Neural Mechanisms Underlying the Analysis of Moving Visual Stimuli. In: Ulinski PS, Jones EG, Peters A, editors. Cerebral Cortex. Boston: Springer US; 1999. pp. 283-399. [DOI: 10.1007/978-1-4615-4903-1_6]

Physiologically evoked neuronal current MRI in a bloodless turtle brain: detectable or not?

Contradictory reports regarding the detection of neuronal currents have left the feasibility of neuronal current MRI (ncMRI) an open question. Most previous ncMRI studies in human subjects are suspect due to their inability to separate or eliminate hemodynamic effects. In this study, we used a bloodless turtle brain preparation that eliminates hemodynamic effects, to explore the feasibility of detecting visually-evoked ncMRI signals at 9.4 T. Intact turtle brains, with eyes attached, were dissected from the cranium and placed in artificial cerebral spinal fluid. Light flashes were delivered to the eyes to evoke neuronal activity. Local field potential (LFP) and MRI signals were measured in an interleaved fashion. Robust visually-evoked LFP signals were observed in turtle brains, but no significant signal changes synchronized with neuronal currents were found in the ncMRI images. In this study, detection thresholds of 0.1% and 0.1 degrees were set for MRI magnitude and phase signal changes, respectively. The absence of significant signal changes in the MRI images suggests that visually-evoked ncMRI signals in the turtle brain are below these detectable levels.

Generation of the receptive fields of subpial cells in turtle visual cortex

The visual cortex of turtles contains cells with at least two different receptive field properties. Superficial units are located immediately below the pial surface. They fire in response to moving bars located anywhere in binocular visual space and to two spots of light presented with different spatiotemporal separations. Their location in the cortex suggests that superficial units correspond to a distinct class of inhibitory interneurons, the subpial cells, that are embedded in geniculocortical axons as they cross the visual cortex of turtles. This study used a detailed compartmental model of a subpial cell and a large-scale model of visual cortex to examine the cellular mechanisms that underlie the formation of superficial units on the assumption that they are subpial cells. Simulations with the detailed model indicated that the biophysical properties of subpial cells allow them to respond strongly to activation by geniculate inputs, but the presence of dendritic beads on the subpial cells decreases their sensitivity and allows them to integrate the inputs from many geniculate afferents. Simulations with the large-scale model indicated that the responses of subpial cells to simulated visual stimuli consist of two phases. A fast phase is mediated by direct geniculate inputs. A slow phase is mediated by recurrent excitation from pyramidal cells. It appears that subpial cells play a major role in controlling the information content of visual responses.

Subpial and stellate cells: two populations of interneurons in turtle visual cortex

Turtle visual cortex has three layers and receives direct input from the dorsolateral geniculate complex of the thalamus. The outer layer 1 contains several populations of interneurons, but their physiological properties have not been characterized. This study used intracellular recording methods followed by filling with Neurobiotin to characterize the morphology and physiology of two populations of layer 1 interneurons. Subpial cells have somata positioned in the outer third of layer 1 and dendrites confined within the band of geniculate afferents that runs from lateral to medial across visual cortex. Their dendrites are composed of a sequence of many beads or varicosities separated by intervaricose segments. They have membrane time constants of tau(o) = 45.5 +/- 5.2 ms and electrotonic lengths of 1.1 +/- 0.2. Subpial cells show spike rate adaptation in response to intracellular current pulses. Stellate cells have somata located in the inner two-thirds of layer 1 and, less frequently, in layers 2 and 3. Their dendrites extend in a stellate configuration across the cortex. They are smooth or sparsely spiny, but never bear distinct varicosities. They have membrane time constants of tau(o) = 155.1 +/- 12 ms and electrotonic lengths of 3.8 +/- 0.5. They show little spike rate adaptation in response to intracellular current pulses. The positions of the two populations of cells in visual cortex and their physiological properties suggest that subpial cells may participate in a feedforward inhibitory pathway to pyramidal cells, whereas stellate cells are involved in feedback inhibition to pyramidal cells.