Small voltage changes at nerve terminals travel up axons to affect action potential initiation.
Nerve terminals are generally considered to be the destination points for electrical signals, which propagate unidirectionally from the soma to nerve terminals. We found that small hyperpolarizations or depolarizations ( approximately 10 mV) generated under physiological conditions in rat nerve terminals backpropagated up the axon ( approximately 400-800 microm) and changed the threshold for initiating action potentials and thus firing patterns. These results suggest a mechanism for information processing in neurons and neuronal circuits.
Paradiso
Kenneth
K
National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, Bethesda, Maryland, USA. kenparadiso@gmail.com
Wu
Ling-Gang
LG
D000200:Action Potentials / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D000818:Animals; D001306:Auditory Pathways / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology*; D017626:Cochlear Nucleus / Q000502:physiology; D004558:Electric Stimulation; D008564:Membrane Potentials / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D009431:Neural Conduction / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D009433:Neural Inhibition / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D009473:Neuronal Plasticity / Q000502:physiology; D009924:Organ Culture Techniques; D017729:Presynaptic Terminals / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D051381:Rats; D012249:Rhombencephalon / Q000502:physiology*; D009435:Synaptic Transmission / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*