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PubMed2000

Directionality derived from pinna-cue spectral notches in cat dorsal cochlear nucleus.

We tested two hypotheses to determine whether dorsal cochlear nucleus (DCN) neurons are specialized to derive directionality from spectral notches: DCN neurons exhibit greater spectral-dependent directionality than ventral cochlear nucleus (VCN) neurons, and spectral-dependent directionality depends on response minima (nulls) produced by coincidence of best frequency (BF) and spectral-notch center frequency. Single-unit responses to 50-ms noise and tone bursts were recorded in barbiturate-anesthetized cats (BFs: 4-37 kHz). Units were classified using BF tone poststimulus time histograms. Pauser, onset-G (type II interneurons), and some chopper units were recorded from the DCN. Primary-like, onset-CIL (onset other than onset-G), and most choppers in the sample were recorded from the VCN. Many pauser and onset-G units were highly directional to noise. Chopper, onset-CIL, and primary-like units (collectively referred to as C-O-P units) were not. The difference in directionality depends on a monaural mechanism as pausers were more directional to monaural noise than C-O-P units. Contralateral inhibition produced a small increase in pauser directionality to noise simulation but had no effect on directionality of C-O-P units. Pauser and C-O-P units exhibited similar low directionality to BF tone, showing that the difference in noise directionality between groups depends on spectral cues. These results show that spectral-dependent directionality is a DCN specialization. Azimuth functions of highly directional units exhibited response nulls, and there was a linear relationship between BFs in the range of 8-13 kHz and azimuthal locations of nulls. This relationship parallels the known spatial distribution of spectral-notch center frequencies on the horizontal plane. Furthermore spatial receptive fields of pausers show response nulls that follow the expected diagonal trajectory of the spectral notch in this frequency range. These results show that DCN spectral-dependent directionality depends on response nulls produced by coincidence of unit BF and spectral-notch center-frequency.

Acoustic Stimulation↗
PubMed1994

Phase-locked response characteristics of single neurons in the frog "cochlear nucleus" to steady-state and sinusoidal-amplitude-modulated tones.

1. We made extracellular recordings from 164 single neurons in the frog dorsal medullary nucleus (DMN), a homologue of the cochlear nucleus. Phase-locked responses to tones at the unit's characteristic frequency (CF) and to off-CF tones were evaluated. We also stimulated units with tones at CF that were amplitude modulated sinusoidally between 5 and 1,000 Hz and examined responses to these stimuli. 2. Results showed that single neurons in the frog DMN displayed phase-locked discharges to tones at frequencies < or = 800 Hz. Phase-locking was robust at low frequencies (< 400 Hz) and became poorer at higher frequencies; the variation of the synchronization coefficient (SC) with frequency typically showed a low-pass characteristic. 3. The capacity of phase-locking to tones was correlated with the functional classification of a DMN neuron and the firing rate of its CF response. Primarylike neurons exhibited various degrees of phase-locked discharges to tones at off-CF frequencies. The average upper cutoff frequency, i.e., the frequency at which the SC dropped to 0.5 of maximum value, differed for the three classes of primarylike neurons. The average cutoff frequency was respectively 183, 325, and 536 Hz for primarylike neurons that displayed low (PL-1), intermediate (PL-2), and high (PL-3) steady-state firing rates to CF stimulation. The phasic neurons showed poor phase-locking capacities at all tone frequencies. 4. The frequency range of phase-locking to amplitude-modulated stimuli was also different for the different cell types, as evidenced by the units' modulation transfer functions (MTFs). The primarylike neurons exhibited mostly all-pass or low-pass sync-based MTFs. The mean upper cutoff frequencies for primarylike neurons having low-pass MTFs were 155 Hz for PL-1 neurons, 176 Hz for PL-2 neurons, and 218 Hz for PL-3 neurons. Pauser, chopper, phasic, and phasic-burst neurons gave mostly low-pass MTFs having a mean upper cutoff frequency of 219, 235, 242, and 251 Hz, respectively. 5. The phase-locking ability of DMN neurons to tones and to amplitude-modulated stimuli are compared with those of frog's primary afferent fibers and with those of avian and mammalian cochlear nucleus neurons. The significance of results in terms of sound localization and sound pattern recognition is discussed.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Afferent regulation of neuron number in the cochlear nucleus: cellular and molecular analyses of a critical period.

