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Journal of Neuroscience, Vol 9, 1254-1262, Copyright © 1989 by Society for Neuroscience
Long-term expansion and sensitization of mechanosensory receptive fields in Aplysia support an activity-dependent model of whole-cell sensory plasticity
AJ Billy and ET Walters
Department of Physiology and Cell Biology, University of Texas Medical School, Houston 77225.
Long-term changes in peripheral receptive field properties of
mechanosensory/nociceptive neurons were investigated 1-3 weeks after
noxious stimulation. Noxious stimuli consisted of a deep penetrating cut
through the middle of the tail, strong electric shock applied to the tail
surface, or a combination of deep and superficial tail stimulation. Action
potentials evoked in the tail were monitored with intracellular electrodes
in central somata of tail sensory neurons. Three long-term changes in
receptive field properties were produced in the region of noxious
stimulation: (1) mechanosensory thresholds decreased, (2) receptive field
areas increased, and (3) the percentage of cells showing receptive field
extension across the tail midline increased. Sizes and shapes of individual
receptive fields did not vary during extensive testing of tails perfused
with artificial seawater or during testing in cobalt solutions that block
synaptic transmission. This stability of receptive field geometry, coupled
with the observation that increased peripheral excitability in these cells
does not increase receptive field size, suggests that long-term receptive
field alterations involve growth of peripheral sensory processes. A model
is proposed in which the signaling strength of the entire sensory cell
increases in response to trauma of its receptive field. In this model
long-term enhancement of central and peripheral sensory responsiveness is
selectively triggered by activity dependent extrinsic modulation of the
centrally located soma, which accelerates synthesis of growth-associated
proteins used in collateral and regenerative sprouting of traumatized
peripheral processes.
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