Horizontal cells (HCs) mediate negative feedback to photoreceptors. In the mammalian retina, there are two types of HCs, which are extensively coupled to neighboring cells through homologous gap junctions. The permeab...Horizontal cells (HCs) mediate negative feedback to photoreceptors. In the mammalian retina, there are two types of HCs, which are extensively coupled to neighboring cells through homologous gap junctions. The permeability and therefore the strength of feedback can be regulated by light intensity, dopamine and many other factors. However, the component(s) of the most prominent gap junctions, those between A-type HCs in the rabbit retina, is still unknown. In this study, we compared the sequences of many types of mammalian connexins, obtained partial sequences of rabbit connexin 50 and 57. Using specific primers designed against the rabbit sequences, we identified mRNAs of connexin 50 and/or 57 in visually selected single A-type HC using multiplex RT-PCR.展开更多
Author present the interplay between different neuron types in the spontaneous electrical activity of low density cortical in vitro networks grown on MEA （multielectrode arrays） of glass neurochips. In 10% of the ne...Author present the interplay between different neuron types in the spontaneous electrical activity of low density cortical in vitro networks grown on MEA （multielectrode arrays） of glass neurochips. In 10% of the networks, the continuously spiking activity of some neurons was inhibited by synchronous bursts or superbursts of the majority of the other neurons. Immunohistochemical staining subsequent to MEA recordings suggest that the synchronously bursting neurons are parvalbumin-positive interneurons with abundant axonal ramifications. Blocking chemical synaptic transmission by Ca2＋-free medium revealed that the curbed spiking neurons are intrinsically active. It is assumed that these neurons are pyramidal cells which may be inhibited by groups of synchronously bursting interneurons. It is propose that the observed burst-induced inhibition is an important principle in the temporal organization of neuronal activity as well as in the restriction of excitation, and thus essential for information processing in the cerebral cortex.展开更多
基金supported by a MOST Major State Basic Research Program Grant to the Institute of Neuroscience(G2000077800)NSFC project grants(30170305,30270460)to SH
文摘Horizontal cells (HCs) mediate negative feedback to photoreceptors. In the mammalian retina, there are two types of HCs, which are extensively coupled to neighboring cells through homologous gap junctions. The permeability and therefore the strength of feedback can be regulated by light intensity, dopamine and many other factors. However, the component(s) of the most prominent gap junctions, those between A-type HCs in the rabbit retina, is still unknown. In this study, we compared the sequences of many types of mammalian connexins, obtained partial sequences of rabbit connexin 50 and 57. Using specific primers designed against the rabbit sequences, we identified mRNAs of connexin 50 and/or 57 in visually selected single A-type HC using multiplex RT-PCR.
文摘Author present the interplay between different neuron types in the spontaneous electrical activity of low density cortical in vitro networks grown on MEA （multielectrode arrays） of glass neurochips. In 10% of the networks, the continuously spiking activity of some neurons was inhibited by synchronous bursts or superbursts of the majority of the other neurons. Immunohistochemical staining subsequent to MEA recordings suggest that the synchronously bursting neurons are parvalbumin-positive interneurons with abundant axonal ramifications. Blocking chemical synaptic transmission by Ca2＋-free medium revealed that the curbed spiking neurons are intrinsically active. It is assumed that these neurons are pyramidal cells which may be inhibited by groups of synchronously bursting interneurons. It is propose that the observed burst-induced inhibition is an important principle in the temporal organization of neuronal activity as well as in the restriction of excitation, and thus essential for information processing in the cerebral cortex.
