Peinado A, Yuste R, Katz L C
Department of Neurobiology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina 27710.
Neuron. 1993 Jan;10(1):103-14. doi: 10.1016/0896-6273(93)90246-n.
A low molecular weight intracellular tracer, Neurobiotin, was injected into single neurons in living slices of rat neocortex made at postnatal days 5-18. Between days 5 and 12, 66% of single-neuron injections labeled clusters of up to 80 neurons surrounding the injected cell. Coupling between neurons occurred primarily through dendrites. Injections done in the presence of halothane, a gap junction blocker, abolished the spread of tracer to surrounding neurons, implying that gap junctions mediate coupling. Injections done after day 16 resulted in little or no dye coupling. We conclude that transient local coupling via gap junctions in developing cortex may provide a pathway for communicating intercellular signals, including subthreshold electrical activity, and thereby enable temporal coordination of local neuronal ensembles during circuit formation.
一种低分子量的细胞内示踪剂神经生物素被注射到出生后5至18天制作的大鼠新皮质活切片中的单个神经元内。在第5天至第12天之间，66%的单神经元注射标记了围绕注射细胞的多达80个神经元的簇。神经元之间的耦合主要通过树突发生。在存在氟烷（一种间隙连接阻滞剂）的情况下进行的注射消除了示踪剂向周围神经元的扩散，这意味着间隙连接介导了耦合。在第16天之后进行的注射几乎没有或没有染料耦合。我们得出结论，发育中的皮质中通过间隙连接的短暂局部耦合可能为包括阈下电活动在内的细胞间信号传递提供一条途径，从而在电路形成过程中实现局部神经元群的时间协调。
