Intrinsic membrane properties and plasticity in medial vestibular nucleus neurones (original) (raw)
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Intrinsic membrane properties of vertebrate vestibular neurons: Function, development and plasticity
Progress in Neurobiology, 2005
Central vestibular neurons play an important role in the processing of body motion-related multisensory signals and their transformation into motor commands for gaze and posture control. Over recent years, medial vestibular nucleus (MVN) neurons and to a lesser extent other vestibular neurons have been extensively studied in vivo and in vitro, in a range of species. These studies have begun to reveal how their intrinsic electrophysiological properties may relate to their response patterns, discharge dynamics and computational capabilities. In vitro studies indicate that MVN neurons are of two major subtypes (A and B), which differ in their spike shape and after-hyperpolarizations. This reflects differences in particular K + conductances present in the two subtypes, which also affect their response dynamics with type A cells having relatively lowfrequency dynamics (resembling ''tonic'' MVN cells in vivo) and type B cells having relatively high-frequency dynamics (resembling ''kinetic'' cells in vivo). The presence of more than one functional subtype of vestibular neuron seems to be a ubiquitous feature since vestibular neurons in the chick and frog also subdivide into populations with different, analogous electrophysiological properties. The ratio of type A to type B neurons appears to be plastic, and may be determined by the signal processing requirements of the vestibular system, which are species-variant. The membrane properties and discharge pattern of type A and type B MVN neurons develop largely post-natally, through the expression of the underlying ion channel conductances. The membrane properties of MVN neurons show rapid and long-lasting plastic changes after deafferentation (unilateral labyrinthectomy), which may serve to maintain their level of activity and excitability after the loss of afferent inputs.
Intrinsic excitability changes in vestibular nucleus neurons after unilateral deafferentation
Brain Research, 2001
Two synergistic plastic mechanisms have recently been identified in rat medial vestibular nucleus (MVN) neurons during 'vestibular compensation', the behavioral recovery that follows damage to the vestibular receptors or nerve of one inner ear. Ipsi-lesional MVN neurons develop a significant increase in their intrinsic excitability, and a marked decrease in the functional efficacy of GABA and A GABA receptors, within 4 h of unilateral vestibular deafferentation. These mechanisms presumably counteract the disfacilitation and B excessive commissural inhibition of the ipsi-lesional cells after deafferentation, and thus promote the recovery of resting activity. In this study, we investigated the intrinsic membrane properties and spike firing characteristics of rostral ipsi-lesional MVN neurons in slices from animals that underwent vestibular compensation for either 24-72 h or 7-10 days. Significant changes were observed in the spontaneous in vitro discharge rate, resting membrane potentials and voltage-activated membrane conductances of type B cells, but not type A cells. There was a significant increase in the number of type B cells compared to normal. These findings indicate that during LTS vestibular compensation marked changes occur in ion channel expression and function selectively in type B MVN neurons. These changes are appropriate to increase the responsiveness of type B cells both to their own intrinsic pacemaker-like membrane conductances and excitatory synaptic inputs. Together with the downregulation of inhibitory receptor efficacy, this increased intrinsic excitability may be sufficient to restore the resting discharge of the deafferented neurons in vivo. These results therefore provide further evidence for synaptic and neuronal plasticity in ipsi-lesional MVN neurons during vestibular compensation.
Intrinsic membrane properties of central vestibular neurons in rodents
Experimental Brain Research, 2011
Numerous studies in rodents have shown that the functional eYcacy of several neurotransmitter receptors and the intrinsic membrane excitability of central vestibular neurons, as well as the organization of synaptic connections within and between vestibular nuclei can be modiWed during postnatal development, after a lesion of peripheral vestibular organs or in vestibular-deWcient mutant animals. This review mainly focuses on the intrinsic membrane properties of neurons of the medial vestibular nuclei of rodents, their postnatal maturation, and changes following experimental or congenital alterations in vestibular inputs. It also presents the concomitant modiWcations in the distribution of these neurons into diVerent neuron types, which has been based on their membrane properties in relation to their anatomical, biochemical, or functional properties. The main points discussed in this review are that (1) the intrinsic membrane properties can be used to distinguish between two dominant types of neurons, (2) the system remains plastic throughout the whole life of the animal, and Wnally, (3) the intracellular calcium concentration has a major eVect on the intrinsic membrane properties of central vestibular neurons.