The neurons of the cochlear nucleus are dependent on input from the auditory nerve for survival during a critical period of development in a variety of vertebrate species. The molecules that underlie this age-dependent vulnerability to deafferentation are for the most part unknown, although recent studies have begun to yield interesting candidate genes. Here, we review the studies that originally described the presence of afferent dependent neuron survival in the cochlear nucleus and the age-dependency of this effect, as well as more recent work that seeks to understand the mechanisms underlying the neuron loss that occurs and the basis of this critical period. While much of the past work on cochlear nucleus neuronal susceptibility has been conducted looking at one or two genes at a time, recent advances in genomics make it possible to screen tens of thousands of genes while looking for candidate genes that are determinants of the critical period response to afferent deprivation.

Afferent Pathways↗
PubMed1989

Effects of unilateral cochlea removal on anteroventral cochlear nucleus neurons in developing gerbils.

Afferent regulation of neurons in the cochlear nucleus as a function of age was investigated at the light microscope level. Unilateral cochlea removal was performed on Mongolian gerbils of three age groups: 1, 8, and 20 weeks postnatal. Animals survived for either 2 days or 2 weeks. An additional group of neonatally operated animals had a prolonged survival of 9 weeks. The number of neurons in anteroventral cochlear nucleus (AVCN) was counted, and cross-sectional area measurements of large spherical cells in AVCN were made. In animals 1 week old at the time of surgery, there was a 35% reduction in neuron number in AVCN after 2 days, a 58% reduction after 2 weeks, and a 59% reduction 9 weeks after inner ear destruction. However, in animals 20 weeks old at the time of surgery, there was no cell loss in AVCN either 2 days or 2 weeks after surgery. Animals in each age group showed a reduction in cross-sectional area of large spherical cells in AVCN after cochlea ablation. The gerbils that underwent cochlea removal at 8 and 20 weeks showed an average decrease of 14-18%. This effect was seen as early as 2 days after cochlea removal. Animals that underwent cochlea removal at 1 week exhibited the greatest change; a 25% decrease at 2 days progressed to 38% at 2 weeks following cochlea removal. No appreciable further changes were seen at 9 weeks after neonatal cochlea removal. The results indicate greater susceptibility of 1-week-old gerbil cochlear nucleus neurons to peripheral loss than found in older animals.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Aging↗
PubMed1994

Audiologic results with the MSP/MPEAK and WSP/F0F1F2 processors and coding strategies for the nucleus cochlear implant.

Seven Nucleus, multichannel, cochlear-implant recipients underwent a 4-week trial with a Research Speech Processor (RSP). For five users of the Wearable Speech Processor (WSPIII), the RSP consisted of a Mini Speech Processor (MSP) with a MultiPeak (MPEAK) coding strategy, and for two MSP users, a WSPIII, utilizing an F0F1F2 coding strategy was used. Scores on an auditory-only, speech perception test battery were used to compare performance with each device. Patients were evaluated with their own processor before and after their RSP experience, to assess potential practice effects. In general, the patients with higher baseline scores appeared to be better able to take advantage of the additional information provided by the MSP/MPEAK combination.

Acoustic Stimulation↗
PubMed1987

Physiological study of neurons in the dorsal and posteroventral cochlear nucleus of the unanesthetized cat.

The responses of neurons in the posteroventral (PVCN) and dorsal (DCN) cochlear nucleus of the unanesthetized cat were determined for both long and short tones. These results were compared with recent studies in the barbiturate-anesthetized cat conducted in the same laboratory using similar stimuli and analysis programs. Every response pattern (poststimulus time histogram to short tones), which has been observed in previous studies using anesthetized animals, was also observed without anesthetic. The converse was also true: no novel response patterns were observed in the unanesthetized cat. This was also true for interval histogram, response area, isorate curve, and frequency sweep data. Some neurons were difficult to classify into existing descriptions of cochlear nucleus response patterns. For example: primary-like, onset, pauser, and buildup response patterns could also show chopper-like properties; onset-inhibitory, pauser, and buildup neurons appeared to form a response continuum rather than exist as separate response categories; and onset neurons with low characteristic frequencies (CFs) often showed sustained and strongly phase-locked responses below approximately 1,000 Hz. In addition, single neurons often showed more than one response pattern depending on the intensity and frequency of the acoustic stimulus. These ambiguities were also observed under anesthetic. Onset neurons within the PVCN appear to be well suited for the encoding of temporal and intensity information. At low stimulus frequencies they often respond to every cycle of a pure tone stimulus and exhibit the highest degree of phase-locking in the cochlear nucleus. The dynamic ranges associated with many onset neurons can exceed 80 dB compared with the 30- to 40-dB dynamic ranges associated with most other cochlear nucleus neurons. Onset neurons show a similar range of activities in the anesthetized cat. Neurons in the DCN have response properties that are more complex than those seen in the PVCN. Response patterns can change from sustained excitation to complete inhibition and are more often nonmonotonic near CF. DCN neurons can show well-defined tuning in the frequency domain and may be used to encode spectral information, but appear to be poorly suited for encoding temporal or intensity information as they are weakly phase-locked and have relatively small dynamic ranges. When DCN neurons "chop" they usually do so more slowly than do PVCN neurons. DCN neurons recorded in the anesthetized cat behave similarly. The relative frequency of a particular response pattern did vary with anesthetic state.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Acoustic Stimulation↗
PubMed2000

