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J S Kauer

Publications and source records attributed to J S Kauer.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

Odor-elicited activity monitored simultaneously from 124 regions of the salamander olfactory bulb using a voltage-sensitive dye.

In response to controlled, odor pulse stimulation of the olfactory receptor mucosa, large fluorescence signals were recorded simultaneously from 124 contiguous anatomical regions of the salamander olfactory bulb using the potentiometric probe RH 414. The amplitudes and waveforms of the signals varied systematically across the bulbar surface in apparent correspondence with the laminae of the bulbar neurons. Qualitatively similar results were obtained using both intact and decorporate preparations, although fluorescence signals obtained from intact animals were distorted by optical noise generated by mechanical disturbances related to the functioning cardiovascular system. These results indicate that multiple site optical recording can be used to obtain information about spatio-temporal patterning of bulbar electrical activity evoked by physiological odor stimulation of the receptor mucosa. This is the first demonstration that activity elicited by a single, one second odor stimulus at physiological concentration and duration can be measured across many elements in the olfactory bulb. Information provided by this approach, in combination with complementary data derived from 2-deoxyglucose and single unit studies, may yield a better understanding of how the vertebrate central nervous system extracts quality and concentration information from olfactory afferent input.

Action Potentials↗

Intracellular potentials of salamander mitral/tufted neurons in response to odor stimulation.

Intracellular responses of salamander mitral/tufted neurons to defined odor pulses are described. Responses to odor stimulation, which generally are more complex than responses to olfactory nerve or tract electrical stimulation, show periods of depolarization and hyperpolarization that are influenced by odor concentration and quality. The way these periods coincide with different types of spike patterns in individual cells supports the hypothesis that the temporal patterning of odor responses is generated by differential activation of bulbar circuits.

Animals↗

A simplified method for computerized densitometry of complex shapes in 2-deoxyglucose autoradiographs.

A simple, computerized densitometer is described which can be used to measure densities of photographic prints by means of a fiber-optic reflectance densitometric probe coupled to the movable cursor of a digitizing tablet. The cursor, with its attached probe, is moved by hand along a scan trajectory determined by the operator. In its configuration for use with 2-deoxyglucose autoradiographs, the histological section from which the autoradiograph was derived provides architectonic landmarks for guiding the path of the scan. The X, Y and density values taken along a scan line are sequentially stored in the computer memory. Algorithms are presented for plotting densities along unfolded scan lines within layers of structures with complicated shapes, for normalizing non-linearities introduced during photographic processing, for standardizing the data sets with reference to the density of average gray matter in different animals, for calculating total integrated density within defined boundaries along the scan line, for generating averages of multiple scans, and for stacking sequential scans to form pseudo-3-dimensional plots. This system allows densitometric measures to be made from autoradiographs in anatomically defined regions, thereby permitting precise correlation between isotope concentration and histological structure.

Animals↗

Specific olfactory receptor populations projecting to identified glomeruli in the rat olfactory bulb.

A critical gap exists in our knowledge of the topographical relationship between the olfactory epithelium and olfactory bulb. The present report describes the application to this problem of a method involving horseradish peroxidase conjugated to wheat germ agglutinin. This material was iontophoretically delivered to circumscribed glomeruli in the olfactory bulb and the characteristics and distribution of retrogradely labeled receptor cells were assessed. After discrete injections into small glomerular groups in the caudomedial bulb, topographically defined populations of receptor cells were labeled. Labeled receptor cell somata appeared at several levels within the epithelium. The receptor cell apical dendrites followed a tight helical course towards the surface of the epithelium. The data thus far demonstrate that functional units within the olfactory system may include not only glomeruli as previously suggested but, in addition, a corresponding matrix of receptor cells possessing functional and topographical specificity.

Animals↗

Intracellular recordings from two cell types in an in vitro preparation of the salamander olfactory epithelium.

Two electrophysiologically distinct cell types were found with intracellular recordings for the first time in an in vitro preparation of the olfactory epithelium of the salamander, Ambystoma tigrinum. Intracellular recordings showed that Type I cells did not discharge action potentials but had high resting membrane potentials (-50 to -104 mV) and relatively low input resistances. Type II cells had resting membrane potentials of -24 to -52 mV, high input resistances, and discharged upon penetration and to depolarizing current steps. The discharge pattern of Type II cells showed the following characteristics: (1) decreased spike latency and increased discharge frequency with increasing current step intensity; (2) relatively slowly adapting spike trains; and (3) varying spike amplitude during repetitive discharges. The superficial location in the epithelium of the Type I cells implies that they may be sustentacular cells with glial-like electrophysiological properties. The Type II cells are presumably olfactory receptor cells, based on the characteristics of their spike discharge to depolarizing current and their intermediate location within the olfactory epithelium.

