Biomedical subjects

H Markram

Publications and source records attributed to H Markram.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2001

An algorithm for modifying neurotransmitter release probability based on pre- and postsynaptic spike timing.

The precise times of occurrence of individual pre- and postsynaptic action potentials are known to play a key role in the modification of synaptic efficacy. Based on stimulation protocols of two synaptically connected neurons, we infer an algorithm that reproduces the experimental data by modifying the probability of vesicle discharge as a function of the relative timing of spikes in the pre- and postsynaptic neurons. The primary feature of this algorithm is an asymmetry with respect to the direction of synaptic modification depending on whether the presynaptic spikes precede or follow the postsynaptic spike. Specifically, if the presynaptic spike occurs up to 50 ms before the postsynaptic spike, the probability of vesicle discharge is upregulated, while the probability of vesicle discharge is downregulated if the presynaptic spike occurs up to 50 ms after the postsynaptic spike. When neurons fire irregularly with Poisson spike trains at constant mean firing rates, the probability of vesicle discharge converges toward a characteristic value determined by the pre- and postsynaptic firing rates. On the other hand, if the mean rates of the Poisson spike trains slowly change with time, our algorithm predicts modifications in the probability of release that generalize Hebbian and Bienenstock-Cooper-Munro rules. We conclude that the proposed spike-based synaptic learning algorithm provides a general framework for regulating neurotransmitter release probability.

Action Potentials↗

PubMed2000

Organizing principles for a diversity of GABAergic interneurons and synapses in the neocortex.

A puzzling feature of the neocortex is the rich array of inhibitory interneurons. Multiple neuron recordings revealed numerous electrophysiological-anatomical subclasses of neocortical gamma-aminobutyric acid-ergic (GABAergic) interneurons and three types of GABAergic synapses. The type of synapse used by each interneuron to influence its neighbors follows three functional organizing principles. These principles suggest that inhibitory synapses could shape the impact of different interneurons according to their specific spatiotemporal patterns of activity and that GABAergic interneuron and synapse diversity may enable combinatorial inhibitory effects in the neocortex.

Action Potentials↗

PubMed2000

Synchrony generation in recurrent networks with frequency-dependent synapses.

Throughout the neocortex, groups of neurons have been found to fire synchronously on the time scale of several milliseconds. This near coincident firing of neurons could coordinate the multifaceted information of different features of a stimulus. The mechanisms of generating such synchrony are not clear. We simulated the activity of a population of excitatory and inhibitory neurons randomly interconnected into a recurrent network via synapses that display temporal dynamics in their transmission; surprisingly, we found a behavior of the network where action potential activity spontaneously self-organized to produce highly synchronous bursts involving virtually the entire network. These population bursts were also triggered by stimuli to the network in an all-or-none manner. We found that the particular intensities of the external stimulus to specific neurons were crucial to evoke population bursts. This topographic sensitivity therefore depends on the spectrum of basal discharge rates across the population and not on the anatomical individuality of the neurons, because this was random. These results suggest that networks in which neurons are even randomly interconnected via frequency-dependent synapses could exhibit a novel form of reflex response that is sensitive to the nature of the stimulus as well as the background spontaneous activity.

Action Potentials↗

PubMed1998

Neural networks with dynamic synapses.

Transmission across neocortical synapses depends on the frequency of presynaptic activity (Thomson & Deuchars, 1994). Interpyramidal synapses in layer V exhibit fast depression of synaptic transmission, while other types of synapses exhibit facilitation of transmission. To study the role of dynamic synapses in network computation, we propose a unified phenomenological model that allows computation of the postsynaptic current generated by both types of synapses when driven by an arbitrary pattern of action potential (AP) activity in a presynaptic population. Using this formalism, we analyze different regimes of synaptic transmission and demonstrate that dynamic synapses transmit different aspects of the presynaptic activity depending on the average presynaptic frequency. The model also allows for derivation of mean-field equations, which govern the activity of large, interconnected networks. We show that the dynamics of synaptic transmission results in complex sets of regular and irregular regimes of network activity.