Cytology, synaptology and immunocytochemistry of commissural neurons and their putative axonal terminals in the dorsal cochlear nucleus of the rat.

The first binaural integration within the auditory system responsible for sound localization depends upon commissural neurons that connect the two symmetrical cochlear nuclei. These cells in the deep polymorphic layer of the rat dorsal cochlear nucleus were identified with the electron microscope after injection of the retrograde tracer, Wheat Germ Agglutinin conjugated to Horseradish Peroxydase, into the contralateral cochlear nucleus. Commissural neurons are multipolar or bipolar with an oval to fusiform shape. Few commissural neurons, most inhibitory but also excitatory, connect most of the divisions of the rat cochlear nuclei. The most common type is a glycinergic, sometimes GABAergic, moderately large cell. Its ergastoplasm is organized into peripheral stacks of cisternae, and few axo-somatic synaptic boutons are present. Another type of commissural neuron is a medium-sized, spindle-shaped cell, glycine and GABA-negative, with sparse ergastoplasm and synaptic coverage. A giant, rare type of commissural neuron is glycine-positive and GABA-negative, with short peripheral stacks of ergastoplasmic cisternae. It is covered with synaptic boutons, many of which contain round synaptic vesicles. Another rare type of commissural neuron is a moderately large cell, oval to fusiform in shape, immunonegative for both glycine and GABA, and contacted by many axo-somatic boutons. It contains large dense mitochondria and numerous dense core vesicles of peptidergic type. Some labelled boutons, mostly inhibitory and probably derived from commissural neurons, contact pyramidal, cartwheel, giant and tuberculo-ventral neurons. The prevalent inhibition of electrical activity in a cochlear nucleus observed after stimulation of the contralateral cochlear nucleus may be due to commissural inhibitory terminals which contact excitatory neurons such as pyramidal and giant cells. Other inhibitory commissural terminals which contact inhibitory neurons such as cartwheel and tuberculo-ventral neurons, may explain the stimulation of electrical activity in the DCN after contralateral stimulation.

Animals↗
PubMed1991

Cochlear-nucleus branches of thick (medial) olivocochlear fibers in the mouse: a cochleotopic projection.

Olivocochlear neurons have somata in the superior olivary complex and provide an efferent innervation to the cochlea. One subgroup of olivocochlear neurons, medial olivocochlear neurons, sends fibers to innervate the cochlear outer hair cells. En route to the cochlea, medial olivocochlear fibers give off branches to the ventral cochlear nucleus, the first auditory center of the brain. This study examines the cochlear-nucleus branches of medial olivocochlear fibers, comparing those from fibers that innervate the cochlear base with those from fibers that innervate the cochlear apex. Basal fibers give off dorsal branches to the granule cell lamina and ventral branches to the auditory nerve root. Apical fibers give off few dorsal branches but many ventral branches that terminate rostrally to the nerve root. This cochleotopic mapping of medial olivocochlear branches corresponds in a general way to that of afferent fibers. Unlike afferent fibers, however, the branches terminate primarily along the edges of the cochlear nucleus. In the mouse, the particular edges of termination are (1) the medial border of the ventral cochlear nucleus where it meets the underlying vestibular nerve root, and (2) the border between the ventral cochlear nucleus and the granule cell lamina. Neurons and dendrites of these border regions may thus integrate efferent and afferent information in a frequency-specific manner.

Afferent Pathways↗
PubMed1985

Distribution and fine structure of neuronal elements containing glutamate decarboxylase in the rat cochlear nucleus.

