title: Synaptic output of physiologically identified spiny stellate neurons in cat visual cortex.
abstract: Spiny stellate neurons of area 17 of the cat's visual cortex were physiologically characterised and injected intracellularly with horseradish peroxidase. Six neurons from sublamina 4A were selected. Five had the S-type of simple receptive fields; one had a complex receptive field. Their axons formed boutons mainly in layers 3 and 4. An electron microscopic examination of 45 boutons showed that each bouton formed one asymmetric synapse on average. Spines were the most frequent synaptic target (74%); dendritic shafts formed the remainder (26%). On the basis of ultrastructural characteristics, 8% of the target dendrites were characterised as originating from smooth gamma-aminobutyrate-ergic (GABAergic) neurons. Thus the major output of spiny stellate neurons is to other spiny neurons, probably pyramidal neurons in layer 3 and spiny stellates in layer 4.
authors.affiliation: Medical Research Council Anatomical Neuropharmacology Unit, Oxford, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: J C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Anderson
authors.forename: R J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Douglas
authors.forename: K A
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Martin
authors.forename: J C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Nelson
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001369:Axons / Q000502:physiology / Q000648:ultrastructure; D002415:Cats; D003712:Dendrites / Q000502:physiology / Q000648:ultrastructure; D006651:Histocytochemistry; D006735:Horseradish Peroxidase; D009186:Myelin Sheath / Q000502:physiology / Q000648:ultrastructure; D009474:Neurons / Q000502:physiology* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D009475:Neurons, Afferent / Q000502:physiology / Q000648:ultrastructure; D013569:Synapses / Q000502:physiology* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D013788:Thalamus / Q000502:physiology / Q000648:ultrastructure; D014793:Visual Cortex / Q000502:physiology* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D014795:Visual Pathways / Q000502:physiology / Q000648:ultrastructure
chemical_list: D006735:Horseradish Peroxidase