scholarly journals In vivo Recordings from Low-Frequency Nucleus Laminaris in the Barn Owl

2015 ◽  
Vol 85 (4) ◽  
pp. 271-286 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicolas Palanca-Castan ◽  
Christine Köppl

Localization of sound sources relies on 2 main binaural cues: interaural time differences (ITD) and interaural level differences. ITD computing is first carried out in tonotopically organized areas of the brainstem nucleus laminaris (NL) in birds and the medial superior olive (MSO) in mammals. The specific way in which ITD are derived was long assumed to conform to a delay line model in which arrays of systematically arranged cells create a representation of auditory space, with different cells responding maximally to specific ITD. This model conforms in many details to the particular case of the high-frequency regions (above 3 kHz) in the barn owl NL. However, data from recent studies in mammals are not consistent with a delay line model. A new model has been suggested in which neurons are not topographically arranged with respect to ITD and coding occurs through assessment of the overall response of 2 large neuron populations - 1 in each brainstem hemisphere. Currently available data comprise mainly low-frequency (<1,500 Hz) recordings in the case of mammals and higher-frequency recordings in the case of birds. This makes it impossible to distinguish between group-related adaptations and frequency-related adaptations. Here we report the first comprehensive data set from low-frequency NL in the barn owl and compare it to data from other avian and mammalian studies. Our data are consistent with a delay line model, so differences between ITD processing systems are more likely to have originated through divergent evolution of different vertebrate groups.

2015 ◽  
Vol 114 (3) ◽  
pp. 1862-1873 ◽  
Author(s):  
Catherine E. Carr ◽  
Sahil Shah ◽  
Thomas McColgan ◽  
Go Ashida ◽  
Paula T. Kuokkanen ◽  
...  

Axons from the nucleus magnocellularis form a presynaptic map of interaural time differences (ITDs) in the nucleus laminaris (NL). These inputs generate a field potential that varies systematically with recording position and can be used to measure the map of ITDs. In the barn owl, the representation of best ITD shifts with mediolateral position in NL, so as to form continuous, smoothly overlapping maps of ITD with iso-ITD contours that are not parallel to the NL border. Frontal space (0°) is, however, represented throughout and thus overrepresented with respect to the periphery. Measurements of presynaptic conduction delay, combined with a model of delay line conduction velocity, reveal that conduction delays can account for the mediolateral shifts in the map of ITD.


1995 ◽  
Vol 73 (4) ◽  
pp. 1653-1667 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. H. Smith

1. Principal cells in the medial superior olive (MSO) receive low-frequency information from both ears via left and right cochlear nuclei. In vivo extracellular records suggest that some MSO neurons respond optimally only when the binaural acoustic signal has a precise interaural delay. Thus MSO cells, in particular principal cells, are thought to be the first stage in the processing of interaural time difference cues that provides information as to the location of a low-frequency sound in space. 2. Despite this proposed fundamental role for the MSO, certain features of this nucleus make in vivo recordings from any cell type here very difficult to obtain. Only a small number of extracellular records and no intracellular recordings are reported in the literature. Using sharp, neurobiotin-filled glass electrodes to record intracellularly from cells in an in vitro brain slice of the guinea pig superior olivary complex, I have begun to assess the anatomic and physiological features of cells in the MSO that might be relevant to such a functional role in vivo. 3. Two basic MSO cell types, designated principal and nonprincipal, could be distinguished on the basis of certain anatomic and physiological differences. 4. Labeled principal cell bodies were located at all dorsoventral location within the MSO. Labeled nonprincipal cells were located in or around the dorsal aspects of the nucleus. Principal cells typically had thick bipolar dendrites (1 directed medially, 1 laterally) that did not taper or branch significantly except at their terminations. Nonprincipal cells were multipolar with three to nine thinner primary dendrites that did not branch preferentially in a mediolateral direction. Principal cell axons gave off collaterals terminating in and around the dorsal MSO. Nonprincipal cells also had axon in and around the dorsal MSO. Nonprincipal cells also had axon collateral branches innervating dorsal MSO, but these axons could branch more extensively and project further down the dorsoventral aspect of the nucleus. 5. Principal cells typically responded to depolarizing current pulses with one or a few spikes at current onset. When bathed in saline containing 4-aminopyridine (4-AP), they fired repetitively to the same depolarizing current pulses. This would indicate a depolarization-induced nonlinearity similar to that seen in principal cell types of two other auditory brain stem nuclei, the anteroventral cochlear nucleus and medial nucleus of the trapezoid body. Nonprincipal cells normally fired repetitively to depolarizing current pulses even close to spike threshold. Both cell types could show a sag in the membrane potential to hyperpolarizing current pulses.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)


2016 ◽  
Vol 116 (6) ◽  
pp. 2676-2688 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthew J. Fischl ◽  
R. Michael Burger ◽  
Myriam Schmidt-Pauly ◽  
Olga Alexandrova ◽  
James L. Sinclair ◽  
...  

