title: Characteristics of GABAergic neurons in the superficial superior colliculus in mice.
abstract: We investigated characteristics of identified GABAergic neurons in slices of the superficial superior colliculus (sSC) using transgenic mice in which green fluorescent protein (GFP) is specifically expressed in GABAergic neurons. Whole-cell patch clamp recordings and intracellular staining with biocytin revealed electrophysiological and morphological properties of GFP-positive neurons. GFP-positive neurons had a tangentially elongated wide dendritic field. In response to depolarizing current pulses, most of the GFP-positive neurons showed either of two firing properties; 55% (n=36/65) generated successive spikes with a constant firing frequency and 22% (n=14/65) showed transient burst firing at a threshold level for spike generation. These results elucidate a functional heterogeneity of GABAergic neurons, and provide fundamental information to understand the function of the GABAergic system in the sSC.
authors.affiliation: Department of Integrative Physiology, National Institute for Physiological Sciences, Myodaiji, Okazaki 444-8585, Japan. tendo@nips.ac.jp
authors.forename: Toshiaki
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Endo
authors.forename: Yuchio
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yanagawa
authors.forename: Kunihiko
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Obata
authors.forename: Tadashi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Isa
mesh_terms: D000200:Action Potentials / Q000502:physiology; D000818:Animals; D049452:Green Fluorescent Proteins; D008164:Luminescent Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D008813:Mice, Inbred ICR; D008822:Mice, Transgenic; D009474:Neurons / Q000737:chemistry / Q000502:physiology*; D013477:Superior Colliculi / Q000737:chemistry / Q000502:physiology*; D005680:gamma-Aminobutyric Acid / Q000032:analysis / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D008164:Luminescent Proteins; D049452:Green Fluorescent Proteins; D005680:gamma-Aminobutyric Acid