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Analysis of GABA-induced inhibition of spontaneous firing in chick accessory lobe neurons

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Abstract

It has been hypothesized that chick accessory lobes (ALs) contain functional neurons and act as a sensory organ of equilibrium. It was reported that neurons located in an outer layer of ALs showed γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA)- and glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD)-like immunoreactivity more strongly than centrally located neurons, which were surrounded by the GAD-immunoreactive terminals. We investigated effects of GABA on the electrical activity of AL neurons. About 50% of embryonic AL neurons exhibited spontaneous firing. In the on-cell recording, GABA, muscimol, and GABA in combination with CGP35348 inhibited this firing. In whole-cell voltage clamp recordings, GABA and muscimol evoked a transient current. The mean reversal potential of GABA-evoked currents was close to the theoretical reversal potential of Cl−. These results indicate that GABA exerts the inhibitory effect on the firing through the activation of GABAA receptors. In addition, the intracellular concentration of Cl− was estimated to be about 16 mM in measurements with the gramicidin-perforated configuration, indicating the physiological reversal potential of the GABA current was about −60 mV. In conclusion, AL neurons have an intrinsic mechanism to evoke the spontaneous firing, which can be arrested by the inhibitory mechanism through the activation of the GABAA receptors.

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Abbreviations

AL:

Accessory lobe

CV:

Coefficient of variation

GAD:

Glutamic acid decarboxylase

ISI:

Interspike interval

NMDG:

N-Methyl-d-glutamine

TTX:

Tetrodotoxin

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Acknowledgments

This study was supported by KAKENHI (Grant #: 16780200, 18380175) and Grant-in-Aid for JSPS Fellows. The animal experiments were performed in accordance with the guidelines stipulated by the ethical committee of Tottori University.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Veterinary Physiology, Faculty of Agriculture, Tottori University, 4-101, Koyama-cho Minami, Tottori, 680-8553, Japan

    Naoki Kitamura, Hikaru Shinohara, Keita Takahashi & Izumi Shibuya

  2. The United Graduate School of Veterinary Science, Yamaguchi University, 1677-1, Yoshida, Yamaguchi, 753-8515, Japan

    Yuko Yamanaka, Naoki Kitamura & Izumi Shibuya

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  1. Yuko Yamanaka
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  2. Naoki Kitamura
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  3. Hikaru Shinohara
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  4. Keita Takahashi
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  5. Izumi Shibuya
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Correspondence to Naoki Kitamura.

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Yamanaka, Y., Kitamura, N., Shinohara, H. et al. Analysis of GABA-induced inhibition of spontaneous firing in chick accessory lobe neurons. J Comp Physiol A 198, 229–237 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00359-011-0703-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00359-011-0703-0

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