In mammals with good low-frequency hearing, the medial superior olive (MSO) computes sound location by comparing differences in the arrival time of a sound at each ear, called interaural time disparities (ITDs). Low-frequency sounds are not reflected by the head, and therefore level differences and spectral cues are minimal or absent, leaving ITDs as the only cue for sound localization. Although mammals with high-frequency hearing and small heads (e.g., bats, mice) barely experience ITDs, the MSO is still present in these animals. Yet, aside from studies in specialized bats, in which the MSO appears to serve functions other than ITD processing, it has not been studied in small mammals that do not hear low frequencies. Here we describe neurons in the mouse brain stem that share prominent anatomical, morphological, and physiological properties with the MSO in species known to use ITDs for sound localization. However, these neurons also deviate in some important aspects from the typical MSO, including a less refined arrangement of cell bodies, dendrites, and synaptic inputs. In vitro, the vast majority of neurons exhibited a single, onset action potential in response to suprathreshold depolarization. This spiking pattern is typical of MSO neurons in other species and is generated from a complement of Kv1, Kv3, and IH currents. In vivo, mouse MSO neurons show bilateral excitatory and inhibitory tuning as well as an improvement in temporal acuity of spiking during bilateral acoustic stimulation. The combination of classical MSO features like those observed in gerbils with more unique features similar to those observed in bats and opossums make the mouse MSO an interesting model for exploiting genetic tools to test hypotheses about the molecular mechanisms and evolution of ITD processing.


2018 ◽  
Vol 119 (4) ◽  
pp. 1422-1436 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paula T. Kuokkanen ◽  
Go Ashida ◽  
Anna Kraemer ◽  
Thomas McColgan ◽  
Kazuo Funabiki ◽  
...  

Extracellular field potentials (EFP) are widely used to evaluate in vivo neural activity, but identification of multiple sources and their relative contributions is often ambiguous, making the interpretation of the EFP difficult. We have therefore analyzed a model EFP from a simple brainstem circuit with separable pre- and postsynaptic components to determine whether we could isolate its sources. Our previous papers had shown that the barn owl neurophonic largely originates with spikes from input axons and synapses that terminate on the neurons in the nucleus laminaris (NL) (Kuokkanen PT, Wagner H, Ashida G, Carr CE, Kempter R. J Neurophysiol 104: 2274–2290, 2010; Kuokkanen PT, Ashida G, Carr CE, Wagner H, Kempter R. J Neurophysiol 110: 117–130, 2013; McColgan T, Liu J, Kuokkanen PT, Carr CE, Wagner H, Kempter R. eLife 6: e26106, 2017). To determine how much the postsynaptic NL neurons contributed to the neurophonic, we recorded EFP responses in NL in vivo. Power spectral analyses showed that a small spectral component of the evoked response, between 200 and 700 Hz, could be attributed to the NL neurons’ spikes, while nucleus magnocellularis (NM) spikes dominate the EFP at frequencies ≳1 kHz. Thus, spikes of NL neurons and NM axons contribute to the EFP in NL in distinct frequency bands. We conclude that if the spectral components of source types are different and if their activities can be selectively modulated, the identification of EFP sources is possible. NEW & NOTEWORTHY Extracellular field potentials (EFPs) generate clinically important signals, but their sources are incompletely understood. As a model, we have analyzed the auditory neurophonic in the barn owl’s nucleus laminaris. There the EFP originates predominantly from spiking in the afferent axons, with spectral power ≳1 kHz, while postsynaptic laminaris neurons contribute little. In conclusion, the identification of EFP sources is possible if they have different spectral components and if their activities can be modulated selectively.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Antonio Sarmento ◽  
Guilherme Fregonezi ◽  
Maria Lira ◽  
Layana Marques ◽  
Francesca Pennati ◽  
...  

AbstractMuscle fatigue is a complex phenomenon enclosing various mechanisms. Despite technological advances, these mechanisms are still not fully understood in vivo. Here, simultaneous measurements of pressure, volume, and ribcage inspiratory muscle activity were performed non-invasively during fatigue (inspiratory threshold valve set at 70% of maximal inspiratory pressure) and recovery to verify if inspiratory ribcage muscle fatigue (1) leads to slowing of contraction and relaxation properties of ribcage muscles and (2) alters median frequency and high-to-low frequency ratio (H/L). During the fatigue protocol, sternocleidomastoid showed the fastest decrease in median frequency and slowest decrease in H/L. Fatigue was also characterized by a reduction in the relative power of the high-frequency and increase of the low-frequency. During recovery, changes in mechanical power were due to changes in shortening velocity with long-lasting reduction in pressure generation, and slowing of relaxation [i.e., tau (τ), half-relaxation time (½RT), and maximum relaxation rate (MRR)] was observed with no significant changes in contractile properties. Recovery of median frequency was faster than H/L, and relaxation rates correlated with shortening velocity and mechanical power of inspiratory ribcage muscles; however, with different time courses. Time constant of the inspiratory ribcage muscles during fatigue and recovery is not uniform (i.e., different inspiratory muscles may have different underlying mechanisms of fatigue), and MRR, ½RT, and τ are not only useful predictors of inspiratory ribcage muscle recovery but may also share common underlying mechanisms with shortening velocity.