Distribution and fine structure of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA)-containing structures were examined in the rat cochlear nuclear complex by means of immunohistochemistry using glutamate decarboxylase (GAD) as a marker. GAD-like immunoreactive (GADI) terminals were diffusely distributed in the dorsal cochlear nucleus, while in the ventral cochlear nucleus numerous immunoreactive fibers were situated around the cell bodies. These light-microscopic observations were confirmed by electron microscopy. Evidence suggesting that many of GADI boutons in the cochlear nucleus are of intrinsic origin was also shown.

4-Aminobutyrate Transaminase↗
PubMed1998

Differential expression of the metabotropic glutamate receptor mGluR1alpha by neurons and axons in the cochlear nucleus: in situ hybridization and immunohistochemistry.

mGluR1alpha is a metabotropic glutamate receptor involved in synaptic modifiability. A differential expression in specific neuronal types could reflect their different connections and response properties in central auditory processing. Using in situ hybridization and immunohistochemistry, we studied mGluR1alpha receptor expression throughout the cochlear nucleus. Robust labeling occurred in the dorsal cochlear nucleus and small cell shell, with less in the ventral cochlear nucleus. Among the most intensely labeled were the granule cells of the small cell shell. In the dorsal cochlear nucleus, most cell types expressed message and receptor protein, except granule cells. High levels of receptor were expressed by corn cells and cartwheel cells. The terminal dendrites and synaptic spines of cartwheel and fusiform cells contained receptor protein in the molecular layer, where they could synapse with parallel fibers. Fusiform dendrites also expressed mRNA for mGluR1alpha. The basal dendrites of fusiform cells contained receptor protein in the region where they receive cochlear nerve synapses. Immunostaining of terminal axons was prominent in the molecular layer and the small cell shell, where they were associated with synaptic nests, structures thought to provide long-term changes in excitability. Differential expression levels may reflect different functional requirements of specific cell types, including inhibitory interneurons, like corn cells and cartwheel cells, and excitatory interneurons, like granule cells in the small cell shell, which may participate in local circuits involved in modulatory or gating functions, such as stimulus enhancement or suppression. In presynaptic axons, mGluR1alpha may relate to the long-term signaling requirements of their modulatory functions.

Animals↗
PubMed2002

Dual action of olivocochlear collaterals in the guinea pig cochlear nucleus.

Axons of olivocochlear neurones in the superior olivary complex terminate on hair cells of the cochlea, reducing the sensitivity to sound. These axons also have collateral branches to neurones in the cochlear nucleus, the first processing centre in the brainstem. Anatomical data show that these collaterals terminate mainly in the granule cell area but their precise neuronal targets and the effects they might have are unknown. We have studied the effects of these collaterals in guinea pigs, by electrically stimulating the olivocochlear axons at the floor of the IVth ventricle while recording single neurone responses in the cochlear nucleus. We eliminated the peripheral effects of olivocochlear stimulation either by destruction of the target receptor cells using chronic administration of kanamycin, or by acute perfusion of the cochlea with strychnine, a specific blocker of the postsynaptic receptors. Electrical stimulation of the olivocochlear axons in normal animals caused a variety of effects on cochlear nucleus neurones. In some neurones, there was suppression of spontaneous firing and a reduction in sensitivity to sound, while in others there was an excitatory effect of olivocochlear axon stimulation. When the peripheral olivocochlear action was eliminated, we still found both inhibition and excitation in the cochlear nucleus. These results show that the effects of olivocochlear stimulation on cochlear nucleus responses are not a simple passive reflection of peripheral changes but are a result of complex interactions between peripheral suppression of afferent input and collateral-mediated excitation and possibly also inhibition.

Action Potentials↗
PubMed1993

Expression of AMPA-selective glutamate receptor subunits in morphologically defined neurons of the mammalian cochlear nucleus.