Action Potentials↗

PubMed1998

Differential signaling via the same axon of neocortical pyramidal neurons.

The nature of information stemming from a single neuron and conveyed simultaneously to several hundred target neurons is not known. Triple and quadruple neuron recordings revealed that each synaptic connection established by neocortical pyramidal neurons is potentially unique. Specifically, synaptic connections onto the same morphological class differed in the numbers and dendritic locations of synaptic contacts, their absolute synaptic strengths, as well as their rates of synaptic depression and recovery from depression. The same axon of a pyramidal neuron innervating another pyramidal neuron and an interneuron mediated frequency-dependent depression and facilitation, respectively, during high frequency discharges of presynaptic action potentials, suggesting that the different natures of the target neurons underlie qualitative differences in synaptic properties. Facilitating-type synaptic connections established by three pyramidal neurons of the same class onto a single interneuron, were all qualitatively similar with a combination of facilitation and depression mechanisms. The time courses of facilitation and depression, however, differed for these convergent connections, suggesting that different pre-postsynaptic interactions underlie quantitative differences in synaptic properties. Mathematical analysis of the transfer functions of frequency-dependent synapses revealed supra-linear, linear, and sub-linear signaling regimes in which mixtures of presynaptic rates, integrals of rates, and derivatives of rates are transferred to targets depending on the precise values of the synaptic parameters and the history of presynaptic action potential activity. Heterogeneity of synaptic transfer functions therefore allows multiple synaptic representations of the same presynaptic action potential train and suggests that these synaptic representations are regulated in a complex manner. It is therefore proposed that differential signaling is a key mechanism in neocortical information processing, which can be regulated by selective synaptic modifications.

Animals↗

PubMed1998

Competitive calcium binding: implications for dendritic calcium signaling.

Action potentials evoke calcium transients in dendrites of neocortical pyramidal neurons with time constants of < 100 ms at physiological temperature. This time period may not be sufficient for inflowing calcium ions to equilibrate with all present Ca2+-binding molecules. We therefore explored nonequilibrium dynamics of Ca2+ binding to numerous Ca2+ reaction partners within a dendritelike compartment using numerical simulations. After a brief Ca2+ influx, the reaction partner with the fastest Ca2+ binding kinetics initially binds more Ca2+ than predicted from chemical equilibrium, while companion reaction partners bind less. This difference is consolidated and may result in bypassing of slow reaction partners if a Ca2+ clearance mechanism is active. On the other hand, slower reaction partners effectively bind Ca2+ during repetitive calcium current pulses or during slower Ca2+ influx. Nonequilibrium Ca2+ distribution can further be enhanced through strategic placement of the reaction partners within the compartment. Using the Ca2+ buffer EGTA as a competitor of fluo-3, we demonstrate competitive Ca2+ binding within dendrites experimentally. Nonequilibrium calcium dynamics is proposed as a potential mechanism for differential and conditional activation of intradendritic targets.

Action Potentials↗

PubMed1997

Neural codes: firing rates and beyond.

Computational neuroscience has contributed significantly to our understanding of higher brain function by combining experimental neurobiology, psychophysics, modeling, and mathematical analysis. This article reviews recent advances in a key area: neural coding and information processing. It is shown that synapses are capable of supporting computations based on highly structured temporal codes. Such codes could provide a substrate for unambiguous representations of complex stimuli and be used to solve difficult cognitive tasks, such as the binding problem. Unsupervised learning rules could generate the circuitry required for precise temporal codes. Together, these results indicate that neural systems perform a rich repertoire of computations based on action potential timing.

Action Potentials↗

PubMed1997

Physiology and anatomy of synaptic connections between thick tufted pyramidal neurones in the developing rat neocortex.

