Ion channels in mammalian vestibular afferents may set regularity of firing
2008
SUMMARY Rodent vestibular afferent neurons offer several advantages as a model
system for investigating the significance and origins of regularity in
neuronal firing interval. Their regularity has a bimodal distribution that
defines regular and irregular afferent classes. Factors likely to be involved
in setting firing regularity include the morphology and physiology of the
afferents9 contacts with hair cells, which may influence the averaging of
synaptic noise and the afferents9 intrinsic electrical properties. In
vitro patch clamp studies on the cell bodies of primary vestibular
afferents reveal a rich diversity of ion channels, with indications of at
least two neuronal populations. Here we suggest that firing patterns of
isolated vestibular ganglion somata reflect intrinsic ion channel properties,
which in vivo combine with hair cell synaptic drive to produce
regular and irregular firing.
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