Skip to main content
Log in

Estimating the Location and Time Course of Synaptic Input from Multi-Site Potential Recordings

  • Published:
Journal of Computational Neuroscience Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

A method is introduced that permits accurate and robust extraction of the location and time course of synaptic conductance from potentials recorded on either side of, and perhaps at some distance from, the synapse in question. It is shown that such data permits one to fully overcome the problems typically associated with lack of spaceclamp. The method does not presume anything about the nature of the time course and yet is applicable to branched, active cells receiving simultaneous input from a number of synapses.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Bekkers JM, Stevens CF (1996) Cable properties of cultured hippocampal neurons determined from sucrose-evoked miniature EPSCs. J. Neurophysiol. 75(3): 1250–1255.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Bernard C, Johnston D (2003) Distance-dependent modifiable threshold for action potential back-propagation in hippocampal dendrites. J. Neurophysiol. 90(3): 1807–1816.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Bullen A, Saggau P (1999) High-speed, random-access fluorescence microscopy: II. Fast quantitative measurements with voltagesensitive dyes. Biophys. J. 76(4): 2272–2287.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Cox SJ, Griffith B (2001) Recovering Quasi-Active properties of dendrites from dual potential recordings. J. Computational Neuroscience 11(2): 95–110.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Eldén L, Berntsson F, Regínska T (2000)Wavelet and Fourier methods for solving the sideways heat equation. SIAM J. Sci. Comput. 21(6): 2187–2205.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hartline DK, CastelfrancoAM(2003) Simulations of voltage clamping poorly spaceclamped voltage-dependent conductances in a uniform cylindrical neurite. J. Comput. Neurosci. 14: 253–269.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Háusser M, Roth A (1997) Estimating the time course of the excitatory synaptic 20 conductance in neocortical pyramidal cells using a novel voltage jump method. J. Neurosci. 17(20): 7606–7625.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Inoue M, HashimotoY, KudoY, Miyakawa H(2001) Dendritic attenuation of synaptic potentials in the CA1 region of rat hippocampal slices detected with an optical method. Eur. J. Neurosci. 13(9): 1711–1721.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Jack JJ, Miller S, Porter R, Redman SJ (1971) The time course of minimal excitory post-synaptic potentials evoked in spinal motoneurones by group Ia afferent fibres. J. Physiol. (Lond) 215: 353–380.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Jaffe DB, Carnevale NT (1999) Passive normalization of synaptic integration influenced by dendritic architecture. J. Neurophysiol. 82(6): 3268–3285.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Johnston D, Brown TH (1983) Interpretation of voltage-clamp measurements in hippocampal neurons. J. Neurophysiol. 50: 464–486.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Kleppe IC, Robinson HP (1999) Determining the activation time course of synaptic AMPA receptors from openings of colocalized NMDA receptors. Biophys. J. 77(3): 1418–1427.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Koch C, Douglas R, Wehmeier U (1990) Visibility of synaptically induced conductance changes: Theory and simulations of anatomically characterized cortical pyramidal cells. J. Neurosci. 10(6): 1728–1744.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Major G (1993) Solutions for transients in arbitrarily branching cables: III. Voltage clamp problems. Biophys. J. 65: 469–491.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Mainen ZF, Carnevale NT, Zador AM, Claiborne BJ, Brown TH (1996) Electrotonic architecture of hippocampal CA1 pyramidal neurons based on three-dimensional recon structions.J. Neurophysiol. 76: 1904–1923.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Pearce RA (1993) Physiological evidence for two distinct GABAA responses in rat hippocampus. Neuron 10: 189–200.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Rall W (1967) Distinguishing theoretical synaptic potentials computed for different soma-dendritic distributions of synaptic input. J. Neurophysiol. 30(5): 1138–1168.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Rall W, Segev I (1985) Space-clamp problems when voltage clamping branched neurons with intracellular microelectrodes. In: TG Smith Jr, H Lecar, SJ Redman, P Gage, eds, Voltage and patch clamping with microelectrodes, American Physiological Society, Bethesda, MD, pp. 191–215.

  • Spruston N, Jaffe DB, Williams SH, Johnston D (1993) Voltageand space-clamp errors associated with the measurement of electrotonically remote synaptic events. J. Neurophysiol. 70: 781–802.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Stuart G, Spruston N (1998) Determinants of voltage attenuation in neocortical pyramidal neuron dendrites. J. Neurosci. 18(10): 3501–3510.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Tuckwell HC(1988) Introduction to Theoretical Neurobiology. Cambridge University Press, New York.

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Cox, S.J. Estimating the Location and Time Course of Synaptic Input from Multi-Site Potential Recordings. J Comput Neurosci 17, 225–243 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1023/B:JCNS.0000037684.04521.d8

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/B:JCNS.0000037684.04521.d8

Navigation