title: Cholinergic modulation of frequency receptive fields in auditory cortex: I. Frequency-specific effects of muscarinic agonists.
abstract: Previously we reported that acetylcholine (ACh) and acetyl-beta-methacholine (MCh) modify responses of neurons in auditory cortex to individual frequencies. The purpose of this study was to determine whether muscarinic agonists produce frequency-specific alterations or general changes in cellular responses. Frequency-specific modifications would be evident in alterations of frequency receptive fields (FRF) that differed across frequencies while general effects would be seen as changes that were more or less the same over frequencies. Responses of single neurons to designated sets of tones were recorded in the auditory cortex of chronically prepared awake cats before, during, and following ejection of ACh or MCh by iontophoresis or micropressure using multibarrel micropipettes. Frequency receptive fields were determined by presenting isointensity tones across a range of frequencies including the cell's best frequency (BF) to tone onset. FRF for "off" and "sustained (through)" responses were also determined quantitatively. The effects of ACh and MCh were predominantly frequency-specific (77%, 39/51 cells); general changes (19%, 10/51) and no effects (4%, 2/51) were less likely. Frequency-specific effects involved both facilitation and reduction of the same response component to different frequencies within the same neuron. For responses to tone onset (but not "through" and "off" responses), agonists were more likely to produce a decrease at the BF while simultaneously increasing responses to other frequencies. Agonists could increase or decrease frequency selectivity. Effects of agonists could be blocked by atropine, suggesting involvement of muscarinic receptors.
authors.affiliation: Center for the Neurobiology of Learning and Memory, University of California, Irvine 92717.
authors.forename: T M
authors.initials: TM
authors.lastname: McKenna
authors.forename: J H
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Ashe
authors.forename: N M
authors.initials: NM
authors.lastname: Weinberger
mesh_terms: D000109:Acetylcholine / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000161:Acoustic Stimulation; D000818:Animals; D001285:Atropine / Q000494:pharmacology; D001303:Auditory Cortex / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D002415:Cats; D002799:Cholinergic Fibers / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D005072:Evoked Potentials, Auditory / Q000187:drug effects*; D008297:Male; D016210:Methacholine Chloride; D008688:Methacholine Compounds / Q000494:pharmacology*; D009474:Neurons / Q000145:classification / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D010277:Parasympathomimetics / Q000494:pharmacology
chemical_list: D008688:Methacholine Compounds; D010277:Parasympathomimetics; D016210:Methacholine Chloride; D001285:Atropine; D000109:Acetylcholine