Journal of Neurophysiology, 2003
Static and dynamic membrane properties of lateral vestibular nucleus neurons in guinea pig brain stem slices. . In vitro intracellular recordings of central vestibular neurons have been restricted so far to the medial vestibular nucleus (MVN). We performed intracellular recordings of large Deiters' neurons in the lateral vestibular nucleus (LVN) to determine their static and dynamic membrane properties, and compare them with those of type A and type B neurons identified in the MVN. Unlike MVN neurons (MVNn), the giant-size LVN neurons (LVNn) form a homogeneous population of cells characterized by sharp spikes, a low-amplitude, biphasic after-hyperpolarization like type B MVNn, but also an A-like rectification like type A MVNn. In accordance with their lower membrane resistance, the sensitivity of LVNn to current injection was lower than that of MVNn over a large range of frequencies. The main difference between LVNn and MVNn was that the Bode plots showing the sensitivity of LVNn as a function of stimulation frequency were flatter than those of MVNn, and displayed a weaker resonance. Furthermore, most LVNn did not show a gradual decrease of their firing rate modulation in the frequency range where it was observed in MVNn. LVNn synchronized their firing with the depolarizing phase of high-frequency sinusoidal current injections. In vivo studies have shown that the MVN would be mainly involved in gaze control, whereas the giant LVNn that project to the spinal cord are involved in the control of posture. We suggest that the difference in the membrane properties of LVNn and MVNn may reflect their specific physiological roles.
Properties of neurons from the rat medial vestibular nucleus in microexplant culture
Neuroscience Letters, 2003
This study is a first step in an attempt to identify the factors which determine and maintain the electrophysiological phenotype(s) of mature neurons of the medial vestibular nucleus (MVN). We cultured MVN microexplants obtained from slices of the brainstem of newborn rats, using a hollow punching needle. The electrophysiological maturation of the neurons was followed by analyzing their responses to 1 s steps of current of increasing amplitude. The maximal number of spikes that was generated in response to such stimuli increased dramatically over time in vitro. However, even after 28 days in vitro, it did not exceed about 60 spikes/s. At this stage of culture, the input -output properties of the spike generator of the MVN neurons were similar to those observed in brainstem slices of newborn rats, but clearly inferior to those of adult neurons which can generate sustained firing up to 150-200 spikes/s. q
Systematic Reviews
Background Vestibular compensation is a homeostatic process that occurs in the central nervous system in response to peripheral vestibular dysfunction. Experimental studies in rodent models have suggested that unilateral peripheral vestibular lesions are correlated with an increase in the intrinsic excitability of central vestibular neurons. This process may be dependent on the intrinsic properties of the neurons themselves. We aimed to conduct a systematic review of the literature to survey the evidence for changes in intrinsic plasticity observed during the acute phase of vestibular compensation. Methods We systematically reviewed the literature regarding the electrophysiological effect of experimentally induced unilateral vestibular deafferentation (UVD) on the intrinsic membrane properties of medial vestibular nucleus neurons in animal models. We developed tools to assess the methodological quality (precision, validity and bias) of studies that met pre-determined inclusion and e...
Medial vestibular nucleus in the guinea-pig
Experimental Brain Research, 1991
Intracellular recordings were obtained from medial vestibular nuclei neurones (MVNn) in guinea-pig brainstem slices. Two main distinct neuronal classes were encountered. Type A MVNn (32.3 %) were characterized by a broad action potential followed by a deep single afterhyperpolarization, a transient A-like rectification, and a single range of firing in response to current injection. Type B MVNn (47.1%), in contrast, were distinguished by the presence of a thin action potential followed first by a fast and then by a delayed and slower afterhyperpolarization. In addition, they displayed a secondary range of firing in their response to current injection. A majority of B MVNn also had either subthreshold plateau potentials or low threshold spike bursts or a combination thereof. A third, non-homogeneous class of cells, could not be fitted into either one of the two main classes (20.6%, type C MVNn).
Journal of Neurophysiology, 2012
After unilateral peripheral vestibular lesions, the brain plasticity underlying early recovery from the static symptoms is not fully understood. Principal cells of the chick tangential nucleus offer a subset of morphologically defined vestibular nuclei neurons to study functional changes after vestibular lesions. Chickens show posture and balance deficits immediately after unilateral vestibular ganglionectomy (UVG), but by 3 days most subjects begin to recover, although some remain uncompensated. With the use of whole cell voltage-clamp, spontaneous excitatory and inhibitory postsynaptic currents (sEPSCs and sIPSCs) and miniature excitatory and inhibitory postsynaptic currents (mEPSCs and mIPSCs) were recorded from principal cells in brain slices 1 and 3 days after UVG. One day after UVG, sEPSC frequency increased on the lesion side and remained elevated at 3 days in uncompensated chickens only. Also by 3 days, sIPSC frequency increased on the lesion side in all operated chickens du...
M Current in Vestibular Afferent Neurons from the Rat
There is consensus that muscarinic and nicotinic receptors expressed in vestibular hair cells and afferent neurons are involved in the efferent modulation of the electrical activity of the afferent neurons. However the underlying mechanisms of postsynaptic control in neurons are not well understood. In our work we show that the activation of muscarinic receptors in the vestibular neurons modulates the potassium M-current modifying the activity of afferent neurons.