Department of Molecular and Cellular Physiology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA.
Cereb Cortex. 2021 Jun 10;31(7):3374-3392. doi: 10.1093/cercor/bhab018.
Parvalbumin-containing (PV+) basket cells in mammalian neocortex are fast-spiking interneurons that regulate the activity of local neuronal circuits in multiple ways. Even though PV+ basket cells are locally projecting interneurons, their axons are myelinated. Can this myelination contribute in any significant way to the speed of action potential propagation along such short axons? We used dual whole cell recordings of synaptically connected PV+ interneurons and their postsynaptic target in acutely prepared neocortical slices from adult mice to measure the amplitude and latency of single presynaptic action potential-evoked inhibitory postsynaptic currents. These same neurons were then imaged with immunofluorescent array tomography, the synapses between them identified and a precise map of the connections was generated, with the exact axonal length and extent of myelin coverage. Our results support that myelination of PV+ basket cells significantly increases conduction velocity, and does so to a degree that can be physiologically relevant.
哺乳动物新皮层中的含有 Parvalbumin(PV+)的篮状细胞是快速放电的中间神经元,它们以多种方式调节局部神经元回路的活动。尽管 PV+篮状细胞是局部投射的中间神经元,但它们的轴突是有髓鞘的。这种髓鞘化是否能对沿如此短轴突的动作电位传播速度产生任何显著的影响?我们使用急性分离的成年小鼠大脑皮层切片中突触连接的 PV+中间神经元及其 Postsynaptic 靶细胞的双全细胞记录,测量单个突触前动作电位诱发的抑制性突触后电流的幅度和潜伏期。然后,我们使用免疫荧光数组断层扫描对这些相同的神经元进行成像,识别它们之间的突触,并生成连接的精确图谱,包括确切的轴突长度和髓鞘覆盖范围。我们的结果支持 PV+篮状细胞的髓鞘化显著增加了传导速度,并且在一定程度上可以具有生理相关性。