Abstract
Static and dynamic discharge patterns of bursting cold fibers in the lingual nerve of the cat were analysed at temperatures between 10 and 40°C. The period of the static burst discharge depends only on temperature and is not affected by the number of spikes per burst. The termination of an intraburst sequence of impulses can be predicted by the duration of the intraburst intervals. Irregular impulse patterns at low static temperatures show a unimodal interval distribution, whereas the interval histograms from irregular spike sequences at high temperatures have multiple peaks with nearly equal distances.
The dynamic responses to cooling steps of 5°C show a transient reduction of the burst period and a transient increase of the number of spikes per burst or the burst duration, respectively. In addition, the maximmum intraburst frequencies transiently increase while the frequency decay within the burst is continuously reduced. At low temperatures, the burst discharge is sometimes interrupted by a continuous impulse sequence of high frequency.
A model of temperature transduction is discussed on the basis of membrane processes which are particularly described for molluscan neurons. The results support the hypothesis that the bursts are triggered by an endogenously oscillating receptor potential. It is assumed that at high temperatures the oscillation continues but certain cycles fail to trigger impulses. The results during dynamic cooling are interpreted as a flattening of the oscillation which is transiently superposed by a depolarizing shift of the potential waves.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Bade H, Braun HA, Hensel H (1979) Static burst parameters of lingual cold receptors in the cat. Pflügers Arch 382:1–5
Barker JL, Gainer H (1975) Studies on bursting pacemaker potential activity in molluscan neurons. II. Regulation by divalent cations. Brain Res 84:479–500
Braun HA, Bade H, Hensel H (1977) Frequency and bursting pattern of cold fibers related to an assumed oscillating receptor mechanism. Pflügers Arch 368:Suppl R47
Braun HA, Bade H, Schäfer K, Hensel H (1978) Dynamic characteristics of cold fibre discharge in the cat. Pflügers Arch 373: Suppl. R67
Carnevale NT, Wachtel H (1974) Slow oscillations in Aplysia bursting neurons are produced by the interaction of two currents. Physiologist 17:193
Carpenter DO (1967) Temperature effects on pacemaker generation, membrane potential, and critical firing threshold inAplysia neurons. J Gen Physiol 50:1469–1484
Carpenter DO (1970) Membrane potential produced directly by the Na+ pump inAplysia neurons. Comp Biochem Physiol 35:371–385
Carpenter DO, Alving BO (1968) A contribution of electrogenic Na+ pump to membrane potential inAplysia neurons. J Gen Physiol 52:1–21
Darian-Smith I, Dykes RW (1971) Peripheral neural mechanisms of thermal sensation. In: Dubner R, Kawamura Y (eds) Oral-facial sensory and motor mechanisms. Meredith Corporation, New York, pp 7–22
Dykes RW (1975) Coding of steady and transient temperatures by cutaneous “cold” fibers serving the hand of monkeys. Brain Res 98:485–500
Eckert R, Lux HD (1976) A voltage-sensitive persistent calcium conductance in neuronal somata ofHelix. J Physiol (Lond) 254:129–151
Gola M (1976) Slow current changes underlying square shaped potential waves in warmed “Aplysia” neurons. Experientia 32:585–588
Hensel H (1952) Physiologie der Thermorezeption. Ergebn Physiol 47:166–368
Hensel H (1953) The time factor in thermoreceptor excitation. Acta Physiol Scand 29:109
Hensel H (1976) Correlation of neural activity and thermal sensation in man. In: Zotterman Y (ed) Sensory function of the skin in primates. Pergamon Press, Oxford, pp 331–353
Hensel H, Zotterman Y (1951) Quantitative Beziehungen zwischen der Entladung einzelner Kältefasern und der Temperatur. Acta Physiol Scand 23:291–319
Iggo A (1970) The mechanism of biological temperature reception. In: Hardy JD, Gagge AP, Stolwijk JAJ (eds) Physiological and behavioral temperature regulation, Charles C. Thomas, Springfield, Ill, pp 291–407
Iggo A, Young DW (1975) Cutaneous thermoreceptor and thermal nociceptors. In: Kornhuber HH (ed) The somatosensory system. Georg Thieme. Stuttgart, pp 5–25
Johnston D (1976) Voltage clamp reveals basis for calcium regulation of bursting pacemaker potentials in “Aplysia” neurons. Brain Res 107:418–424
Junge D, Stephens CL (1973) Cyclic variation of potassium conductance in a burst-generating neurons inAplysia. J Physiol (Lond) 235:155–181
Kenshalo DR, Duclaux R (1977) Response characteristics of cutaneous cold receptors in the monkey. J Neurophysiol 40:319–332
Kenshalo DR, Cormier D, Mellos M (1976) Some response properties of cold fibers to cooling. Prog Brain Res 43:129–141
Meech RW (1974) Calcium influx induces a post-tatonic hyperpolarization inAplysia neurones. Comp Biochem Physiol 48A:387–395
Meech RW (1976) Intracellular calcium and the control of membrane permeability. In: Calcium in biological system. Cambridge Symp Soc Exp Biol XXX, Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, p 161
Pierau FK, Torrey P, Carpenter DO (1974) Mammalian cold receptor afferents: role of an electrogenic pump in sensory transduction. Brain Res 73:156–160
Pierau FK, Torrey P, Carpenter D (1975) Effect of ouabain and potassium-free solution on mammalian thermosensitive afferents in vitro. Pflügers Arch 359:349–356
Pierau FK, Ullrich J, Wurster, RD (1977) Effect of Ca2+ and EDTA on the bursting pattern of lingual cold receptors in cats. Proceedings of the International Union of Physiological Sciences Vol XIII, 597
Schäfer K, Braun HA, Hensel H (1978) Dependence of cold fiber response from blood calcium level in the cat. Pflügers Arch 373:Suppl. R68
Sperelakis N (1970) Effects of temperature on membrane potentials of excitable cells. In: Hardy JD, Gagge AP, Stolwijk JAJ (eds) Physiological and behavioral temperature regulation, Ch. C. Thomas, Springfield, Ill, pp 408–441
Spray DC (1974) Metabolic dependence of frog cold receptor sensitivity. Brain Res 72:354–359
Zerbst E (1978) Simulation und Modellanalyse primärer Erregungsprozesse an biologischen Membranen unter besonderer Berücksichtigung der Informationsaufnahme und-verarbeitung durch biologische Sinneszellen. In: v. Schneider B, Ranft U (Hrsg) Medizinische Informatik und Statistik. Simulationsmethoden in der Medizin und Biologie. Springer, Berlin Heidelberg New York, S 163–183
Zerbst E, Dittberner KH, William E (1966) Ansätze zur quantitativen Analyse der Nachrichtenaufnahme und-verarbeitung in biologischen Rezeptoren. Helgoland, Wissensch Meeresunters 14:51–71
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Braun, H.A., Bade, H. & Hensel, H. Static and dynamic discharge patterns of bursting cold fibers related to hypothetical receptor mechanisms. Pflügers Arch. 386, 1–9 (1980). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00584180
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00584180