Motor controls of opaline secretion in Aplysia californica

1980 ◽  
Vol 43 (3) ◽  
pp. 581-594 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. H. Tritt ◽  
J. H. Byrne
Keyword(s):  
Motor Neurons ◽  
Synaptic Input ◽  
Spike Activity ◽  
Aplysia Californica ◽  
Low Frequency ◽  
Synaptic Activity ◽  
Biophysical Properties ◽  
Ganglion Neurons ◽  
Pleural Ganglion

1. Using combined morphological and electrophysiological techniques, we have identified motor neurons in the right pleural ganglion of Aplysia californica that contribute to the release of opaline from the opaline gland. 2. Three pleural ganglion neurons were found to meet the requirements for identification as opaline gland motor neurons by a) sending processes in nerve P5, which innervates the gland; b) producing contractions of the gland in the absence of central synaptic activity; and c) producing excitatory junctional potentials (EJPs) in cells making up the opaline gland itself. The neurons can be reliably located and have been designated PLR1, PLR2, and PLR3. 3. When gland contraction is measured by the change in luminal pressure, the gland response is a graded function of low-frequency spike activity in the motor neurons. 4. Presumptive EJPs recorded from opaline gland cells are reversibly decreased in size by high extracellular Mg2+ and reversibly increased in size by raising the concentration of extracellular Ca2+. These results suggest that the presumptive EJPs are chemically mediated. The presumptive EJPs show facilitation and posttetanic potentiation. 5. The identified opaline motor neurons may constitute a significant portion of the motor input to the opaline gland via nerve P5 since hyperpolarization of the cells prevents the opaline gland response elicited by right connective stimulation in vitro. 6. We have compared the properties of the opaline motor neurons with the previously identified properties of the ink motor neurons (6--9, 19). Like the ink motor neurons, the opaline motor neurons have high resting potentials, are electrically coupled, and have no spontaneous spike activity. They also receive a slow and long-lasting evoked depolarizing synaptic input, which appears to be mediated by a decreased conductance mechanism. The firing pattern of the opaline motor neurons produced by synaptic input shows the same delayed bursting pattern previously described for the ink motor neurons. 7. The biophysical properties and synaptic input to the ink motor neurons have been shown to affect the features of inking behavior (4, 6--9, 19). The opaline motor neurons share some of these biophysical characteristics and mediate a defensive behavior similar to ink release. Further comparisons of these behaviors and their underlying neural circuits may provide a better understanding of the extent to which cellular biophysical properties and patterns of synaptic input influence the features of the behaviors that individual neurons mediate.

Circumferential, not longitudinal, colonic stretch increases synaptic input to mouse prevertebral ganglion neurons

2003 ◽  
Vol 285 (6) ◽  
pp. G1129-G1138 ◽  
Author(s):  
Steven M. Miller ◽  
J. H. Szurszewski
Keyword(s):  
Synaptic Input ◽  
Muscle Tension ◽  
Circular Muscle ◽  
Longitudinal Axis ◽  
Muscle Layer ◽  
Intraluminal Pressure ◽  
Colon Wall ◽  
Mesenteric Ganglion ◽  
Ganglion Neurons

The relationship between longitudinal and circular muscle tension in the mouse colon and mechanosensory excitatory synaptic input to neurons in the superior mesenteric ganglion (SMG) was investigated in vitro. Electrical activity was recorded intracellularly from SMG neurons, and muscle tension was simultaneously monitored in the longitudinal, circumferential, or both axes. Colonic intraluminal pressure and volume changes were also monitored simultaneously with muscle tension changes. The results showed that the frequency of fast excitatory postsynaptic potentials (fEPSPs) in SMG neurons increased when colonic muscle tension decreased, when the colon relaxed and refilled with fluid after contraction, and during receptive relaxation preceding spontaneous colonic contractions. In contrast, fEPSP frequency decreased when colonic muscle tension increased during spontaneous colonic contraction and emptying. Manual stretch of the colon wall to 10-15% beyond resting length in the circumferential axis of flat sheet preparations increased fEPSP frequency in SMG neurons, but stretch in the longitudinal axis to 15% beyond resting length in the same preparations did not. There was no increase in synaptic input when tubular colon segments were stretched in their long axes up to 20% beyond their resting length. The circumferential stretch-sensitive increase in the frequency of synaptic input to SMG neurons persisted when the colonic muscles were relaxed pharmacologically by nifedipine (2 μM) or nicardipine (3 μM). These results suggest that colonic mechanosensory afferent nerves projecting to the SMG function as length or stretch detectors in parallel to the circular muscle layer.

