Multiple interneuronal afferents to the giant cells in Aplysia

Abstract

1. Several different types of presynaptic neurones to the giant cells of Aplysia have been found in the pleural ganglion. Some of these presynaptic neurones are common to the left giant cell in the pleural ganglion and to the right giant cell in the abdominal ganglion but others make contact only with one. 2. Interneurones of the left giant cell were studied in detail. They can be identified not only physiologically from the type of post-synapitc potential (p.s.p.) which they produce in the left giant cell, but also by their localization in the ganglion. 3. Direct stimulation of these presynaptic neurones produced not only the classical types of post-synaptic potentials known as e.p.s.p. or i.p.s.p. but also a slow e.p.s.p. and more complex post-synaptic potentials consisting of a rapid depolarizing or hyperpolarizing component (e for excitatory; i for inhibitory). According the p.s.p.s. which have been found were classified as being of eight different types: e.p.s.p., slow e.p.s.p., pseudo-slow e.p.s.p., e.i.p.s.p., i.e.p.s.p., i.i.p.s.p., to which is added the biphasic p.s.p. (b.p.s.p.) of electrical origin. 4. The monosynaptic nature of each of these p.s.p.s. was established by four criteria: (a) ability to follow one to one the presynaptic spike, (b) short and constant latency, (c) change of p.s.p. with the presynaptic spike when the duration is prolonged by iontophoretic injection of TEA, (d) sensitivity of the synaptic efficacy to presynaptic polarization. 5. For all p.s.p.s., the hyperpolarization of the interneurone was followed by a decrease in the corresponding amplitude; on the contrary depolarization produced an increase in p.s.p. amplitude. 6. The physiological role of these p.s.p.s. and their possible mechanism are discussed.