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Journal of Neuroscience, Vol 11, 2865-2880, Copyright © 1991 by Society for Neuroscience
Outward currents in isolated ventral cochlear nucleus neurons
PB Manis and SO Marx
Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland 21205.
Neurons of the ventral cochlear nucleus (VCN) perform diverse information
processing tasks on incoming activity from the auditory nerve. We have
investigated the cellular basis for functional diversity in VCN cells by
characterizing the outward membrane conductances of acutely isolated cells
using whole-cell, tight-seal, current- and voltage-clamp techniques. The
electrical responses of isolated cells fall into two broad categories. Type
1 cells respond to small depolarizations with a regular train of action
potentials. Under voltage clamp, these cells exhibit a noninactivating
outward current for voltage steps positive to -35 mV. Analysis of tail
currents reveals two exponentially decaying components with slightly
different voltage dependence. These currents reverse at -73 mV, near the
potassium equilibrium potential of -84 mV, and are blocked by
tetraethylammonium (TEA). The major outward current in Type I cells thus
appears to be mediated by potassium channels. In contrast to Type I cells,
Type II cells respond to small depolarizations with only one to three
short- latency action potentials and exhibit strong rectification around
-70 mV. Under voltage clamp, these cells exhibit a noninactivating outward
current with a threshold near -70 mV. Analysis of tail currents reveals two
components with different voltage sensitivity and kinetics. A low-
threshold current with slow kinetics is partly activated at rest. This
current reverses at -77 mV and is blocked by 4-aminopyridine (4-AP) but is
only partly affected by TEA. The other component is a high-threshold
current activated by steps positive to -35 mV. This current is blocked by
TEA, but not by 4-AP. A simple model based on the voltage dependence and
kinetics of the slow low-threshold outward current in Type II cells was
developed. The model produces current- and voltage-clamp responses that
resemble those recorded experimentally. Our results indicate that the two
major classes of acoustic response properties of VCN neurons are in part
attributable to the types of outward (potassium) conductances present in
these cells. The low-threshold conductance in the Type II (bushy) cells
probably plays a role in the preservation of information about the acoustic
stimulus phase from the auditory nerve to central auditory nuclei involved
in low-frequency sound localization.
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