Conopressin G, a molluscan vasopressin-like peptide, alters gill behaviors in Aplysia

1992 ◽  
Vol 70 (2) ◽  
pp. 259-267 ◽  
Author(s):  
Manuel Martínez-Padrón ◽  
William R. Gray ◽  
Ken Lukowiak
Keyword(s):  
Motor Neuron ◽  
Motor Neurons ◽  
Aplysia Californica ◽  
Behavioral Effects ◽  
Behavioral State ◽  
Neural Correlate ◽  
Structural Analogue ◽  
Withdrawal Reflex ◽  
Similar Peptide

Superfusion of an invertebrate vasopressin structural analogue, conopressin G, over the abdominal ganglion of an in vitro preparation of Aplysia californica has significant neurophysiological and behavioral effects. Both the amplitude of the siphon-evoked gill withdrawal reflex and concomitant activity in gill motor neurons are reduced in the presence of conopressin G. Moreover, the frequency of spontaneous gill movements and their neural correlate, interneuron II activity, are increased. These behavioral modifications strongly resemble those that occur during the food-aroused behavioral state in intact Aplysia. In addition, conopressin G superfusion reduces both the excitability of gill motor neurons and the strength of gill contractions in response to gill motor neuron discharges elicited by direct depolarizing current. A role for conopressin G or a similar peptide in the modulation of gill behaviors associated with the food-aroused state is suggested.Key words: Aplysia californica, conopressin G, gill withdrawal reflex, spontaneous gill movements.

scholarly journals “Stretch-Growth” of Motor Axons in Custom Mechanobioreactors to Generate Long-Projecting Axonal and Axonal-Myocyte Constructs

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kritika S. Katiyar ◽  
Laura A. Struzyna ◽  
Suradip Das ◽  
D. Kacy Cullen
Keyword(s):  
Spinal Cord ◽  
Nervous System ◽  
Motor Neuron ◽  
Motor Neurons ◽  
Motor Axon ◽  
Central Feature ◽  
Motor Axons ◽  
Ganglion Neurons

AbstractThe central feature of peripheral motor axons is their remarkable lengths as they project from a motor neuron residing in the spinal cord to an often-distant target muscle. However, to date in vitro models have not replicated this central feature owing to challenges in generating motor axon tracts beyond a few millimeters in length. To address this, we have developed a novel combination of micro-tissue engineering and mechanically assisted growth techniques to create long-projecting centimeter-scale motor axon tracts. Here, primary motor neurons were isolated from the spinal cords of rats and induced to form engineered micro-spheres via forced aggregation in custom micro-wells. This three-dimensional micro-tissue yielded healthy motor neurons projecting dense, fasciculated axonal tracts. Within our custom-built mechanobioreactors, motor neuron culture conditions, neuronal/axonal architecture, and mechanical growth conditions were systematically optimized to generate parameters for robust and efficient “stretch-growth” of motor axons. We found that axons projecting from motor neuron aggregates were able to respond to axon displacement rates at least 10 times greater than that tolerated by axons projecting from dissociated motor neurons. The growth and structural characteristics of these stretch-grown motor axons were compared to benchmark stretch-grown axons from sensory dorsal root ganglion neurons, revealing similar axon densities yet increased motor axon fasciculation. Finally, motor axons were integrated with myocytes and then stretch-grown to create novel long-projecting axonal-myocyte constructs that better recreate characteristic dimensions of native nerve-muscle anatomy. This is the first demonstration of mechanical elongation of spinal cord motor axons and may have applications as anatomically inspired in vitro testbeds or as tissue engineered “living scaffolds” for targeted axon tract reconstruction following nervous system injury or disease.Significance StatementWe have developed novel axon tracts of unprecedented lengths spanning either two discrete populations of neurons or a population of neurons and skeletal myocytes. This is the first demonstration of “stretch-grown” motor axons that recapitulate the structure of spinal motor neurons in vivo by projecting long axons from a pool of motor neurons to distant targets, and may have applications as anatomically inspired in vitro test beds to study mechanisms of axon growth, development, and neuromuscular function in anatomically accurate axo-myo constructs; as well as serve as “living scaffolds” in vivo for targeted axon tract reconstruction following nervous system trauma.

scholarly journals On the localization of complex sounds: temporal encoding based on input-slope coincidence detection of envelopes

