HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

Cover Picture: Spiral ganglion neurons in vitro (stained red with Neurofilament 200) with example responses of a control apical neuron (upper left) and a BDNF-treated apical neuron (lower right) to depolarizing current injection. Under control conditions, spiral ganglion neurons show characteristic regional differences in firing properties such as accommodation, action potential duration, and action potential latency. We find that these electrophysiological differences and the underlying ion channel composition are subject to extrinsic regulation by BDNF and neurotrophin-3 (NT-3), which exert opposite effects. Base neurons exposed to 5 ng/ml NT-3 acquire the characteristics of apex neurons but are unaffected by BDNF. The converse is true for apex neurons. These results are consistent with the idea that oppositely oriented gradients of neurotrophins or their cognate receptors play a role in determining the electrophysiological phenotype of postnatal spiral ganglion neurons. For details, see the article by Adamson et al. in this issue (pages 1385-1396).