Neurosurgery ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 72 (3) ◽  
pp. 353-366 ◽  
Author(s):  
Francesco Cardinale ◽  
Massimo Cossu ◽  
Laura Castana ◽  
Giuseppe Casaceli ◽  
Marco Paolo Schiariti ◽  
...  

Abstract BACKGROUND: Stereoelectroencephalography (SEEG) methodology, originally developed by Talairach and Bancaud, is progressively gaining popularity for the presurgical invasive evaluation of drug-resistant epilepsies. OBJECTIVE: To describe recent SEEG methodological implementations carried out in our center, to evaluate safety, and to analyze in vivo application accuracy in a consecutive series of 500 procedures with a total of 6496 implanted electrodes. METHODS: Four hundred nineteen procedures were performed with the traditional 2-step surgical workflow, which was modified for the subsequent 81 procedures. The new workflow entailed acquisition of brain 3-dimensional angiography and magnetic resonance imaging in frameless and markerless conditions, advanced multimodal planning, and robot-assisted implantation. Quantitative analysis for in vivo entry point and target point localization error was performed on a sub-data set of 118 procedures (1567 electrodes). RESULTS: The methodology allowed successful implantation in all cases. Major complication rate was 12 of 500 (2.4%), including 1 death for indirect morbidity. Median entry point localization error was 1.43 mm (interquartile range, 0.91-2.21 mm) with the traditional workflow and 0.78 mm (interquartile range, 0.49-1.08 mm) with the new one (P &lt; 2.2 × 10−16). Median target point localization errors were 2.69 mm (interquartile range, 1.89-3.67 mm) and 1.77 mm (interquartile range, 1.25-2.51 mm; P &lt; 2.2 × 10−16), respectively. CONCLUSION: SEEG is a safe and accurate procedure for the invasive assessment of the epileptogenic zone. Traditional Talairach methodology, implemented by multimodal planning and robot-assisted surgery, allows direct electrical recording from superficial and deep-seated brain structures, providing essential information in the most complex cases of drug-resistant epilepsy.


1993 ◽  
Vol 13 (9) ◽  
pp. 5670-5678
Author(s):  
S Schuetze ◽  
P E Stenberg ◽  
D Kabat

In vivo studies of Friend virus erythroleukemia have implied that proviral integrations adjacent to the gene for the Ets-related transcription factor PU.1 may inhibit the commitment of erythroblasts to differentiate and cause their capability for indefinite transplantation (C. Spiro, B. Gliniak, and D. Kabat, J. Virol. 62:4129-4135, 1988; R. Paul, S. Schuetze, S. L. Kozak, C. Kozak, and D. Kabat, J. Virol. 65:464-467, 1991). To test this hypothesis, we ligated PU.1 cDNA into a retroviral vector and studied its effects on cultured cells. Infection of fibroblasts with PU.1-encoding retrovirus resulted in PU.1 synthesis followed by nuclear pyknosis, cell rounding, and degeneration. In contrast, in long-term bone marrow cultures, erythroblasts were efficiently and rapidly immortalized. The resulting cell lines were polyclonal populations that contained PU.1, were morphologically blast-like, required erythropoietin and bone marrow stromal cells for survival and proliferation, and spontaneously differentiated at low frequency to synthesize hemoglobin. After 9 months in culture, erythroblasts became stroma independent, and they then grew as clonal cell lines. We conclude that PU.1 perturbs the pathway(s) that controls potential for indefinite proliferation and that it can be used to generate permanent erythroblast cell lines.


2020 ◽  
Vol 11 ◽  
pp. 1854-1864
Author(s):  
Eduardo Serralta ◽  
Nico Klingner ◽  
Olivier De Castro ◽  
Michael Mousley ◽  
Santhana Eswara ◽  
...  

A detection system based on a microchannel plate with a delay line readout structure has been developed to perform scanning transmission ion microscopy (STIM) in the helium ion microscope (HIM). This system is an improvement over other existing approaches since it combines the information of the scanning beam position on the sample with the position (scattering angle) and time of the transmission events. Various imaging modes, such as bright field and dark field or the direct image of the transmitted signal, can be created by post-processing the collected STIM data. Furthermore, the detector has high spatial and temporal resolution, is sensitive to both ions and neutral particles over a wide energy range, and shows robustness against ion beam-induced damage. A special in-vacuum movable support gives the possibility of moving the detector vertically, placing the detector closer to the sample for the detection of high-angle scattering events, or moving it down to increase the angular resolution and distance for time-of-flight measurements. With this new system, we show composition-dependent contrast for amorphous materials and the contrast difference between small-angle and high-angle scattering signals. We also detect channeling-related contrast on polycrystalline silicon, thallium chloride nanocrystals, and single-crystalline silicon by comparing the signal transmitted at different directions for the same data set.


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