Glutamate and related amino acids mediate fast excitatory neurotransmission in the vertebrate CNS via ligand-gated cationic channels in the neuronal membrane. These channels are composed of different subunits that assemble into a functional receptor/channel complex. Although studies have shown that these subunits are differentially expressed in neurons, few studies have quantitatively addressed the cell-specific expression of glutamate subunits in relation to known glutamatergic pathways. In the vertebrate auditory system, glutamate is the proposed neurotransmitter of the auditory nerve and parallel fiber pathways. In situ hybridization histochemistry was used to localize AMPA-selective glutamate receptor subunit mRNAs in seven cell types of the rat cochlear nucleus. GluR1-GluR4 AMPA-selective subunits were all expressed in cochlear nucleus neurons; however, the subunits expressed in identified cells varied with the cell type. Granule cells, previously not known to receive glutamatergic input, expressed GluR2 and GluR4 subunits. Cartwheel and stellate interneurons in the dorsal cochlear nucleus, which receive parallel fiber input, expressed all four subunits. Neurons receiving synaptic input from the auditory nerve, including globular, round, spherical, and fusiform cells, expressed GluR2, GluR3, and GluR4 subunits. Furthermore, a subpopulation of round cells in the ventral cochlear nucleus, and fusiform cells in the dorsal cochlear nucleus, expressed the GluR3 subunit at greatly reduced levels compared to neighboring cells. The results confirm the auditory nerve and parallel fiber pathways as glutamatergic and identify a third synaptic population, projecting to granule cells, which is likely glutamatergic. The data suggest that the composition of GluR1-GluR4 subunits on neurons in the cochlear nucleus may be related to presynaptic input; moreover, heterogeneous patterns of expression of the GluR3 subunit, in addition, suggest that variability in mRNA levels within one population of morphologically defined cells is present.

Animals↗
PubMed2000

Cerebellopontine angle cisternal infusion of NGF, BDNF and NT-3: effects on cochlear neurons disconnected from central target, cochlear nucleus. An in vivo quantitative study.

Cochlear neurons need their synaptic contacts with both their peripheral (organ of Corti) and central (cochlear nucleus) targets for survival. We examined the in vivo effectiveness of the neurotrophins (NGF, BDNF and NT-3) on cochlear neuronal survival using our in vivo model, in which the central connection alone was selectively and quantitatively interrupted. The particular neurotrophins evaluated in the present study did not appear to have cochlear nerve rescue potential. However, the experimental model reported here can serve as a useful tool to investigate cochlear neuronal degeneration from the central side, which may lead to identification of effective mediators in the future.

Animals↗
PubMed1996

Immunocytochemical localization of the mGluR1 alpha metabotropic glutamate receptor in the dorsal cochlear nucleus.

We demonstrate that the metabotropic glutamate receptor mGluR1 alpha is enriched in two interneuron cell populations in the dorsal division of the cochlear nucleus. Electron microscopic analysis confirms that mGluR1 alpha immunoreactivity is concentrated in the dendritic spines of cartwheel cells and in dendrites of the recently described unipolar brush cells. The cartwheel cells, which have many similarities to the Purkinje cells of the cerebellum, participate in a local neuronal circuit that modulates the output of the dorsal cochlear nucleus. Immunostained unipolar brush cells were observed in granule cell regions of the cochlear nucleus and the vestibulocerebellum. The presence of analogous cell types with similar patterns of immunolabeling in the cerebellum and in the dorsal cochlear nucleus suggests that a shared but as yet unknown mode of processing may occur in both structures.

Animals↗
PubMed1990

Projections of thin (type-II) and thick (type-I) auditory-nerve fibers into the cochlear nucleus of the mouse.

Injections of horseradish peroxidase into the mouse spiral ganglion were used to label type-I and type-II afferent fibers. Axons presumed to be from type-II spiral ganglion cells because of their small diameter (less than 0.7 microns) and lack of nodes of Ranvier were traced to their terminations in the cochlear nucleus. Thicker fibers presumed to be from type-I ganglion cells were also reconstructed. Type-I and type-II axons labeled by basal turn injections bifurcate together in the dorsal part of the auditory nerve root, forming a branch that ascends into the anteroventral cochlear nucleus and a branch that descends into the posteroventral cochlear nucleus. Type-I fibers formed many collaterals ending in terminal swellings whereas type-II fibers were almost unbranched. Swellings from type-I and type-II fibers were often formed alongside one another. Examples of this proximity include terminal swellings of root collaterals in the auditory nerve root, as well as type-II en passant swellings and type-I terminal swellings throughout the ventral cochlear nucleus. The projections are dissimilar, however, since every type-II fiber projects at least one collateral to the granule-cell lamina. These collaterals usually end in neuropil forming the border between the ventral cochlear nucleus and the granule-cell lamina. In this border region, the type-II terminals overlap with those of branches from thick axons of the olivocochlear (efferent) bundle. Type-II fibers also differ from type-I fibers by only rarely coursing into the dorsal cochlear nucleus and by forming very few terminal swellings. En passant swellings, however, are numerous on type-II fibers, with ellipsoidal-shaped swellings prominent in the nerve root, and angular and complex-shaped swellings common nearer the terminals. We suggest that the latter swellings are associated with type-II synapses whereas the ellipsoidal swellings represent non-synaptic structures.

