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INVESTIGATION OF THE ELECTROPHYSIOLOGICAL PROPERTIES OF THE MAJOR CELL TYPES IN THE RAT OLFACTORY TUBERCLE

Chiang, Elizabeth C
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=case1196707801

Abstract Details

2008, Doctor of Philosophy, Case Western Reserve University, Neurosciences.
Olfactory information is processed by a diverse group of interconnected forebrain regions. Most efforts to define the cellular mechanisms involved in processing olfactory information have been focused on understanding the function of the olfactory bulb, the primary second-order olfactory region, and its principal target, the piriform cortex. However, the olfactory bulb also projects to other targets, including the rarely-studied olfactory tubercle, a ventral brain region recently implicated in regulating cocaine-related reward behavior. We used whole-cell patch clamp recordings from rat tubercle slices to define the intrinsic properties of neurons in the dense and multiform cell layers. We find three common firing modes of tubercle neurons: regular-spiking, intermittent-discharging and bursting. Regular-spiking neurons are typically spiny-dense-cell-layer cells with pyramidal-shaped, dendritic arborizations. Intermittently-discharging and bursting neurons comprise the majority of the deeper multiform layer and share a common morphology: multipolar, sparsely-spiny cells. Rather than generating all-or-none stereotyped discharges, as observed in many brain areas, bursting cells in the tubercle generate depolarizing plateau potentials that trigger graded but time-limited intermittent discharges. We find two distinct subclasses of bursting cells that respond similarly to xv step stimuli but differ in the role transmembrane Ca currents play in their intrinsic behavior. We also created a numerical model of the bursting cell to examine the currents that allow the unique bursting pattern of firing. We varied the currents until we found a response that was similar to that of recordings. Then we ran simulations to test what the response of the model neuron in environments mimicking Cs, low Ca, and TTX. We also looked at the response to brief stimuli and two pulse stimuli. Experiments and the mathematical model both lead us to assert that the role of calcium in nonregenerative bursting tubercle neurons appears to be to decrease excitability by triggering Ca-activated K currents. Nonregenerative bursting cells exhibit a prolonged refractory period following even short discharges suggesting that they may function to detect transient events.
Ben Strowbridge (Advisor)
241 p.
rat olfactory tubercle; electrophysiology; patch-clamp; major cell types; cocaine; bursting; regular-spiking; intermittent-discharging

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Citations

  • Chiang, E. C. (2008). INVESTIGATION OF THE ELECTROPHYSIOLOGICAL PROPERTIES OF THE MAJOR CELL TYPES IN THE RAT OLFACTORY TUBERCLE [Doctoral dissertation, Case Western Reserve University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=case1196707801

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Chiang, Elizabeth. INVESTIGATION OF THE ELECTROPHYSIOLOGICAL PROPERTIES OF THE MAJOR CELL TYPES IN THE RAT OLFACTORY TUBERCLE. 2008. Case Western Reserve University, Doctoral dissertation. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=case1196707801.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Chiang, Elizabeth. "INVESTIGATION OF THE ELECTROPHYSIOLOGICAL PROPERTIES OF THE MAJOR CELL TYPES IN THE RAT OLFACTORY TUBERCLE." Doctoral dissertation, Case Western Reserve University, 2008. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=case1196707801

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

case1196707801
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© 2007, all rights reserved.
This open access ETD is published by Case Western Reserve University School of Graduate Studies and OhioLINK.