Intracellular nonlinear frequency response measurements in the cockroach tactile spine neuron

✍ Scribed by L. L. Stockbridge; P. H. Torkkeli; A. S. French

• Publisher: Springer-Verlag
• Year: 1991
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 709 KB
• Volume: 65
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0340-1200
• DOI: 10.1007/bf00198089

✦ Synopsis

The threshold of the cockroach tactile neuron increases strongly with depolarization by a process involving at least two time constants. This effect is probably responsible for the rapid and complete adaptation of the neuron's response to step inputs. A technique for intracellular recording and stimulation of the neuron has recently been established and this allows direct observation of the dynamic response of the neuronal encoder. A white noise stimulus was used to modulate the membrane potential of the neuron. The first-order frequency response function between membrane potential and action potential discharge could be explained by a variable threshold model with two time constants. Second-order frequency response functions could be accounted for by a Wiener cascade model. The dynamic nonlinear behavior of the encoder can therefore be explained by a unidirectional threshold which increases linearly and dynamically with membrane potential.