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The Journal of Neuroscience, September 1, 2001, 21(17):6957-6966

Transfer of Visual Motion Information via Graded Synapses Operates Linearly in the Natural Activity Range

Rafael Kurtz, Anne-Kathrin Warzecha, and Martin Egelhaaf

Lehrstuhl für Neurobiologie, Fakultät für Biologie, Universität Bielefeld, Postfach 10 01 31, D-33501 Bielefeld, Germany

Synaptic transmission between a graded potential neuron and a spiking neuron was investigated in vivo using sensory stimulation instead of artificial excitation of the presynaptic neuron. During visual motion stimulation, individual presynaptic and postsynaptic neurons in the brain of the fly were electrophysiologically recorded together with concentration changes of presynaptic calcium ([Ca²⁺]_pre). Preferred-direction motion leads to depolarization of the presynaptic neuron. It also produces pronounced increases in [Ca²⁺]_pre and the postsynaptic spike rate. Motion in the opposite direction was associated with hyperpolarization of the presynaptic cell but only a weak reduction in [Ca²⁺]_pre and the postsynaptic spike rate. Apart from this rectification, the relationships between presynaptic depolarizations, [Ca²⁺]_pre, and postsynaptic spike rates are, on average, linear over the entire range of activity levels that can be elicited by sensory stimulation. Thus, the inevitably limited range in which the gain of overall synaptic signal transfer is constant appears to be adjusted to sensory input strengths.

Key words: calcium cooperativity; fly; graded synapse; insect; lobula plate; motion vision; presynaptic calcium; synaptic gain; synaptic transmission; tangential cell

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Copyright © 2001 Society for Neuroscience  0270-6474/01/21176957-10$05.00/0

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