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In Ovo Electroporation in the Chicken Auditory Brainstem
Published on: June 9, 2017
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Precisely timed inhibition facilitates action potential firing for spatial coding in the auditory brainstem.
Barbara Beiderbeck1,2, Michael H Myoga1,3, Nicolas I C Müller4
1Department Biology II, Division of Neurobiology, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universitaet Munich, Planegg-Martinsried, D-82152, Germany.
Nature Communications
|May 4, 2018
Summary
Inhibitory inputs precisely control neuronal firing in the auditory brainstem, sometimes unexpectedly facilitating spikes. This microsecond-level timing enhances spatial sensitivity for processing faint sounds.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Auditory Neuroscience
- Synaptic Integration
Background:
- Neuronal processing relies on integrating excitatory and inhibitory synaptic inputs.
- Auditory brainstem neurons compare inputs for sound localization, but inhibition's role is unclear.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the temporal precision and functional roles of inhibition in auditory brainstem neuronal integration.
- To understand how inhibition influences spiking probability and spatial sensitivity.
Main Methods:
- In vivo electrophysiological recordings from the lateral superior olive (LSO) in mammals.
- In vitro conductance-clamp recordings in the LSO.
Main Results:
- Inhibition precisely controls neuronal spiking with microsecond precision during high-frequency stimulation.
- The relative timing of excitation and inhibition can suppress or facilitate neuronal spiking.
- Post-inhibitory hyperpolarization can lower the voltage threshold, facilitating sub-threshold synaptic events.
Conclusions:
- Microsecond-precise timing of inhibition relative to excitation facilitates spiking in the LSO.
- This mechanism enhances spatial sensitivity for processing faint sounds.
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