Comparison of septo-hippocampal with basalo-cortical projection neurons in the rat: an electrophysiological approach.
The electrophysiological properties of septo-hippocampal (SHNs) and basalo-cortical neurons (BCNs) identified by antidromic stimulation were compared in rats anesthetized with urethane. SHNs and BCNs had comparable conduction velocities (about 2-3 m/s) and relatively high spontaneous firing rates (about 20 impulses/s). In contrast, they differed in their pattern of spontaneous discharge as studied by generating inter-spike interval histograms. Many BCNs had a regular pattern of discharge. Among SHNs, about 40% had a spontaneous rhythmically bursting pattern of discharge, whereas the remaining 60% had a more or less irregular pattern. These results suggest that SHNs represent a more heterogeneous neuronal population than BCNs, and that central cholinergic neurons involved in different systems might also have different properties.
D000200:Action Potentials; D000818:Animals; D001479:Basal Ganglia / Q000502:physiology*; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000502:physiology*; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000502:physiology*; D008297:Male; D009431:Neural Conduction; D009434:Neural Pathways / Q000502:physiology; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains; D011930:Reaction Time; D012688:Septum Pellucidum / Q000502:physiology