Action Potentials↗

Laminar distributions of 2-deoxyglucose uptake in the rat spinal cord following electrical stimulation of the sciatic nerve.

The 2-deoxyglucose method was employed to study the functional organization of afferent axons in the dorsal horn of the rat spinal cord. Stimulation of axons in the sciatic nerve with conduction velocities greater than 17 m/s produced activity predominantly in the deep laminae of the dorsal horn. In contrast, stimulation of the entire population produced activity throughout the dorsal horn. The results are discussed in relation to the functional organization of the rat dorsal horn.

Animals↗

Surface morphology of olfactory receptors.

The receptor cells of the olfactory system have cilia on their apical terminals. The receptor cells of the vomeronasal system lack cilia on their distal terminals, having microvilli in their place. Since both these systems have the capacity to detect airborne stimuli, it is apparent that ciliary structure per se is not necessary for the chemoreceptive function and that cilia on olfactory receptor cells may then serve a mechanical or structural role for supporting specialized chemosensitive membrane. The spread of conductance changes across this chemosensitive membrane to proximal spike generating regions requires electrotonic cytoplasmic continuity from the ciliary shaft to the axon hillock. We have demonstrated this continuity by showing that intra-axonally injected HRP can spread from the axon to the cell soma and from there to the interior of the ciliary shafts.

Animals↗

Mapping of odor-related neuronal activity in the olfactory bulb by high-resolution 2-deoxyglucose autoradiography.

The spatial distribution of odor-induced neuronal activity in the olfactory bulb, the first relay station of the olfactory pathway, is believed to reflect important aspects of chemosensory coding. We report here the application of high-resolution 2-deoxyglucose autoradiography to the mapping of spatial patterns of metabolic activity at the level of single neurons in the olfactory bulb. It was found that glomeruli, which are synaptic complexes containing the first synaptic relay, tend to be uniformly active or inactive during odor exposure. Differential 2-deoxyglucose uptake was also observed in the somata of projection neurons (mitral cells) and interneurons (periglomerular and granule cells). This confirms and extends our previous studies in which odor-specific laminar and focal uptake patterns were revealed by the conventional x-ray film 2-deoxyglucose method due to Sokoloff and colleagues [Sokoloff, L., Reivich, M., Kennedy, C., DesRosiers, M. H., Patlak, C. S., Pettigrew, K. D., Sakurada, O. & Shinohara, M. (1977) J. Neurochem. 28, 897--916]. Based on results obtained by the two methods, it is suggested that the glomerulus as a whole serves as a functional unit of activity. The high-resolution results are interpreted in terms of the well-characterized synaptic organization of the olfactory bulb and also serve to illustrate the capability of the 2-deoxyglucose autoradiographic technique to map metabolic activity in single neurons of the vertebrate central nervous system.

Animals↗

Topographical and laminar localization of 2-deoxyglucose uptake in rat olfactory bulb induced by electrical stimulation of olfactory nerves.

Experiments were carried out to examine the topographical projection of the olfactory nerves to the olfactory bulb in the rat, using the Sokoloff [14C]2-deoxyglucose (2-DG) technique. Electrical stimulation of a medially located bundle of olfactory nerves produced a discrete zone of 2-DG uptake at the rostral pole of the bulb. Increasing stimulus strength yielded a slightly larger focus at this site. In contrast, electrical stimulation of laterally situated bundles of olfactory nerves resulted in a broad zone of activity extending along the lateral wall of the bulb, and increasing stimulus intensity produced a more extensive area of uptake. Laminar analyses provided information on the relation between activity in the glomerular layer, where the olfactory nerves terminate, and activity in deeper layers. The results support previous studies of the topographical projections of the olfactory nerves to the olfactory bulb. They also support the hypothesis that odor-induced 2-DG uptake in the olfactory bulb represents activation of groups of receptors in the olfactory epithelium whose axons terminate in activated glomerular regions in the olfactory bulb.

Animals↗

Olfactory receptor cell staining using horseradish peroxidase.

Iontophoretic injection of horseradish peroxidase into severed olfactory nerve fascicles has been used to stain salamander olfactory receptor cell somata, their associated nerves, and their axonal terminations in the glomerular layer of the olfactory bulb. This technique gives homogeneous, Golgi-like staining of individually identifiable receptor cells and has permitted preliminary mapping of the topographical relationship between the loci of receptors in the olfactory mucosa and sites of their termination in the glomerular layer in the olfactory bulb.

