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Excitatory postsynaptic potential evoked by stimulation of the ventrolateral region of the cerebellum in crucian carp Mauthner cell

Zhang Yingcai, Zhang Shuhua, Li Xiaoyi, Tong Xuehong, Yu Fen, Zhang Maoxian

Department of Physiology,Capital University of Medical Sciences.Beijing 100054

Abstract

In the present experiments, the characteristics of the electrical responses to stimulation of the cerebellum in crucian carp Mauthner cell were explored with microelectrode intracellular recording technique. A composite excitatory postsynaptic potential (cerebellum-evoked EPSP) could be induced from the soma, the ventral dendrite and the proximal end of the lateral dendrite in crucian carp Mauthner cell (M-cell) on either side by stimulation of the ventrolateral region of the cerebellum. The cerebellum-evoked EPSP presented characteristics of relatively short latency (0.63±0.09 ms), longer duration (5.49±1.13 ms), graded amplitude and dependence on stimulation frequency. Stimulation of the cerebellum with higher initensity always activated the M-cell orthodromically. Multiple intracellular recordings showed that the cerebellum-evoked EPSP originated in the distal end of the ventral dendrite. The results suggest that the cerebellum-M-cell pathway is probably composed of a group of neuron chains with different numbers of synaptic relays projecting to the distal end of the ventral dendrite in order of length of the chains.

Key words: Mauthner cell;Cerebellum;EPSP ventral;Dendrite erucian;Carp

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Citing This Article：

Zhang Yingcai, Zhang Shuhua, Li Xiaoyi, Tong Xuehong, Yu Fen, Zhang Maoxian. Excitatory postsynaptic potential evoked by stimulation of the ventrolateral region of the cerebellum in crucian carp Mauthner cell. Acta Physiol Sin 2003; 55 (4): (in Chinese with English abstract).