Fig. 4.
Effect of BDNF on fiber volley. To better visualize the fiber volley elicited by high-frequency stimulation, we treated slices with a low-calcium ACSF ([Ca2+]o = 0.5 mm) plus cadmium (0.5 mm) to block the influx of calcium.a, Representative traces of EPSPs before (left) and after (right) the application of cadmium/0.5 mm [Ca2+]oACSF. Note that this treatment virtually eliminated the EPSP, allowing for the isolation of the fiber volley (arrow), which is masked by the EPSP in the control trace (left).b, Representative traces of the first and 40th fiber volleys during a 100 Hz train of afferent stimulation before (left) and 3 hr after (right) BDNF treatment in the same slice. Vertical scale: 1 mV for aand 0.5 mV for b; horizontal scale: 100 msec fora and 70 msec for b. c, Summary of BDNF effect on fiber volley. A train of 100 Hz pulses was delivered to the slices for 1 sec, and the isolated fiber volley was recorded. The amplitude of the 40th fiber volley is presented as a percentage of the first fiber volley in control and BDNF-treated slices. No significant differences were found in the fiber volley amplitudes between control and BDNF-treated slices (Control: 89% ± 6.9, n = 10; BDNF: 80% ± 5.6,n = 10).