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Cochlear Implant Surgery and Electrically-evoked Auditory Brainstem Response Recordings in C57BL/6 Mice
Published on: January 9, 2019
Sound stimulation modulates high-threshold K(+) currents in mouse auditory brainstem neurons.
Katarina E Leão1, Richardson N Leão, Adam S Deardorff
1The John Curtin School of Medical Research, Australian National University, Canberra ACT, Australia.
The European Journal of Neuroscience
|October 16, 2010
Summary
Sound stimulation increases Kv3.1b channels in auditory neurons, enhancing their ability to fire rapidly. This auditory activity selectively regulates potassium currents in the medial nucleus of the trapezoid body (MNTB) neurons.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Auditory system research
- Cellular electrophysiology
Background:
- Sensory activity influences neuronal membrane properties.
- The medial nucleus of the trapezoid body (MNTB) is crucial for auditory processing.
Purpose of the Study:
- Investigate how auditory activity regulates neuronal membrane properties in MNTB neurons.
- Examine the role of sound stimulation in altering MNTB neuron function.
Main Methods:
- Sound stimulation (4-12 kHz chirps) of normal hearing mice.
- Measuring changes in Kv3.1b-immunoreactivity and potassium currents in MNTB neurons.
- Electrophysiological recordings (patch-clamp, current-clamp, dynamic-clamp) in brainstem slices.
Main Results:
- 1-hour sound stimulation increased Kv3.1b-immunoreactivity in the lateral MNTB.
- Increased high-threshold potassium currents were observed in sound-stimulated MNTB neurons.
- MNTB cells from stimulated mice fired briefer action potentials during high-frequency firing.
Conclusions:
- Acoustically driven auditory activity selectively regulates high-threshold potassium currents in MNTB neurons.
- Increased membrane expression of Kv3.1b channels is likely responsible for the observed changes.
- Auditory activity dynamically modifies neuronal properties for efficient signal processing.
Related Concept Videos
01:22Hair Cells
Hair cells are the sensory receptors of the auditory system—they transduce mechanical sound waves into electrical energy that the nervous system can understand. Hair cells are located in the organ of Corti within the cochlea of the inner ear, between the basilar and tectorial membranes. The actual sensory receptors are called inner hair cells. The outer hair cells serve other functions, such as sound amplification in the cochlea, and are not discussed in detail here.
01:13The Cochlea
The cochlea is a coiled structure in the inner ear that contains hair cells—the sensory receptors of the auditory system. Sound waves are transmitted to the cochlea by small bones attached to the eardrum called the ossicles, which vibrate the oval window that leads to the inner ear. This causes fluid in the chambers of the cochlea to move, vibrating the basilar membrane.