2014 ◽  
Vol 112 (4) ◽  
pp. 802-813 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yan Gai ◽  
Vibhakar C. Kotak ◽  
Dan H. Sanes ◽  
John Rinzel
Keyword(s):  
Synaptic Input ◽  
High Frequency ◽  
Computational Models ◽  
Low Frequency ◽  
Cellular Level ◽  
Coincidence Detection ◽  
Detection Mechanism ◽  
Complex Sounds ◽  
Frequency Sound

Behavioral and neural findings demonstrate that animals can locate low-frequency sounds along the azimuth by detecting microsecond interaural time differences (ITDs). Information about ITDs is also available in the amplitude modulations (i.e., envelope) of high-frequency sounds. Since medial superior olivary (MSO) neurons encode low-frequency ITDs, we asked whether they employ a similar mechanism to process envelope ITDs with high-frequency carriers, and the effectiveness of this mechanism compared with the process of low-frequency sound. We developed a novel hybrid in vitro dynamic-clamp approach, which enabled us to mimic synaptic input to brain-slice neurons in response to virtual sound and to create conditions that cannot be achieved naturally but are useful for testing our hypotheses. For each simulated ear, a virtual sound, computer generated, was used as input to a computational auditory-nerve model. Model spike times were converted into synaptic input for MSO neurons, and ITD tuning curves were derived for several virtual-sound conditions: low-frequency pure tones, high-frequency tones modulated with two types of envelope, and speech sequences. Computational models were used to verify the physiological findings and explain the biophysical mechanism underlying the observed ITD coding. Both recordings and simulations indicate that MSO neurons are sensitive to ITDs carried by spectrotemporally complex virtual sounds, including speech tokens. Our findings strongly suggest that MSO neurons can encode ITDs across a broad-frequency spectrum using an input-slope-based coincidence-detection mechanism. Our data also provide an explanation at the cellular level for human localization performance involving high-frequency sound described by previous investigators.

scholarly journals Potential Role of Synaptic Activity to Inhibit LTD Induction in Rat Visual Cortex

2016 ◽  
Vol 2016 ◽  
pp. 1-10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthew R. Stewart ◽  
Hans C. Dringenberg
Keyword(s):  
Visual Cortex ◽  
Low Frequency ◽  
Synaptic Activity ◽  
Brain State ◽  
Complex Activity ◽  
Intact Brain ◽  
Frequency Stimulation ◽  
Cortical Synapses

Long-term depression (LTD), a widely studied form of activity-dependent synaptic plasticity, is typically induced by prolonged low-frequency stimulation (LFS). Interestingly, LFS is highly effective in eliciting LTDin vitro, but much less so underin vivoconditions; the reasons for the resistance of the intact brain to express LTD are not well understood. We examined if levels of background electrocorticographic (ECoG) activity influence LTD induction in the thalamocortical visual system of rats under very deep urethane anesthesia, inducing a brain state of reduced spontaneous cortical activity. Under these conditions, LFS applied to the lateral geniculate nucleus resulted in LTD of field postsynaptic potentials (fPSPs) recorded in the primary visual cortex (V1). Pairing LFS with stimulation of the brainstem (pedunculopontine) reticular formation resulted in the appearance of faster, more complex activity in V1 and prevented LTD induction, an effect that did not require muscarinic or nicotinic receptors. Reticular stimulation alone (without LFS) had no effect on cortical fPSPs. These results show that excitation of the brainstem activating system blocks the induction of LTD in V1. Thus, higher levels of neural activity may inhibit depression at cortical synapses, a hypothesis that could explain discrepancies regarding LTD induction in previousin vivoandin vitrowork.

scholarly journals A frequency-dependent mobilization of heterogeneous pools of synaptic vesicles shapes presynaptic plasticity

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Frédéric Doussau ◽  
Hartmut Schmidt ◽  
Kevin Dorgans ◽  
Antoine M. Valera ◽  
Bernard Poulain ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Granule Cell ◽  
Synaptic Vesicles ◽  
Low Frequency ◽  
Synaptic Activity ◽  
High Frequency Stimulation ◽  
Frequency Dependent ◽  
Readily Releasable Pool ◽  
Low Frequency Stimulation ◽  
Frequency Stimulation

