Bistability of cerebellar Purkinje cells modulated by sensory stimulation.
A persistent change in neuronal activity after brief stimuli is a common feature of many neuronal microcircuits. This persistent activity can be sustained by ongoing reverberant network activity or by the intrinsic biophysical properties of individual cells. Here we demonstrate that rat and guinea pig cerebellar Purkinje cells in vivo show bistability of membrane potential and spike output on the time scale of seconds. The transition between membrane potential states can be bidirectionally triggered by the same brief current pulses. We also show that sensory activation of the climbing fiber input can switch Purkinje cells between the two states. The intrinsic nature of Purkinje cell bistability and its control by sensory input can be explained by a simple biophysical model. Purkinje cell bistability may have a key role in the short-term processing and storage of sensory information in the cerebellar cortex.
Loewenstein
Yonatan
Y
Department of Neurobiology, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem 91904, Israel. yonatanl@mit.edu
Mahon
Séverine
S
Chadderton
Paul
P
Kitamura
Kazuo
K
Sompolinsky
Haim
H
Yarom
Yosef
Y
Häusser
Michael
M
D000200:Action Potentials / Q000502:physiology; D000344:Afferent Pathways / Q000502:physiology*; D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn; D002525:Cerebellar Cortex / Q000166:cytology*; D004558:Electric Stimulation / Q000379:methods; D005071:Evoked Potentials / Q000502:physiology*; D007839:Functional Laterality / Q000502:physiology; D006168:Guinea Pigs; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D008564:Membrane Potentials / Q000502:physiology; D008959:Models, Neurological; D018408:Patch-Clamp Techniques; D010812:Physical Stimulation / Q000379:methods; D011689:Purkinje Cells / Q000502:physiology*; D051381:Rats; D013569:Synapses / Q000502:physiology; D013997:Time Factors; D014738:Vibrissae / Q000502:physiology