1. Dual voltage recordings were made from pairs of adjacent, synaptically connected thick tufted layer 5 pyramidal neurones in brain slices of young rat (14-16 days) somatosensory cortex to examine the physiological properties of unitary EPSPs. Pre- and postsynaptic neurones were filled with biocytin and examined in the light and electron microscope to quantify the morphology of axonal and dendritic arbors and the number and location of synaptic contacts on the target neurone. 2. In 138 synaptic connections between pairs of pyramidal neurones 96 (70%) were unidirectional and 42 (30%) were bidirectional. The probability of finding a synaptic connection in dual recordings was 0.1. Unitary EPSPs evoked by a single presynaptic action potential (AP) had a mean peak amplitude ranging from 0.15 to 5.5 mV in different connections with a mean of 1.3 +/- 1.1 mV, a latency of 1.7 +/- 0.9 ms, a 20-80% rise time of 2.9 +/- 2.3 ms and a decay time constant of 40 +/- 18 ms at 32-24 degrees C and -60 +/- 2 mV membrane potential. 3. Peak amplitudes of unitary EPSPs fluctuated randomly from trial to trial. The coefficient of variation (c.v.) of the unitary EPSP amplitudes ranged from 0.13 to 2.8 in different synaptic connections (mean, 0.52; median, 0.41). The percentage of failures of single APs to evoke a unitary EPSP ranged from 0 to 73% (mean, 14%; median, 7%). Both c.v. and percentage of failures decreased with increasing mean EPSP amplitude. 4. Postsynaptic glutamate receptors which mediate unitary EPSPs at -60 mV were predominantly of the L-alpha-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionate (AMPA) receptor type. Receptors of the N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) type contributed only a small fraction (< 20%) to the voltage-time integral of the unitary EPSP at -60 mV, but their contribution increased at more positive membrane potentials. 5. Branching patterns of dendrites and axon collaterals of forty-five synaptically connected neurones, when examined in the light microscope, indicated that the axonal and dendritic anatomy of both projecting and target neurones and of uni- and bidirectionally connected neurones was uniform. 6. The number of potential synaptic contacts formed by a presynaptic neurone on a target neurone varied between four and eight (mean, 5.5 +/- 1.1 contacts; n = 19 connections). Synaptic contacts were preferentially located on basal dendrites (63%, 82 +/- 35 microns from the soma, n = 67) and apical oblique dendrites (27%, 145 +/- 59 microns, n = 29), and 35% of all contacts were located on tertiary basal dendritic branches. The mean geometric distances (from the soma) of the contacts of a connection varied between 80 and 585 microns (mean, 147 microns; median, 105 microns). The correlation between EPSP amplitude and the number of morphologically determined synaptic contacts or the mean geometric distances from the soma was only weak (correlation coefficients were 0.2 and 0.26, respectively). 7. Compartmental models constructed from camera lucida drawings of eight target neurones showed that synaptic contacts were located at mean electrotonic distances between 0.07 and 0.33 from the soma (mean, 0.13). Simulations of unitary EPSPs, assuming quantal conductance changes with fast rise time and short duration, indicated that amplitudes of quantal EPSPs at the soma were attenuated, on average, to < 10% of dendritic EPSPs and varied in amplitude up to 10-fold depending on the dendritic location of synaptic contacts. The inferred quantal peak conductance increase varied between 1.5 and 5.5 nS (mean, 3 nS). 8. The combined physiological and morphological measurements in conjunction with EPSP simulations indicated that the 20-fold range in efficacy of the synaptic connections between thick tufted pyramidal neurones, which have their synaptic contacts preferentially located on basal and apical oblique dendrites, was due to differences in transmitter release probability of the projecting neurones and, to a lesser extent, to differenc

Action Potentials↗

PubMed1997

The neural code between neocortical pyramidal neurons depends on neurotransmitter release probability.

Although signaling between neurons is central to the functioning of the brain, we still do not understand how the code used in signaling depends on the properties of synaptic transmission. Theoretical analysis combined with patch clamp recordings from pairs of neocortical pyramidal neurons revealed that the rate of synaptic depression, which depends on the probability of neurotransmitter release, dictates the extent to which firing rate and temporal coherence of action potentials within a presynaptic population are signaled to the postsynaptic neuron. The postsynaptic response primarily reflects rates of firing when depression is slow and temporal coherence when depression is fast. A wide range of rates of synaptic depression between different pairs of pyramidal neurons was found, suggesting that the relative contribution of rate and temporal signals varies along a continuum. We conclude that by setting the rate of synaptic depression, release probability is an important factor in determining the neural code.

