Principal neurons of the medial superior olive (MSO) encode submillisecond differences in the arrival of binaural synaptic activity, information that is used for sound localization along the azimuth. Such fine temporal discrimination requires that MSO principal neurons respond to excitatory and inhibitory synaptic inputs with voltage changes that are both rapid and brief. As with other neurons in time-coding auditory pathways, MSO principal neurons exhibit biophysical specializations that enable them to meet this computational challenge. These specialization include the expression of low voltage activated potassium channels (K(lva)), which are widely expressed in brainstem time-coding auditory neurons. Previous experiments from this lab have shown K(lva) contribute immensely to the overall excitability of primary MSO neurons. However, the biophysical properties and role these channels play in shaping excitatory and inhibitory postsynaptic potentials is still not well understood. Experiments in this application will help to define how the spatial distribution and kinetic properties of K(lva) shape the sensitivity and timing of synaptic integration in principal MSO neurons.
| Scott, Luisa L; Mathews, Paul J; Golding, Nace L (2010) Perisomatic voltage-gated sodium channels actively maintain linear synaptic integration in principal neurons of the medial superior olive. J Neurosci 30:2039-50 |