Ambystoma↗

Tinnitus: development of a neurophysiologic correlate.

Although tinnitus severely afflicts 7.2 million Americans, the pathophysiology of this problem remains obscure because there presently exists no good animal model in which to study the phenomenon. We have examined changes in activity in the guinea pig auditory pathway using an autoradiographic method of functional brain mapping after short-term and long-term cochlear ablations which can, in humans, initiate the occurrence of tinnitus. With this method we have observed a reduction in activity in various nuclei in the auditory pathway between 4 hrs and 10 days after unilateral cochlear ablation. In contrast to these findings we have found a return of activity in these same nuclei if they are observed from 12 to 48 days following the lesion. These preliminary data suggest that this return of activity in the absence of sensory input may be a valid experimental analogue for tinnitus in humans. Such evidence for auditory plasticity may represent a significant first step toward understanding this common and profound otologic symptom.

Animals↗

2-Deoxyglucose uptake in the cat spinal cord during sustained and habituated activity in the plantar cushion reflex pathway.

[14C]2-deoxy-D-glucose (2-DG) was administered intravenously to anesthetized cats during electrical stimulation of the plantar cushion (central foot pad). Afferent volleys and the efferent reflex were monitored by recording from the tibial nerve at the ankle. Plantar cushion stimulation at 3 HZ, 5 x threshold for 45 minutes led to a discrete region of increased 2-DG uptake dorsomedially in the dorsal horn, predominantly in Rexed's laminae III and IV, ipsilateral to the stimulation. A less marked increase in labeling was also sometimes observed in the medial portion of lamina V. No labeling specific to stimulation was observed in the ventral horns. A control preparation, to determine the effects of surgical manipulations alone, confirmed that the labeling was indeed specific to the plantar cushion stimulation. A pattern of labeling identical to that seen during 3 Hz, 5 x threshold stimulation occurred when 2-DG was administered during 10 Hz, 5 x threshold stimulation, after the reflex elicited by plantar cushion stimulation had completely habituated. The most straightforward interpretation of our results suggests that the increases in 2-DG labeling produced by stimulation of the plantar cushion probably occurred in regions with heavy concentrations of axon collaterals of the primary afferent A alpha beta fibers from the plantar cushion, at or near their sites of termination in the dorsal horn.

Afferent Pathways↗

Increased uptake of [3H]deoxyglucose and [14C]deoxyglucose in localized regions of the brain during stimulation of the motor cortex.

A part of the motor area which evokes short-latency activity in jaw-opening muscles was stimulated for 30-45 min in guinea pigs which had received an injection of [3H]deoxyglucose or [14C]deoxyglucose. In a number of specific regions of the upper brainstem and basal ganglia, bilateral increases of metabolic activity were demonstrated by autoradiography. These included the putamen, globus pallidus, substantia nigra, subthalamic nucleus, dorsomedial region of red nucleus, deep layers of the superior colliculus, and pretectal nuclei. A ventral region of the thalamus was labeled ipsilateral to the stimulation. It is suggested that these regions represent stations in the circuits involved in the production of the evoked muscular activity. Using [3H]deoxyglucose instead of [14C]deoxyglucose as a tracer improved the quality of the autoradiographic images.

Animals↗

Functional organization of rat olfactory bulb analysed by the 2-deoxyglucose method.

The spatial patterns of activity elicited in the rat olfactory bulb under different odor conditions have been analysed using the 2-deoxyglucose (2DG) technique. Rats were injected with 14C-2DG, exposed to controlled environments of amyl acetate, camphor, cage air, dimethyl disulfide, and pure air and autoradiographs prepared by the method of Sokoloff. Amyl acetate was associated with regions of glomerular layer densities in the anterolateral and mid- to posteromedial parts of the bulbar circumference, as previously reported. The extents of the densities increased with increasing concentration. Camphor odor was associated with regions of increased density in the anterodorsal and mid- to posteromedial parts of the bulb. Exposure to cage air produced scattered densities in the posteromedial and posterolateral bulb. Exposure to dimethyl disulfide gave variable results. Pure air was associated with a minimal number of small dense foci. The results with amyl acetate, camphor and cage air suggest that patterns for different odors are distinguishably different but overlapping. The regions of activity are greatest in extent and density with the highest odor concentrations. These define the regions within which more restricted and isolated foci appear at lower concentrations. The results thus provide evidence for the specific role of spatial factors in the neural processing of odor quality and odor concentration.

Acetates↗