Embryonic stem (ES) cells provide a flexible and unlimited source for a variety of neuronal types. Because mature neurons establish neuronal networks very easily, we tested whether ES-derived neurons are capable of generating functional networks and whether these networks, generated in vitro, are capable of processing information. Single-cell electrophysiology with pharmacological antagonists demonstrated the presence of both excitatory and inhibitory synaptic connections. Extracellular recording with planar multielectrode arrays showed that spontaneous bursts of electrical activity are present in ES-derived networks with properties remarkably similar to those of hippocampal neurons. When stimulated with extracellular electrodes, ES-derived neurons fired action potentials, and the evoked electrical activity spread throughout the culture. A statistical analysis indicated that ES-derived networks discriminated between stimuli of different intensity at a single trial level, a key feature for an efficient information processing. Thus, ES-derived neurons provide a novel in vitro strategy to create functional networks with defined computational properties. STEM CELLS 2007;25:738 -749

Granule cells excitability in the turtle olfactory bulb was analyzed using whole cell recordings in current- and voltage-clamp mode. Low-threshold spikes (LTSs) were evoked at potentials that are subthreshold for Na spikes in normal medium. The LTSs were evoked from rest, but hyperpolarization of the cell usually increased their amplitude so that they more easily boosted Na spike initiation. The LTS persisted in the presence of TTX but was antagonized by blockers of T-type calcium channels. The voltage dependence, kinetics, and inactivation properties of the LTS were characteristic of a low-threshold calcium spike. The threshold of the LTS was slightly above the resting potential but well below the Na spike threshold, and the LTS was often evoked in isolation in normal medium. Tetraethylammonium (TEA) and 4-aminopyridine (4-AP) had only minimal effects on the LTS but revealed the presence of a high-threshold Ca2+ spike (HTS), which was antagonized by Cd2+. The LTS displayed paired-pulse attenuation, with a timescale for recovery from inactivation of about 2 s at resting membrane potential. The LTS strongly boosted Na spike initiation; with repetitive stimulation, the long recovery of the LTS governed Na spike initiation. Thus the olfactory granule cells possess an LTS, with intrinsic kinetics that contribute to sub- and suprathreshold responses on a timescale of seconds. This adds a new mechanism to the early processing of olfactory input.

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to show the effect of chronic antral gastric electrical stimulation on the feeding behavior of swine. METHODS: Three groups of swine were investigated; first group control-group, second group- 8 months of electrical antral stimulation (10 Volts; 450 micros; Hertz 100; Mode: Cycling; on time 3.25 s; off time 5.15 s), the third group- 3 months of stimulation with modification of the following parameters- amplitude 8 Volts, Hertz 5. All animals were nourished with a commercial balanced dry feed ad libitum. RESULTS: Group one demonstrated continued increased weight gain. After 90 days of stimulation, group two noted a net decrease of food intake from 12% to 16%, followed by a net cyclical weight loss 30 days later (2 weeks of weight gain followed by 1 week of weight loss). The percentage difference between group one and two in increasing weight was- 12 to 29% respectively. The feed output of the stimulated group (group two) was 12.8 less compared with the control. Finally, group three was used to test a lower stimulation rate, resulting in a shorter rest during feeding and a 7% increase in consumption compared with control. CONCLUSIONS: Long-term antral gastric pacing influences the alimentary behavior of swine. We attempt to extrapolate this influence in humans for possible attendant applications in patients with consumption dysfunction (e.g. bulimia and/or anorexia).

Active dendritic membrane properties were investigated by whole cell recordings from adult turtle olfactory bulb granule cells. The laminar structure of the olfactory bulb allowed differential polarization of the distal apical dendrites versus the somatic part of the cells by an external electric field. Dendritic depolarization evoked small (∼10 mV) all-or-none depolarizing events of ∼10-ms duration. These spikelets often occurred in bursts at high frequency (≤250 Hz); they were present despite the application of synaptic and gap junction antagonists, but were abolished by TTX and intracellularly applied QX314. The spikelets were interpreted as attenuated sodium spikes initiated in different branches of the granule cells dendrites. They occurred spontaneously, but could also be evoked by excitatory postsynaptic potentials (EPSPs) to the distal dendrites. Spikelets initiated by distal excitation could function as prepotentials for full sodium spikes, in part depending on the level of proximal depolarization. Somatic depolarization by the electric field evoked full sodium spikes as well as low-threshold calcium spikes (LTSs). Calcium imaging revealed that the electrophysiologically identified LTS evoked from the soma was associated with calcium transients in the proximal and the distal dendrites. Our data suggest that the LTS in the soma/proximal dendrites plays a major role in boosting excitability, thus contributing to the initiation of sodium spiking in this compartment. The results furthermore suggest that the LTS and the sodium spikes may act independently or cooperatively to regulate dendritic calcium influx.