Action Potentials↗

PubMed1997

Regulation of synaptic efficacy by coincidence of postsynaptic APs and EPSPs.

Activity-driven modifications in synaptic connections between neurons in the neocortex may occur during development and learning. In dual whole-cell voltage recordings from pyramidal neurons, the coincidence of postsynaptic action potentials (APs) and unitary excitatory postsynaptic potentials (EPSPs) was found to induce changes in EPSPs. Their average amplitudes were differentially up- or down-regulated, depending on the precise timing of postsynaptic APs relative to EPSPs. These observations suggest that APs propagating back into dendrites serve to modify single active synaptic connections, depending on the pattern of electrical activity in the pre- and postsynaptic neurons.

Action Potentials↗

PubMed1997

A network of tufted layer 5 pyramidal neurons.

Tufted layer 5 (TL5) pyramidal neurons are important projection neurons from the cerebral cortex to subcortical areas. Recent and ongoing experiments aimed at understanding the computational analysis performed by a network of synaptically connected TL5 neurons are reviewed here. The experiments employed dual and triple whole-cell patch clamp recordings from visually identified and preselected neurons in brain slices of somatosensory cortex of young (14- to 16-day-old) rats. These studies suggest that a local network of TL5 neurons within a cortical module of diameter 300 microns consists of a few hundred neurons that are extensively inter-connected with reciprocal feedback from at least first-, second- and third-order target neurons. A statistical analysis of synaptic innervation suggests that this recurrent network is not randomly arranged and hence each neuron could be functionally unique. Synaptic transmission between these neurons is characterized by use-dependent synaptic depression which confers novel properties to this recurrent network of neurons. First, a range of rates of depression for different synaptic connections enable each TL5 neuron to receive a unique mixture of information about the average firing rates and the temporally correlated action potential (AP) activity in the population of presynaptic TL5 neurons. Second, each AP generated by any neuron in the network induces a change (defined as an iteration step) in the functional coupling of the neurons in the network (defined as network configuration). It is proposed that the network configuration is iterated during a stimulus to achieve an optimally orchestrated network response. Hebbian, anti-Hebbian and neuromodulatory-induced modifications of neurotransmitter release probability change the rates of synaptic depression and thereby alter the iteration step size. These data may be important to understand the dynamics of electrical activity within the network.

Animals↗

PubMed1996

Redistribution of synaptic efficacy between neocortical pyramidal neurons.

Experience-dependent potentiation and depression of synaptic strength has been proposed to subserve learning and memory by changing the gain of signals conveyed between neurons. Here we examine synaptic plasticity between individual neocortical layer-5 pyramidal neurons. We show that an increase in the synaptic response, induced by pairing action-potential activity in pre- and postsynaptic neurons, was only observed when synaptic input occurred at low frequencies. This frequency-dependent increase in synaptic responses arises because of a redistribution of the available synaptic efficacy and not because of an increase in the efficacy. Redistribution of synaptic efficacy could represent a mechanism to change the content, rather than the gain, of signals conveyed between neurons.

Action Potentials↗

PubMed1996

Frequency and dendritic distribution of autapses established by layer 5 pyramidal neurons in the developing rat neocortex: comparison with synaptic innervation of adjacent neurons of the same class.

