Abstract
The cockroach tactile spine contains a single bipolar mechanosensory neuron. Extracellular stimulation of the neuron is possible by cutting the spine and lowering a microelectrode into the lumen, where the neuron is located, but neither the microelectrode nor the neuron can be visualized during stimulation. The threshold for electrical stimulation of the neuron was measured as a function of spatial position in the lumen. The spine was then fixed and serially sectioned for computer-aided reconstruction. Alignment of threshold measurements with reconstructions produced maps of excitability around the neuron. The lowest threshold was always close to the sensory dendrite or the adjacent soma. These results are discussed in terms of models of action potential initiation in this class of sensory neurons.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 317-320 |
| Number of pages | 4 |
| Journal | Brain Research |
| Volume | 632 |
| Issue number | 1-2 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - Dec 31 1993 |
| Externally published | Yes |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:Support for this work was provided by the Medical Research Council of Canada, the Alberta Heritage Foundation for Medical Research, and the Academy of Finland. We thank Ewa Duszyk for expert technical assistance in the reconstructions and Ernst-August Seyfarth for critical reading of the manuscript.
ASJC Scopus Subject Areas
- General Neuroscience
- Molecular Biology
- Clinical Neurology
- Developmental Biology