The nervous system of the leech is a particularly suitable model to investigate neural coding of sensorimotor responses because it allows both observation of behavior and the simultaneous measurement of a large fraction of its underlying neuronal activity. In this study, we used a combination of multielectrode recordings, videomicroscopy, and computation of the optical flow to investigate the reproducibility of the motor response caused by local mechanical stimulation of the leech skin. We analyzed variability at different levels of processing: mechanosensory neurons, motoneurons, muscle activation, and behavior. Spike trains in mechanosensory neurons were very reproducible, unlike those in motoneurons. The motor response, however, was reproducible because of two distinct biophysical mechanisms. First, leech muscles contract slowly and therefore are poorly sensitive to the jitter of motoneuron spikes. Second, the motor response results from the coactivation of a population of motoneurons firing in a statistically independent way, which reduces the variability of the population firing. These data show that reproducible spike trains are not required to sustain reproducible behaviors and illustrate how the nervous system can cope with unreliable components to produce reliable action.

The vomeronasal system is involved in the detection of pheromones in many mammals. Vomeronasal sensory neurons encode the behaviorally relevant information into action potentials that are directly transmitted to the accessory olfactory bulb. We developed a model of the electrical activity of mouse basal vomeronasal sensory neurons, which mimics both the voltage-gated current properties and the firing behavior of these neurons in their near-native state, using a minimal number of parameters. Data were obtained by recordings with the whole-cell voltage-clamp or current-clamp techniques from mouse basal vomeronasal sensory neurons in acute slice preparations. The resting potential ranged from -50 to -70 mV, and current injections of less than 2-10 pA induced tonic firing in most neurons. The experimentally determined firing frequency as a function of injected current was well described by a Michaelis-Menten equation and was exactly reproduced by the model, which could be used in combination with future models that will include details of the mouse vomeronasal transduction cascade.

Guidance molecules, such as Sema3A or Netrin-1, induce growth cone (GC) repulsion or attraction. In order to determine the speed of action and efficiency of these guidance cues we developed an experimental procedure to deliver controlled amounts of these molecules. Lipid vesicles encapsulating 10–104 molecules of Sema3A or Netrin-1 were manipulated with high spatial and temporal resolution by optical tweezers and their photolysis triggered by laser pulses. Guidance molecules released from the vesicles diffused and reached the GC membrane in a few seconds. Following their arrival, GCs retracted or grew in 20–120 s. By determining the number of guidance molecules trapped inside vesicles and estimating the fraction of guidance molecules reaching the GC, we show that the arrival of less than 5 Netrin-1 molecules on the GC membrane is sufficient to induce growth. In contrast, the arrival of about 200 Sema3A molecules is necessary to induce filopodia repulsion.

The experiments described here were designed to characterise sensory coding and adaptation during mechanical stimulation in the leech (Hirudo medicinalis). A chain of three ganglia and a segment of the body wall connected to the central ganglion were used. Eight extracellular suction pipettes and one or two intracellular electrodes were used to record action potentials from all mechanosensory neurones of the three ganglia. When the skin of the body wall was briefly touched with a filament exerting a force of about 2 mN, touch (T) cells in the central ganglion, but also those in adjacent ganglia (i.e. anterior and posterior), fired one or two action potentials. However, the threshold for action potential initiation was lower for T cells in the central ganglion than for those in adjacent ganglia. The timing of the first evoked action potential in a T cell was very reproducible with a jitter often lower than 100 μs. Action potentials in T cells were not significantly correlated. When the force exerted by the filament was increased above 20 mN, pressure (P) cells in the central and neighbouring ganglia fired action potentials. Action potentials in P cells usually followed those evoked in T cells with a delay of about 20 ms and had a larger jitter of 0.5‐10 ms. With stronger stimulations exceeding 50 mN, noxious (N) cells also fired action potentials. With such stimulations the majority of mechanosensory neurones in the three ganglia fired action potentials. The spatial properties of the whole receptive field of the mechanosensory neurones were explored by touching different parts of the skin. When the mechanical stimulation was applied for a longer time, i.e. 1 s, only P cells in the central ganglion continued to fire action potentials. P cells in neighbouring ganglia fully adapted after firing two or three action potentials. P cells in adjacent ganglia, having fully adapted to a steady mechanical stimulation of one part of the skin, fired action potentials following stimulation of a different region of the skin. These results indicate that a brief and localised stimulation of the skin can activate more than a dozen different mechanosensory neurones in the three ganglia and after 100 ms of steady stimulation many of these mechanosensory neurones stop firing action potentials and fully adapt. Adaptation occurs primarily at the nerve endings and mechanosensory neurones can quickly respond to mechanical stimulation at a different location on the skin.