Synaptic contacts formed by the axon of a neuron on its own dendrites are known as autapses. Autaptic contacts occur frequently in cultured neurons and have been considered to be aberrant structures. We examined the regular occurrence, dendritic distribution, and fine structure of autapses established on layer 5 pyramidal neurons in the developing rat neocortex. Whole-cell recordings were made from single neurons and synaptically coupled pairs of pyramidal cells, which were filled with biocytin, morphologically reconstructed, and quantitatively analyzed. Autapses were found in most neurons (in 80% of all cells analyzed; n = 41). On average, 2.3 +/- 0.9 autapses per neuron were found, located primarily on basal dendrites (64%; 50-70 microns from the soma), to a lesser extent on apical oblique dendrites (31%; 130-200 microns from the soma), and rarely on the main apical dendrite (5% 480-540 microns from the soma). About three times more synaptic than autaptic contacts (ratio 2.4:1) were formed by a single adjacent synaptically coupled neuron of the same type. The dendritic locations of these synapses were remarkably similar to those of autapses. Electron microscopic examination of serial ultrathin sections confirmed the formation of autapses and synapses, respectively, and showed that both types of contacts were located either on dendritic spines or shafts. The similarities between autapses and synapses suggest that autaptic and synaptic circuits are governed by some common principles of synapse formation.

Animals↗

PubMed1996

Redistribution of synaptic efficacy: a mechanism to generate infinite synaptic input diversity from a homogeneous population of neurons without changing absolute synaptic efficacies.

Changing the reliability of neurotransmitter release results in a change in the efficacy of low frequency synaptic transmission and in the rate of high frequency synaptic depression thus it can not cause an uniform change in strength of synapses and instead results in a change in the dynamics of synaptic transmission referred to as 'redistribution of synaptic efficacy' (RSE). Since the change in synaptic transmission associated with RSE depends on the history of action potential activity it is concluded that RSE serves as a mechanism to generate a potentially infinite diversity of synaptic input.

Action Potentials↗

PubMed1995

Dendritic calcium transients evoked by single back-propagating action potentials in rat neocortical pyramidal neurons.

1. Dendrites of rat neocortical layer V pyramidal neurons were loaded with the Ca2+ indicator dye Calcium Green-1 (CG-1) or fluo-3, and the mechanisms which govern action potential (AP)-evoked transient changes in dendritic cytosolic Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]i) were examined. APs were initiated either by synaptic stimulation or by depolarizing the soma or dendrite by current injection, and changes in fluorescence of the indicator dye were measured in the proximal 170 microns of the apical dendrite. 2. Simultaneous two-pipette recordings of APs from the soma and apical dendrite, and dendritic fluorescence imaging indicated that a single AP propagating from the soma into the apical dendrite evokes a rapid transient increase in fluorescence indicating a transient increase in [Ca2+]i. At 35-37 degrees C the decay time constant of the fluorescence transient following an AP was around 80 ms. 3. Voltage-activated Ca2+ channels (VACCs) of several subtypes mediated the AP-evoked fluorescence transient in the proximal (100-170 microns) apical dendrite. The AP-evoked fluorescence transient resulted from Ca2+ entry through L-type (nifedipine sensitive; 25%), N-type (omega-conotoxin GVIA sensitive; 28%) and P-type (omega-agatoxin IVA sensitive; 10%) Ca2+ channels and through Ca2+ channels (R-type) not sensitive to L-, N- and P-type Ca2+ channel blockers (cadmium ion sensitive; 37%). 4. The decay time course of the dendritic fluorescence transient was prolonged by the blockers of endoplasmic reticulum (ER) Ca(2+)-ATPase, cyclopiazonic acid and thapsigargin, suggesting that uptake of Ca2+ into the ER in dendrites governs clearance of dendritic Ca2+. 5. The decay time course of the fluorescence transient was slightly prolonged by benzamil, a blocker of plasma membrane Na(+)-Ca2+ exchange and by calmidazolium, a blocker of the calmodulin-dependent plasma membrane Ca(2+)-ATPase, suggesting that these pathways are less important for dendrite Ca2+ clearance following a single AP. Neither the mitochondrial uncoupler carbonyl cyanide p-(trifluoromethoxy)phenylhydrazone (FCCP) nor the blocker of Ca2+ uptake into mitochondria, Ruthenium Red, had any measurable effect on the decay time course of the fluorescence transient. 6. Dendritic fluorescence transients measured during trains of dendritic APs began to summate at impulse frequencies of 5 APs s-1. At higher frequencies APs caused a concerted and maintained elevation of dendritic fluorescence during the train.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Action Potentials↗

PubMed1994

Calcium transients in dendrites of neocortical neurons evoked by single subthreshold excitatory postsynaptic potentials via low-voltage-activated calcium channels.

