Abstract
Krnjević and Phillis1,2 and others3,1 have reported that only about 10–20% of all cerebral cortical neurones can be influenced by the micro-iontophoretic administration of acetylcholine (ACh). Neurones excited by this substance were probably all pyramidal cells in the deeper layers of the cortex, but cells inhibited by ACh were often found in the more superficial layers4. That excitability by ACh is peculiar to a restricted class of neurones could mean that these cells receive synaptic connexions from a specialized pathway which is not shared by the remainder of the cortical cell population and which path could determine their functional role.
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References
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WALLINGFORD, E., OSTDAHL, R., ZARZECKI, P. et al. Optical and Pharmacological Stimulation of Visual Cortical Neurones. Nature New Biology 242, 210–212 (1973). https://doi.org/10.1038/newbio242210a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/newbio242210a0
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