ABSTRACTThe segregation of the readily releasable pool of synaptic vesicles (RRP) in sub-pool which are differentially poised for exocytosis shapes short-term plasticity at depressing synapses. Here, we used in vitro recording and modeling of synaptic activity at the facilitating mice cerebellar granule cell to Purkinje cell synapse to demonstrate the existence of two sub-pools of vesicles in the RRP that can be differentially recruited upon fast changes in the stimulation frequency. We show that upon low-frequency stimulation, a population of fully-releasable vesicles is silenced, leading to full blockage of synaptic transmission. A second population of vesicles, reluctant to release by simple stimuli, is recruited in a millisecond time scale by high-frequency stimulation to support an ultrafast recovery of neurotransmitter release after low-frequency depression. The frequency-dependent mobilization or silencing of sub-pools of vesicles in granule cell terminals should play a major role in the filtering of sensorimotor information in the cerebellum.

scholarly journals Circuit-Specific Early Impairment of Proprioceptive Sensory Neurons in the SOD1G93AMouse Model for ALS

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Soju Seki ◽  
Toru Yamamoto ◽  
Kiara Quinn ◽  
Igor Spigelman ◽  
Antonios Pantazis ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Motor Neuron ◽  
Sensory Neurons ◽  
Motor Neurons ◽  
Treatment Strategies ◽  
Disease Process ◽  
Disease Development ◽  
Burst Discharge ◽  
Ganglion Neurons ◽  
And Function

Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) is a neurodegenerative disease in which motor neurons degenerate resulting in muscle atrophy, paralysis and fatality. Studies using mouse models of ALS indicate a protracted period of disease development with progressive motor neuron pathology, evident as early as embryonic and postnatal stages. Key missing information includes concomitant alterations in the sensorimotor circuit essential for normal development and function of the neuromuscular system. Leveraging unique brainstem circuitry, we showin vitroevidence for reflex circuit-specific postnatal abnormalities in the jaw proprioceptive sensory neurons in the well-studied SOD1G93Amouse. These include impaired and arrhythmic action potential burst discharge associated with a deficit in Nav1.6 Na+channels. However, the mechanoreceptive and nociceptive trigeminal ganglion neurons and the visual sensory retinal ganglion neurons were resistant to excitability changes in age matched SOD1G93Amice. Computational modeling of the observed disruption in sensory patterns predicted asynchronous self-sustained motor neuron discharge suggestive of imminent reflexive defects such as muscle fasciculations in ALS. These results demonstrate a novel reflex circuit-specific proprioceptive sensory abnormality in ALS.Significance StatementNeurodegenerative diseases have prolonged periods of disease development and progression. Identifying early markers of vulnerability can therefore help devise better diagnostic and treatment strategies. In this study, we examined postnatal abnormalities in the electrical excitability of muscle spindle afferent proprioceptive neurons in the well-studied SOD1G93Amouse model for neurodegenerative motor neuron disease, ALS. Our findings suggest that these proprioceptive sensory neurons are exclusively afflicted early in the disease process relative to sensory neurons of other modalities. Moreover, they presented Nav1.6 Na+channel deficiency which contributed to arrhythmic burst discharge. Such sensory arrhythmia could initiate reflexive defects such as muscle fasciculations in ALS as suggested by our computational model.

Controlling Synaptic Input Patterns In Vitro by Dynamic Photo Stimulation

2005 ◽  
Vol 94 (4) ◽  
pp. 2948-2958 ◽  
Author(s):  
Clemens Boucsein ◽  
Martin Nawrot ◽  
Stefan Rotter ◽  
Ad Aertsen ◽  
Detlef Heck
Keyword(s):  
Synaptic Input ◽  
Laser Scanning ◽  
Temporal Structure ◽  
Brain Slices ◽  
Pyramidal Cells ◽  
Synaptic Activity ◽  
Network Activity ◽  
Scanning System ◽  
Single Neurons

Recent experimental and theoretical work indicates that both the intensity and the temporal structure of synaptic activity strongly modulate the integrative properties of single neurons in the intact brain. However, studying these effects experimentally is complicated by the fact that, in experimental systems, network activity is either absent, as in the acute slice preparation, or difficult to monitor and to control, as in in vivo recordings. Here, we present a new implementation of neurotransmitter uncaging in acute brain slices that uses functional projections to generate tightly controlled, spatio-temporally structured synaptic input patterns in individual neurons. For that, a set of presynaptic neurons is activated in a precisely timed sequence through focal photolytic release of caged glutamate with the help of a fast laser scanning system. Integration of synaptic inputs can be studied in postsynaptic neurons that are not directly stimulated with the laser, but receive input from the targeted neurons through intact axonal projections. Our new approach of dynamic photo stimulation employs functional synapses, accounts for their spatial distribution on the dendrites, and thus allows study of the integrative properties of single neurons with physiologically realistic input. Data obtained with our new technique suggest that, not only the neuronal spike generator, but also synaptic transmission and dendritic integration in neocortical pyramidal cells, can be highly reliable.

scholarly journals Can Hybrid Synapse be Formed between Rat Spinal Motor Neurons and Major Pelvic Ganglion Neurons in vitro?

