Commissural glycinergic inhibition of bushy and stellate cells in the anteroventral cochlear nucleus.
Synaptic inputs from one cochlear nucleus (CN) to the other can play an important role in modulating the activity of CN neurons. Using the isolated whole brain preparation of the guinea pig, we tested the effects of electrical stimulation of the contralateral auditory nerve (AN) on intracellularly recorded and stained neurons of the anteroventral cochlear nucleus. Stimulation of the contralateral AN evoked only inhibitory postsynaptic potentials (IPSPs) in 63% of recorded neurons, including bushy and stellate cells. The latency of most IPSPs (88%) was in the range 3.3-7.6 ms, consistent with mono- and disynaptic transmission from the contralateral CN. The IPSPs had an average amplitude of 2.6 +/- 1.9 mV and were blocked by strychnine suggesting their glycinergic nature. These data, together with our similar findings in other CN subdivisions, indicate that principal cells of the CN contribute to binaural interactions at earliest stages of acoustic processing.
Babalian
Alexandre L
AL
Institute of Physiology, University of Fribourg, Rue du Musée 5, CH-1700 Fribourg, Switzerland.
Jacomme
Anne-Valerie
AV
Doucet
John R
JR
Ryugo
David K
DK
Rouiller
Eric M
EM
D000818:Animals; D003056:Cochlear Nerve / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D017626:Cochlear Nucleus / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D004558:Electric Stimulation / Q000379:methods; D005998:Glycine / Q000502:physiology*; D018684:Glycine Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D006168:Guinea Pigs; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D009474:Neurons / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D013233:Stellate Ganglion / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D009435:Synaptic Transmission / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology
D018684:Glycine Agents; D005998:Glycine