title: Serotonin-induced spike narrowing in a locomotor pattern generator permits increases in cycle frequency during accelerations.
abstract: During serotonin-induced swim acceleration in the pteropod mollusk Clione limacina, interneurons of the central pattern generator (CPG) exhibit significant action potential narrowing. Spike narrowing is apparently necessary for increases in cycle frequency during swim acceleration because, in the absence of narrowing, the combined duration of the spike and the inhibitory postsynaptic potential (IPSP) of a single cycle is greater than the available cycle duration. Spike narrowing could negatively influence synaptic efficacy in all interneuron connections, including reciprocal inhibitory connections between the two groups of antagonistic CPG interneurons as well as the interneuron-to-motoneuron connections. Thus compensatory mechanisms must exist to produce the overall excitatory behavioral change of swim acceleration. Such mechanisms include 1) a baseline depolarization of interneurons, which brings them closer to spike threshold, 2) enhancement of their postinhibitory rebound, and 3) direct modulation of swim motoneurons and muscles, all through inputs from serotonergic modulatory neurons.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona 85287-1501, USA.
authors.forename: R A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Satterlie
authors.forename: T P
authors.initials: TP
authors.lastname: Norekian
authors.forename: T J
authors.initials: TJ
authors.lastname: Pirtle
mesh_terms: D000054:Acceleration; D000200:Action Potentials / Q000187:drug effects*; D000818:Animals; D001683:Biological Clocks / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology*; D017952:Ganglia, Invertebrate / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D007395:Interneurons / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D008803:Mianserin / Q000494:pharmacology; D008974:Mollusca; D009046:Motor Neurons / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D009433:Neural Inhibition / Q000502:physiology; D018408:Patch-Clamp Techniques; D012701:Serotonin / Q000494:pharmacology*; D012702:Serotonin Antagonists / Q000494:pharmacology; D013550:Swimming / Q000502:physiology*; D013569:Synapses / Q000502:physiology; D019789:Tetraethylammonium / Q000494:pharmacology
chemical_list: D012702:Serotonin Antagonists; D008803:Mianserin; D012701:Serotonin; D019789:Tetraethylammonium