Biomedical subjects

Eric S Fortune

Publications and source records attributed to Eric S Fortune.

5 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2006

The decoding of electrosensory systems.

Progress in the study of electrosensory systems has been facilitated by the systematic use of behavior as a tool to probe the nervous system. Indeed, a specific behavior that is found in a subset of weakly electric fishes, the jamming avoidance response, was used to identify and characterize an entire suite of brain circuits, from sensory receptors to motor units, that are involved in control of this behavior. Recent progress has focused on a re-analysis of this circuit in relation to newly described electrosensory behaviors, including prey capture, social signaling and the tracking of electrosensory objects. This re-analysis has led to a re-evaluation of the broader functional relevance of specific neural solutions to computational problems that are related to the control of the jamming avoidance response. Some of the recent insights that have emerged from this work include descriptions of mechanisms underlying dynamic receptive field properties, descriptions of the neural activity related to simultaneously occurring sensory stimuli, and a greater understanding of the role of short-term synaptic plasticity in temporal processing.

Afferent Pathways↗

PubMed2005

Electrosensory interference in naturally occurring aggregates of a species of weakly electric fish, Eigenmannia virescens.

The detection and identification of behaviorally relevant signals in the presence of competing signals in the environment is a major challenge of animal sensory systems. In weakly electric fish such as Eigenmannia virescens, the interactions between the autogenous electric field and the electric fields of nearby conspecifics can have profound effects on the perception of other behaviorally relevant electrosensory information. To better understand the natural signals that the nervous system of Eigenmannia experiences during the processing of electrosensory information, we examined the electrosensory milieu of Eigenmannia in the wild and in the laboratory. Recordings of the electric fields of Eigenmannia were made in 'black' and 'white' waters near the Napo River in eastern Ecuador. Fourier analysis revealed that Eigenmannia typically experience the electric fields of three to five conspecifics during the day and night in each habitat. The median difference in electric organ discharge frequencies between nearby Eigenmannia during the day was 23 Hz in black water habitats, 41 Hz in white water, and 37 Hz at night in both habitats: these signals are known to activate tuberous electroreceptors and downstream CNS circuits. There was no correlation between the number of individual Eigenmannia detected at recording sites and electric organ discharge frequencies. Further, Eigenmannia apparently do not maximize the frequency differences between conspecifics. In laboratory studies fish were preferentially observed in aggregates of two fish or more. Aggregate sizes observed in the laboratory were similar to those in the wild.

Animal Communication↗

PubMed2005

Effects of global electrosensory signals on motion processing in the midbrain of Eigenmannia.

Wave-type weakly electric fish such as Eigenmannia produce continuous sinusoidal electric fields. When conspecifics are in close proximity, interaction of these electric fields can produce deficits in electrosensory function. We examined a neural correlate of such jamming at the level of the midbrain. Previous results indicate that neurons in the dorsal layers of the torus semicircularis can (1) respond to jamming signals, (2) respond to moving electrosensory stimuli, and (3) receive convergent information from the four sensory maps of the electrosensory lateral line lobe (ELL). In this study we recorded the intracellular responses of both tuberous and ampullary neurons to moving objects. Robust Gaussian-shaped or sinusoidal responses with half-height durations between 55 ms and 581 ms were seen in both modalities. The addition of ongoing global signals with temporal-frequencies of 5 Hz attenuated the responses to the moving object by 5 dB or more. In contrast, the responses to the moving object were not attenuated by the addition of signals with temporal frequencies of 20 Hz or greater. This occurred in both the ampullary and tuberous systems, despite the fact that the ampullary afferents to the torus originate in a single ELL map whereas the tuberous afferents emerge from three maps.

Analysis of Variance↗

PubMed2003

Voltage-gated Na+ channels enhance the temporal filtering properties of electrosensory neurons in the torus.

Regenerative processes enhance postsynaptic potential (PSP) amplitude and behaviorally relevant temporal filtering in more than one-third of electrosensory neurons in the torus semicircularis of Eigenmannia. Data from in vivo current-clamp intracellular recordings indicate that these "regenerative PSPs" can be divided in two groups based on their half-amplitude durations: constant duration (CD) and variable duration (VD) PSPs. CD PSPs have half-amplitude durations of between 20 and 60 ms that do not vary in relation to stimulus periodicity. In contrast, the half-amplitude durations of VD PSPs vary in relation to stimulus periodicity and range from approximately 10 to 500 ms. Injection of 0.1 nA sinusoidal current through the recording electrode demonstrated that CD PSPs and not VD PSPs can be elicited by voltage fluctuations alone. In addition, CD PSPs were blocked by intracellular application of either QX-314 or QX-222, whereas VD PSPs were not. These in vivo data suggest, therefore, that CD PSPs are mediated by voltage-dependent Na+ conductances.

Action Potentials↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Roles for short-term synaptic plasticity in behavior.

Short-term synaptic plasticity is phylogenetically widespread in ascending sensory systems of vertebrate brains. Such plasticity is found at all levels of sensory processing, including in sensory cortices. The functional roles of this apparently ubiquitous short-term synaptic plasticity, however, are not well understood. Data obtained in midbrain electrosensory neurons of Eigenmannia suggest that this plasticity has at least two roles in sensory processing; enhancing low-pass temporal filtering and generating phase shifts used in processing moving sensory images. Short-term synaptic plasticity may serve similar roles in other sensory modalities, including vision.

Animals↗