Biomedical subjects

S N Currie

Publications and source records attributed to S N Currie.

22 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

PubMed1987

Modulated vibration-sensitivity of lamprey Mauthner neurones.

The vibration-sensitivity of larval lamprey Mauthner (Mth) neurones is dependent on behavioural state. Animals are maximally vibration-sensitive when at rest and less so when active or aroused. To demonstrate this effect in freely behaving larvae, we provided repeated vibratory or electrical stimuli to the vestibular labyrinths while animals made transitions between rest and activity. Stimuli which were adequate to elicit Mth spikes 100% of the time in a resting animal (recorded extracellularly from the spinal cord) were consistently subthreshold while the animal was swimming. The same effect was seen in semi-intact preparations, both moving and curarized, while recording intracellularly from Mth cell bodies. Mth vibration-sensitivity decreased abruptly with the onset of 'arousal', defined here by the presence of tonic, descending spinal cord discharge. During arousal, the Mth soma exhibited a slight depolarization (2-8 mV), an increased membrane conductance, and a strong depression of vibration-evoked excitatory postsynaptic potential (EPSP) amplitude. This Mth PSP depression (MPD) appears to underlie altered vibration-sensitivity.

Animals↗

PubMed1987

Functional significance and neural basis of larval lamprey startle behaviour.

1. The vibration-evoked startle response mediates rapid withdrawal in burrowed larval lampreys (ammocoetes). Ammocoetes withdraw in response to vibration by contracting pre-existing lateral bends in the trunk and tail, thus pulling their heads deeper into the burrow. 2. The motor effects of an ammocoete startle response are dependent on pre-existing posture. Areas of lateral body curvature contract more and exhibit larger electromyogram (EMG) amplitudes on their inner sides than on their outer sides. 3. Both of the anterior Mth and posterior Mth' (Mauthner) cells and both of the B1 and B2 (bulbar) Müller cells fired action potentials in response to vibration of the otic capsules. Both B3 and B4 Müller cells were inhibited by vibration, while M (mesencephalic) and I1 (isthmic) Müller cells were inhibited by ipsilateral vibration and excited by contralateral vibration. 4. Simultaneous action potentials in both of the anterior Mth cells were appropriate and sufficient for initiating the startle response EMG in a semi-intact preparation. 5. This study demonstrates a Mauthner-initiated startle response which activates musculature on both sides of the body to produce a rapid withdrawal movement and is thus adapted to the eel-like form and burrowed lifestyle of larval lampreys.

Action Potentials↗

PubMed1983

Regeneration of locomotor command systems in the sea lamprey.

Ammocoete larvae of the sea lamprey were allowed to recover from a complete transection of the spinal cord posterior to the last gill arch. Specimens were then prepared for focal extracellular stimulation of the brainstem in the region known to contain the command systems for swimming. In 4 preparations where behavioral recovery had occurred, stimulation in this region would initiate swimming, indicating that the command function of this 'locomotor' region had recovered.

Animals↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Fictive hindlimb motor patterns evoked by AMPA and NMDA in turtle spinal cord-hindlimb nerve preparations.

Application of the glutamate agonists alpha-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazoleproprionate (AMPA, 5-10 microM), or N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA, 50-100 microM) to the turtle spinal cord produced fictive hindlimb motor patterns in low-spinal immobilized animals (in vivo) and in isolated spinal cord-hindlimb nerve preparations (in vitro). For in vivo experiments, drugs were applied onto the dorsal surface of 2-4 adjacent spinal cord segments in and near the anterior hindlimb enlargement. Motor output was recorded unilaterally or bilaterally from hindlimb muscle nerves. AMPA elicited vigorous motor patterns in vivo that included strict hip flexor-extensor and right-left alternation. In most turtles, the monoarticular knee extensor nerve FT-KE was active during the HE phase of AMPA evoked burst cycles, similar to the timing of pocket scratch motor patterns. NMDA was less effective in vivo, typically producing only weak and irregular bursting from hip nerves and little or no knee extensor (KE) discharge. Sensory stimulation of a rostral scratch reflex in vivo could reset an ongoing AMPA-evoked motor rhythm, indicating that cutaneous reflex pathways interact centrally with the chemically activated rhythm generator. Most in vitro preparations consisted of six segments of spinal cord, including the entire 5-segment hindlimb enlargement (D8-S2) and the segment immediately anterior to the enlargement (D7), with attached hindlimb nerves. In contrast to in vivo experiments, in vitro preparations exhibited highly regular, long-lasting motor rhythms when NMDA was superfused over the spinal cord. AMPA also produced rhythmic motor patterns in vitro, but these lasted only a few minutes before they were replaced with tonic discharge. FT-KE timing during in vitro chemically elicited activity was similar to that of sensory-evoked pocket scratch motor patterns. Some NMDA-evoked rhythmicity persisted even in 3-segment (D6-D8) and 1-segment (D8) in vitro preparations, demonstrating that neural mechanisms for chemically activated rhythmogenesis reside even in a single segment of the hindlimb enlargement.

Animals↗