Glycinergic "inhibition" mediates selective excitatory responses to combinations of sounds.

Title

Glycinergic "inhibition" mediates selective excitatory responses to combinations of sounds.

Creator

Sanchez Jason Tait; Gans Donald; Wenstrup Jeffrey J

Publisher

The Journal of neuroscience : the official journal of the Society for Neuroscience

Date

2008
2008-01

Description

In the mustached bat's inferior colliculus (IC), combination-sensitive neurons display time-sensitive facilitatory interactions between inputs tuned to distinct spectral elements in sonar or social vocalizations. Here we compare roles of ionotropic receptors to glutamate (iGluRs), glycine (GlyRs), and GABA (GABA(A)Rs) in facilitatory combination-sensitive interactions. Facilitatory responses to 36 single IC neurons were recorded before, during, and after local application of antagonists to these receptors. The NMDA receptor antagonist CPP [(+/-)-3-(2-carboxypiperazin-4-yl)-propyl-1-phosphonic acid], alone (n = 14) or combined with AMPA receptor antagonist NBQX (n = 22), significantly reduced or eliminated responses to best frequency (BF) sounds across a broad range of sound levels, but did not eliminate combination-sensitive facilitation. In a subset of neurons, GABA(A)R blockers bicuculline or gabazine were applied in addition to iGluR blockers. GABA(A)R blockers did not "uncover" residual iGluR-mediated excitation, and only rarely eliminated facilitation. In nearly all neurons for which the GlyR antagonist strychnine was applied in addition to iGluR blockade (22 of 23 neurons, with or without GABA(A)R blockade), facilitatory interactions were eliminated. Thus, neither glutamate nor GABA neurotransmission are required for facilitatory combination-sensitive interactions in IC. Instead, facilitation may depend entirely on glycinergic inputs that are presumed to be inhibitory. We propose that glycinergic inputs tuned to two distinct spectral elements in vocal signals each activate postinhibitory rebound excitation. When rebound excitations from two spectral elements coincide, the neuron discharges. Excitation from glutamatergic inputs, tuned to the BF of the neuron, is superimposed onto this facilitatory interaction, presumably mediating responses to a broader range of acoustic signals.

Subject

Animals; Acoustic Stimulation/methods; Neural Inhibition/drug effects/*physiology; *Sound; Excitatory Amino Acid Antagonists/pharmacology; Action Potentials/drug effects/physiology; Auditory Pathways/*physiology; Glycine Agents/pharmacology; Glycine/*physiology; Chiroptera/physiology; Drug Interactions; GABA Agents/pharmacology; Inferior Colliculi/cytology/drug effects/*physiology; Iontophoresis/methods; Neurons/drug effects/physiology/radiation effects; Piperazines/pharmacology; Dose-Response Relationship; Receptors; Radiation; GABA/physiology; N-Methyl-D-Aspartate/antagonists & inhibitors/physiology

Rights

Article information provided for research and reference use only. All rights are retained by the journal listed under publisher and/or the creator(s).

Pages

80–90

Issue

1

Volume

28

Citation

Sanchez Jason Tait; Gans Donald; Wenstrup Jeffrey J, “Glycinergic "inhibition" mediates selective excitatory responses to combinations of sounds.,” NEOMED Bibliography Database, accessed March 19, 2024, https://neomed.omeka.net/items/show/5004.