Effects of bicuculline application on the somatosensory responses of secondary vestibular neurons

• Published in: Neuroscience Vol. 335; pp. 122 - 133
• Main Authors: Grasso, C, Li Volsi, G, Cataldo, E, Manzoni, D, Barresi, M
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Elsevier Ltd 29.10.2016
• Subjects: Action Potentials - drug effects; Action Potentials - physiology; activity modulation; Animals; Bicuculline - pharmacology; GABA; GABA antagonist; GABA-A Receptor Antagonists - pharmacology; Male; Neurology; Neurons - drug effects; Neurons - physiology; neurotransmission; Rats, Sprague-Dawley; Receptors, GABA-A - metabolism; Reflex, Vestibulo-Ocular - drug effects; Rotation; somatosensory input; Synaptic Transmission - drug effects; Synaptic Transmission - physiology; vestibular nuclei; Vestibule, Labyrinth - drug effects; Vestibule, Labyrinth - physiology; coherence coefficient; neurotransmission; BF; signal-to-noise; vestibulospinal; activity modulation; fast Fourier transform; bicuculline methiodine; GABA antagonist; analysis of variance; ANOVA; FFT; somatosensory input; VN; GABA; vestibular nuclei; base frequency; SN; BIC; Coh; VS; SPDHs
• ISSN: 0306-4522; 1873-7544
• DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2016.08.035

Highlights • GABA A antagonist application modifies secondary vestibular neurons resting and somatosensory-evoked activity. • Units showing an increased resting discharge can either increase or decrease their somatosensory responsiveness. • In about a third of the neurons, the responsiveness changes without modifications in resting discharge. • Occasionally, depression in basal activity and responsiveness can be observed in the same unit. • It is possible that forepaw rotation modulates GABA release at the level of secondary vestibular neurons.