whereas this tendency was reversed in MEL cells. The kinetics of in vitro DNA methylation reactions catalyzed by MEL cell DNA methyltransferase showed that substantial numbers of hemimethylated sites accumulate in the DNA of terminally differentiating F9 and MEL cells, implying that a partial loss of DNA-methylating activity may accompany terminal differentiation in these two cell types.


2009 ◽  
Vol 101 (6) ◽  
pp. 2741-2750 ◽  
Author(s):  
Li Zhang ◽  
Leo P. Renaud ◽  
Miloslav Kolaj

Burst firing mediated by a low-threshold spike (LTS) is the hallmark of many thalamic neurons. However, postburst afterhyperpolarizations (AHPs) are relatively uncommon in thalamus. We now report data from patch-clamp recordings in rat brain slice preparations that reveal an LTS-induced slow AHP (sAHP) in thalamic paraventricular (PVT) and other midline neurons, but not in ventrobasal or reticular thalamic neurons. The LTS-induced sAHP lasts 8.9 ± 0.4 s and has a novel pharmacology, with resistance to tetrodotoxin and cadmium and reduction by Ni2+ or nominally zero extracellular calcium concentration, which also attenuate both the LTS and sAHP. The sAHP is inhibited by 10 mM intracellular EGTA or by equimolar replacement of extracellular Ca2+ with Sr2+, consistent with select activation of LVA T-type Ca2+ channels and subsequent Ca2+ influx. In control media, the sAHP reverses near EK+, shifting to −78 mV in 10.1 mM [K+]o and is reduced by Ba2+ or tetraethylammonium. Although these data are consistent with opening of Ca2+-activated K+ channels, this sAHP lacks sensitivity to specific Ca2+-activated K+ channel blockers apamin, iberiotoxin, charybdotoxin, and UCL-2077. The LTS-induced sAHP is suppressed by a β-adrenoceptor agonist isoproterenol, a serotonin 5-HT7 receptor agonist 5-CT, a neuropeptide orexin-A, and by stimulation of the cAMP/protein kinase A pathway with 8-Br-cAMP and forskolin. The data suggest that PVT and certain midline thalamic neurons possess an LTS-induced sAHP that is pharmacologically distinct and may be important for information transfer in thalamic–limbic circuitry during states of attentiveness and motivation.


Interest in nucleic acid hybridization stems mainly from its great power as a tool in biological research. It is used in several quite distinct ways. Because of the high degree of specificity that they show, hybridization techniques can be used to measure the amount of one specific sequence within a very heterogeneous mixture of sequences. Measurements of 1/10 6 -10 7 have been recorded. In extension of this, various properties of a specific sequence can often be studied. Secondly, because the kinetics of nucleic acid hybridization are quite well understood, it can be used to characterize both a pure sequence and a very complex mixture of sequences, like the genome of a vertebrate. Thirdly, again because of its specificity, it can be used to measure homologies between different populations of nucleic acids. Lastly, in conjunction with other techniques, it can be used as a basis for the fractionation of nucleic acid populations and the purification of specific sequences. Specific examples of these applications are given, with special reference to the organization of the genome in higher eukaryotes.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eli Amson ◽  
Faysal Bibi

AbstractThe skeleton is involved in most aspects of vertebrate life history. Previous macroevolutionary analyses have shown that structural, historical, and functional factors influence the gross morphology of bone. The inner structure of bone has, however, received comparatively little attention. Here we address this gap in our understanding of vertebrate evolution by quantifying bone structure in appendicular and axial elements (humerus and mid-lumbar vertebra) across therian mammals (placentals + marsupials). Our sampling captures all transitions to aerial, fully aquatic, and subterranean lifestyles in extant mammal clades. We found that mammalian inner bone structure is highly disparate. We show that vertebral structure mostly correlates with body size, but not lifestyle, while the opposite is true for humeral structure. The latter also shows a high degree of convergence among the clades that have acquired specialised lifestyles. Our results suggest that radically different extrinsic constraints can apply to bone structure in different skeletal elements.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dandan Zhao ◽  
Tadiyose Girma Bekele ◽  
Hongxia Zhao

