Monosynaptic and polysynaptic feed-forward inputs to mitral cells from olfactory sensory neurons

Olfactory sensory neurons (OSNs) expressing the same odorant receptor converge in specific glomeruli where they transmit olfactory information to mitral cells. Surprisingly, synaptic mechanisms underlying mitral cell activation are still controversial. Using patch-clamp recordings in mouse olfactory...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The Journal of neuroscience 2011-06, Vol.31 (24), p.8722-8729
Main Authors: Najac, Marion, De Saint Jan, Didier, Reguero, Leire, Grandes, Pedro, Charpak, Serge
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
2-Amino-5-phosphonovalerate - pharmacology
Action Potentials - physiology
Animals
Animals, Newborn
Biophysics
Chromones - pharmacology
Electric Stimulation
Excitatory Amino Acid Antagonists - pharmacology
Excitatory Postsynaptic Potentials - drug effects
Excitatory Postsynaptic Potentials - physiology
Female
GABA Antagonists - pharmacology
In Vitro Techniques
Life Sciences
Luminescent Proteins - genetics
Male
Mice
Mice, Transgenic
Nerve Net - cytology
Nerve Net - physiology
Neurobiology
Neurons - classification
Neurons - drug effects
Neurons - physiology
Neurons and Cognition
Olfactory Bulb - cytology
Patch-Clamp Techniques
Pyridazines - pharmacology
Synapses - classification
Synapses - drug effects
Synapses - physiology
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Description
Summary:Olfactory sensory neurons (OSNs) expressing the same odorant receptor converge in specific glomeruli where they transmit olfactory information to mitral cells. Surprisingly, synaptic mechanisms underlying mitral cell activation are still controversial. Using patch-clamp recordings in mouse olfactory bulb slices, we demonstrate that stimulation of OSNs produces a biphasic postsynaptic excitatory response in mitral cells. The response was initiated by a fast and graded monosynaptic input from OSNs and followed by a slower component of feedforward excitation, involving dendro-dendritic interactions between external tufted, tufted and other mitral cells. The mitral cell response occasionally lacked the fast OSN input when few afferent fibers were stimulated. We also show that OSN stimulation triggers a strong and slow feedforward inhibition that shapes the feedforward excitation but leaves unaffected the monosynaptic component. These results confirm the existence of direct OSN to mitral cells synapses but also emphasize the prominence of intraglomerular feedforward pathways in the mitral cell response.
ISSN:0270-6474
1529-2401
DOI:10.1523/jneurosci.0527-11.2011