Skip to main content
NCBI home page
The Journal of General Physiology logoLink to The Journal of General Physiology
. 1958 Jan 20;41(3):543–564. doi: 10.1085/jgp.41.3.543

AN ANALYSIS OF EXTRACELLULAR POTENTIALS FROM SINGLE NEURONS IN THE LATERAL GENICULATE NUCLEUS OF THE CAT

W H Freygang Jr 1
PMCID: PMC2194841  PMID: 13491821

Abstract

The lateral geniculate nucleus of the cat was explored with micropipettes having submicroscopic tips. The only reliably recorded intracellular activity was from axons. Following orthodromic stimulation, the potentials recorded by the extracellular electrodes registered the net flow of current across the soma-dendritic membrane of the principal cell bodies. The current has three phases of flow away from the soma-dendritic membrane followed by a flow of current toward this membrane. The first component is ascribed to synaptic activity. Subsequent components are ascribed to the activity of the initial segment of the axon and a limited area of high threshold membrane on the soma. The evidence is interpreted as suggesting that most of the soma-dendritic membrane is excited synaptically to produce a postsynaptic potential, but is not excited electrically and does not produce a propagating spike.

Full Text

The Full Text of this article is available as a PDF (1.1 MB).

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. ADRIAN R. H. The effect of internal and external potassium concentration on the membrane potential of frog muscle. J Physiol. 1956 Sep 27;133(3):631–658. doi: 10.1113/jphysiol.1956.sp005615. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. BISHOP G. H., CLARE M. H. Organization and distribution of fibers in the optic tract of the cat. J Comp Neurol. 1955 Oct;103(2):269–304. doi: 10.1002/cne.901030204. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. BISHOP P. O., JEREMY D., LANCE J. W. The optic nerve; properties of a central tract. J Physiol. 1953 Aug;121(2):415–432. doi: 10.1113/jphysiol.1953.sp004955. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. BISHOP P. O., JEREMY D., MCLEOD J. G. Phenomenon of repetitive firing in lateral geniculate of cat. J Neurophysiol. 1953 Jul;16(4):437–447. doi: 10.1152/jn.1953.16.4.437. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. BISHOP P. O. Synaptic transmission; an analysis of the electrical activity of the lateral geniculate nucleus in the cat after optic nerve stimulation. Proc R Soc Lond B Biol Sci. 1953 Jul 15;141(904):362–392. doi: 10.1098/rspb.1953.0048. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. CHANG H. T. Cortical neurons with particular reference to the apical dendrites. Cold Spring Harb Symp Quant Biol. 1952;17:189–202. doi: 10.1101/sqb.1952.017.01.019. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. COOMBS J. S., ECCLES J. C., FATT P. Excitatory synaptic action in motoneurones. J Physiol. 1955 Nov 28;130(2):374–395. doi: 10.1113/jphysiol.1955.sp005413. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. COOMBS J. S., ECCLES J. C., FATT P. The electrical properties of the motoneurone membrane. J Physiol. 1955 Nov 28;130(2):291–325. doi: 10.1113/jphysiol.1955.sp005411. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. COOMBS J. S., ECCLES J. C., FATT P. The inhibitory suppression of reflex discharges from motoneurones. J Physiol. 1955 Nov 28;130(2):396–413. doi: 10.1113/jphysiol.1955.sp005414. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. DEL CASTILLO J., KATZ B. Localization of active spots within the neuromuscular junction of the frog. J Physiol. 1956 Jun 28;132(3):630–649. doi: 10.1113/jphysiol.1956.sp005554. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. FATT P. Electric potentials occurring around a neurone during its antidromic activation. J Neurophysiol. 1957 Jan;20(1):27–60. doi: 10.1152/jn.1957.20.1.27. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. FATT P., KATZ B. Spontaneous subthreshold activity at motor nerve endings. J Physiol. 1952 May;117(1):109–128. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. FRANK K., FUORTES M. G. Potentials recorded from the spinal cord with microelectrodes. J Physiol. 1955 Dec 29;130(3):625–654. doi: 10.1113/jphysiol.1955.sp005432. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. FRANK K., FUORTES M. G. Stimulation of spinal motoneurones with intracellular electrodes. J Physiol. 1956 Nov 28;134(2):451–470. doi: 10.1113/jphysiol.1956.sp005657. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. GRANIT R., PHILLIPS C. G. Excitatory and inhibitory processes acting upon individual Purkinje cells of the cerebellum in cats. J Physiol. 1956 Sep 27;133(3):520–547. doi: 10.1113/jphysiol.1956.sp005606. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. GRUNDFEST H. Electrical inexcitability of synapses and some consequences in the central nervous system. Physiol Rev. 1957 Jul;37(3):337–361. doi: 10.1152/physrev.1957.37.3.337. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. GRUNDFEST H., PURPURA D. P. Nature of dendritic potentials and synaptic mechanisms in cerebral cortex of cat. J Neurophysiol. 1956 Nov;19(6):573–595. doi: 10.1152/jn.1956.19.6.573. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Glees P. The termination of optic fibres in the lateral geniculate body of the cat. J Anat. 1941 Jul;75(Pt 4):434–440.1. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. Glees P., le Gros Clark W. E. The termination of optic fibres in the lateral geniculate body of the monkey. J Anat. 1941 Apr;75(Pt 3):295–308.3. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. PHILLIPS C. G. Cortical motor threshold and the thresholds and distribution of excited Betz cells in the cat. Q J Exp Physiol Cogn Med Sci. 1956 Jan;41(1):70–84. doi: 10.1113/expphysiol.1956.sp001164. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  21. ROSE J. E., MOUNTCASTLE V. B. Activity of single neurons in the tactile thalamic region of the cat in response to a transient peripheral stimulus. Bull Johns Hopkins Hosp. 1954 May;94(5):238–282. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  22. TASAKI I. Initiation and abolition of the action potential of a single node of Ranvier. J Gen Physiol. 1956 Jan 20;39(3):377–395. doi: 10.1085/jgp.39.3.377. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  23. TASAKI I., POLLEY E. H., ORREGO F. Action potentials from individual elements in cat geniculate and striate cortex. J Neurophysiol. 1954 Sep;17(5):454–474. doi: 10.1152/jn.1954.17.5.454. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from The Journal of General Physiology are provided here courtesy of The Rockefeller University Press

RESOURCES