Abstract Benzotriazole ultraviolet stabilizers (BUVSs) have received increasing attention due to their widespread usage, ubiquitous detection and their adverse ecological effect. However, information about the bioaccumulation potential of BUVSs and their joint exposure with heavy metals remains scarce. In this study, we investigated the bioaccumulation kinetics of 6 frequently reported BUVSs in common carp under different Cu concentration for 48 d, and their tissue-specific distribution patterns (liver, kidney, gill, and muscle tissues) were also evaluated. The bioconcentration factors (BCFs) and half-lives (t1/2) in the tissues ranged from 5.73 (UV-PS) to 1076 (UV-327), and 2.19 (UV-PS) to 31.5 (UV-320) days, respectively. The tissue-specific concentration and BCF values followed the order of liver > kidney > gill > muscle with or without Cu exposure. An increase in BCF with rising Cu concentration was observed, which is caused by the decreased depuration rate (k2) in more than half of treatment groups. These results indicated that BUVSs accumulated in fish and provides important insight into the risk assessment of this group of chemicals.


Development ◽  
1996 ◽  
Vol 122 (2) ◽  
pp. 647-658
Author(s):  
N. Maeda ◽  
M. Noda

6B4 proteoglycan/phosphacan is one of the major phosphate-buffered saline-soluble chondroitin sulfate proteoglycans of the brain. Recently, this molecule has been demonstrated to be an extracellular variant of the proteoglycan-type protein tyrosine phosphatase, PTPzeta (RPTPbeta). The influence of the 6B4 proteoglycan, adsorbed onto the substratum, on cell adhesion and neurite outgrowth was studied using dissociated neurons from the cerebral cortex and thalamus. 6B4 proteoglycan adsorbed onto plastic tissue culture dishes did not support neuronal cell adhesion, but rather exerted repulsive effects on cortical and thalamic neurons. When neurons were densely seeded on patterned substrata consisting of a grid-like structure of alternating poly-L-lysine and 6B4 proteoglycan-coated poly-L-lysine domains, they were concentrated on the poly-L-lysine domains. However, 6B4 proteoglycan did not retard the differentiation of neurons but rather promoted neurite outgrowth and development of the dendrites of cortical neurons, when neurons were sparsely seeded on poly-L-lysine-conditioned coverslips continuously coated with 6B4 proteoglycan. This effect of 6B4 proteoglycan on the neurite extension of cortical neurons was apparent even on coverslips co-coated with fibronectin or tenascin. By contrast, the neurite extension of thalamic neurons was not modified by 6B4 proteoglycan. Chondroitinase ABC or keratanase digestion of 6B4 proteoglycan did not affect its neurite outgrowth promoting activity, but a polyclonal antibody against 6B4 proteoglycan completely suppressed this activity, suggesting that a protein moiety is responsible for the activity. 6B4 proteoglycan transiently promoted tyrosine phosphorylation of an 85x10(3) Mr protein in the cortical neurons, which correlated with the induction of neurite outgrowth. These results suggest that 6B4 proteoglycan/phosphacan modulates morphogenesis and differentiation of neurons dependent on its spatiotemporal distribution and the cell types in the brain.


2019 ◽  
Vol 36 (6) ◽  
pp. 1908-1914 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ying-Ying Xu ◽  
Hong-Bin Shen ◽  
Robert F Murphy

Abstract Motivation Systematic and comprehensive analysis of protein subcellular location as a critical part of proteomics (‘location proteomics’) has been studied for many years, but annotating protein subcellular locations and understanding variation of the location patterns across various cell types and states is still challenging. Results In this work, we used immunohistochemistry images from the Human Protein Atlas as the source of subcellular location information, and built classification models for the complex protein spatial distribution in normal and cancerous tissues. The models can automatically estimate the fractions of protein in different subcellular locations, and can help to quantify the changes of protein distribution from normal to cancer tissues. In addition, we examined the extent to which different annotated protein pathways and complexes showed similarity in the locations of their member proteins, and then predicted new potential proteins for these networks. Availability and implementation The dataset and code are available at: www.csbio.sjtu.edu.cn/bioinf/complexsubcellularpatterns. Supplementary information Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.


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