Siegel J M, McGinty D J
Science. 1976 Jul 16;193(4249):240-2. doi: 10.1126/science.180599.
A new class of single neurons showing no spontaneous activity in waking, rapid eye movement sleep, and slow-wave sleep was found in the brainstem of unrestrained cats. Systematic testing showed that these cells discharge only in response to specific stimuli and remain silent for as long as 40 minutes in the absence of stimulation. Silent cells were widely distributed in the pons and midbrain and constituted a major percentage of observed neurons. The economy of discharge shown by these cells contrasts with the spontaneous activity of virtually all other neurons that have been observed in the brains of unrestrained animals and suggests the widespread existence of specialized neural systems that show only phasic activity.
在未受约束的猫的脑干中发现了一类新的单神经元,这类神经元在清醒、快速眼动睡眠和慢波睡眠状态下均无自发活动。系统测试表明,这些细胞仅在对特定刺激作出反应时才放电,在无刺激的情况下可长达40分钟保持沉默。沉默细胞广泛分布于脑桥和中脑,且在观察到的神经元中占很大比例。这些细胞所表现出的放电经济性与在未受约束动物大脑中观察到的几乎所有其他神经元的自发活动形成对比,这表明广泛存在仅表现为相位性活动的特殊神经系统。