Simultaneous recordings of membrane voltage and concentration of intracellular Ca2+ ([Ca2+]i) were made in apical dendrites of layer 5 pyramidal cells of rat neocortex after filling dendrites with the fluorescent Ca2+ indicator Calcium Green-1. Subthreshold excitatory postsynaptic potentials (EP-SPs), mediated by the activation of glutamate receptor channels, caused a brief increase in dendritic [Ca2+]i. This rise in dendritic [Ca2+]i was mediated by the opening of low-voltage-activated Ca2+ channels in the dendritic membrane. The results provide direct evidence that dendrites do not function as passive cables even at low-frequency synaptic activity; rather, a single subthreshold EPSP changes the dendritic membrane conductance by opening Ca2+ channels and generating a [Ca2+]i transient that may propagate towards the soma. The activation of these Ca2+ channels at a low-voltage threshold is likely to influence the way in which dendritic EPSPs contribute to the electrical activity of the neuron.

Animals↗

PubMed1992

Spontaneous recovery of deficits in spatial memory and cholinergic potentiation of NMDA in CA1 neurons during chronic lithium treatment.

The therapeutic action of lithium in affective disorders is still unclear. One effect of lithium is to deplete membrane inositol and consequently to exhaust the phosphoinositide (PI) pathway. Under chronic lithium treatment, rats showed persistent performance deficits in an active avoidance task and in a visually cued maze. The same treatment, however, resulted in only a transient deficit in the performance of rats in a spatial memory task. Lithium treatment caused a similarly transient deficit in the ability of acetylcholine to potentiate responses to N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) in neurons of the hippocampal slice. The authors propose that the development of compensatory mechanisms may account for the lack of severe memory impairments during lithium treatment. It is suggested that the effects of lithium on the PI pathway are not sufficient to explain the behavioral consequences of chronic lithium treatment.

Acetylcholine↗

PubMed1992

The inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate pathway mediates cholinergic potentiation of rat hippocampal neuronal responses to NMDA.

1. The cellular mechanism by which acetylcholine (ACh) potentiates neuronal responses to N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) was investigated in CA1 neurones of hippocampal slices using current- and voltage-clamp techniques. 2. Loading cells with 5'-guanylylimidodiphosphate (GppNHp) caused a gradual increase in response to NMDA. Pulses of ACh accelerated this increase. Guanosine 5'-O-(2-thiodiphosphate) (GDP beta S) blocked the potentiating effect of ACh on responses to NMDA. 3. Acute LiCl caused a gradual decrease in the potentiating effect of ACh, while the potentiation was completely prevented by 3 day chronic 6 mequiv/kg (I.P.) LiCl treatment and restored by acute treatment with 10 mM-inositol. 4. Loading cells with a general protein kinase inhibitor, H-7, enhanced the potentiating effect of ACh on responses to NMDA and blocked the effect of ACh on the after-hyperpolarization (AHP). 5. Ultraviolet irradiation of cells loaded with a photolabile inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate (InsP3) caused a transient increase in responses to NMDA, while penetrating cells with active InsP3-containing pipettes caused a gradual BAPTA-sensitive increase in responses to NMDA. 6. Reducing the rate of InsP3 metabolism, with 2,3-diphosphoglyceric acid (DPG), caused an increase and prolongation of the potentiating effect of ACh, while blocking the InsP3 receptor with heparin prevented the cholinergic potentiation. 7. NMDA, by itself, potentiated subsequent responses to NMDA, an effect that was blocked when [Ca2+]i was chelated with BAPTA. NMDA and ACh were also found to compete in potentiating responses to NMDA. Finally, the cholinergic potentiation was blocked when cells were loaded with BAPTA. 8. We propose that activation of the InsP3 branch of the phosphoinositide pathway potentiated responses to NMDA and that InsP3 exerted this effect by elevating [Ca2+]i.

Acetylcholine↗