2021 ◽  
Vol 26 (6) ◽  
pp. 521-526
Author(s):  
Shigang CHENG ◽  
Xuan XIANG ◽  
Zemin LV ◽  
Xiaowen MAO ◽  
Xinghai YANG
Keyword(s):  
Motor Neurons ◽  
Synapse Formation ◽  
Fluorescent Protein ◽  
Pelvic Ganglion ◽  
Spinal Motor Neurons ◽  
Spinal Motor ◽  
Major Pelvic Ganglion ◽  
Reflex Arc ◽  
Ganglion Neurons

The purpose of this study is to determine whether synapses can be formed between spinal motor neurons (SMNs) and major pelvic ganglion (MPG) neurons of a rat in vitro. The green fluorescent protein (GFP)-labelled MPG cells were cultured together with SMNs in a specific medium. The synaptic-like contacts established between SMNs and MPG neurons were studied in co-cultures using morphologic and immunocytochemistry approaches. Phase-contrast observation of co-cultures showed apparent SMNs-MPG neurons contacts as early as three or four days in vitro. We demonstrate some evidence of synaptic contacts between SMNs and MPG neurons in vitro by immunostaining with antibody directed against postsynaptic density protein 95 (PSD-95). We describe the development process of a defined SMNs-MPG neurons co-culture system. The results suggest that the hybrid synapse formation that may occur between SMNs and MPG neurons in vitro played an essential role in the mechanisms of a regenerated bladder with an artificial somatic-autonomic reflex arc.

scholarly journals Global transcriptome profile of the developmental principles of in vitro iPSC-to-motor neuron differentiation

2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Emilia Solomon ◽  
Katie Davis-Anderson ◽  
Blake Hovde ◽  
Sofiya Micheva-Viteva ◽  
Jennifer Foster Harris ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Stem Cells ◽  
Neural Stem Cells ◽  
Motor Neuron ◽  
Motor Neurons ◽  
Acetylcholine Receptors ◽  
Gene Networks ◽  
Spinal Cord Injuries ◽  
Regulatory Gene ◽  
Transcriptome Profile

Abstract Background Human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC) have opened new avenues for regenerative medicine. Consequently, iPSC-derived motor neurons have emerged as potentially viable therapies for spinal cord injuries and neurodegenerative disorders including Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis. However, direct clinical application of iPSC bears in itself the risk of tumorigenesis and other unforeseeable genetic or epigenetic abnormalities. Results Employing RNA-seq technology, we identified and characterized gene regulatory networks triggered by in vitro chemical reprogramming of iPSC into cells with the molecular features of motor neurons (MNs) whose function in vivo is to innervate effector organs. We present meta-transcriptome signatures of 5 cell types: iPSCs, neural stem cells, motor neuron progenitors, early motor neurons, and mature motor neurons. In strict response to the chemical stimuli, along the MN differentiation axis we observed temporal downregulation of tumor growth factor-β signaling pathway and consistent activation of sonic hedgehog, Wnt/β-catenin, and Notch signaling. Together with gene networks defining neuronal differentiation (neurogenin 2, microtubule-associated protein 2, Pax6, and neuropilin-1), we observed steady accumulation of motor neuron-specific regulatory genes, including Islet-1 and homeobox protein HB9. Interestingly, transcriptome profiling of the differentiation process showed that Ca2+ signaling through cAMP and LPC was downregulated during the conversion of the iPSC to neural stem cells and key regulatory gene activity of the pathway remained inhibited until later stages of motor neuron formation. Pathways shaping the neuronal development and function were well-represented in the early motor neuron cells including, neuroactive ligand-receptor interactions, axon guidance, and the cholinergic synapse formation. A notable hallmark of our in vitro motor neuron maturation in monoculture was the activation of genes encoding G-coupled muscarinic acetylcholine receptors and downregulation of the ionotropic nicotinic acetylcholine receptors expression. We observed the formation of functional neuronal networks as spontaneous oscillations in the extracellular action potentials recorded on multi-electrode array chip after 20 days of differentiation. Conclusions Detailed transcriptome profile of each developmental step from iPSC to motor neuron driven by chemical induction provides the guidelines to novel therapeutic approaches in the re-construction efforts of muscle innervation.

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