Afferent Pathways↗
PubMed1995

Activity-dependent regulation of a ribosomal RNA epitope in the chick cochlear nucleus.

Elimination of auditory nerve activity results in rapid metabolic changes, cell atrophy, and cell death in nucleus magnocellularis (NM), the cochlear nucleus of the chick. The transneuronal signals involved in the activity-dependent regulation of NM neurons are not well understood. One of the most rapid transneuronal effects is alteration in protein synthesis by NM neurons. Previous studies using an in vitro preparation of the brain stem auditory system suggested that up-regulation of protein synthesis in NM neurons requires the action of some trophic substance released by active auditory nerve fibers. Here, similar results were obtained when measuring changes in immunoreactivity using a monoclonal antibody (Y10B) that recognizes ribosomal RNA. This immunolabeling assay has advantages over the global protein synthesis assay in that it is not sensitive to possible changes in specific activity of the precursor pool or possible differences in the uptake of the labeled amino acids. Unilateral stimulation of the auditory nerve for 1 h resulted in greater immunolabeling of NM neurons on the stimulated side of the slice. This is consistent with previous in vivo results after unilateral deafferentation. Blockade of synaptic transmission by maintaining the slice in a low-Ca2+/high Mg2+ medium prevented the stimulation-induced difference in immunolabeling. Electrical stimulation of the postsynaptic NM neurons alone (antidromic stimulation, via electrical stimulation of NM neuron axons) did not result in greater immunolabeling. Rather, antidromically stimulated neurons tended to show lighter labeling. Thus, the transneuronal regulation of ribosomes in NM neurons appears to require some substance released from the active auditory nerve.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Animals↗
PubMed1982

Projections from the cochlear nucleus to the cerebellum.

The connections between the brainstem auditory system and the cerebellar auditory area in the posterior vermis (VI, VII, and VIIIA) were studied using the horseradish peroxidase technique. Injections also were made in the cerebellar hemispheres, the paramedian and the vestibulocerebellum (VIIIB, IX). Labeled cells were found in the cochlear nuclei bilaterally, but not in the superior olivary complex or the inferior colliculus. As the injection sites moved more laterally from the vermis area to the paramedian and the cerebellar hemispheres, the number of labeled cochlear nucleus neurons decreased progressively. This observation suggests that the terminals of the cochlear-nucleus-cerebellum projection tend to concentrate in the vermis auditory area. In the cochlear nucleus, labeled cells did not appear to belong to a single, homogenous cell type, nor did the cells group into a single area in the cochlear nucleus. The total number of labeled neurons in one cochlear nucleus did not exceed 200 in our largest injection.

Animals↗
PubMed1998

Chemical anatomy of excitatory endings in the dorsal cochlear nucleus of the rat: differential synaptic distribution of aspartate aminotransferase, glutamate, and vesicular zinc.

In order to identify cytochemical traits relevant to understanding excitatory neurotransmission in brainstem auditory nuclei, we have analyzed in the dorsal cochlear nucleus the synaptic distribution of aspartate aminotransferase, glutamate, and vesicular zinc, three molecules probably involved in different steps of excitatory glutamatergic signaling. High levels of glutamate immunolabeling were found in three classes of synaptic endings in the dorsal cochlear nucleus, as determined by quantitation of immunogold labeling. The first type included auditory nerve endings, the second were granule cell endings in the molecular layer, and the third very large endings, better described as "mossy." This finding points to a neurotransmitter role for glutamate in at least three synaptic populations in the dorsal cochlear nucleus. The same three types of endings enriched in glutamate immunoreactivity also contained histochemically detectable levels of aspartate aminotransferase activity, suggesting that this enzyme may be involved in the synaptic handling of glutamate in excitatory endings in the dorsal cochlear nucleus. There was also extrasynaptic localization of the enzyme. Zinc ions were localized exclusively in granule cell endings, as determined by a Danscher-selenite method, suggesting that this ion is involved in the operation of granule cell synapses in the dorsal cochlear nucleus.

Animals↗