Synaptic mechanisms of forward suppression in rat auditory cortex

Wehr, M., Zador, A. M. (August 2005) Synaptic mechanisms of forward suppression in rat auditory cortex. Neuron, 47 (3). pp. 437-45. ISSN 0896-6273 (Print)

Abstract

In the auditory cortex, brief sounds elicit a powerful suppression of responsiveness that can persist for hundreds of milliseconds. This forward suppression (sometimes also called forward masking) has usually been attributed to synaptic (GABAergic) inhibition. Here we have used whole-cell recordings in vivo to assess the role of synaptic inhibition in forward suppression in auditory cortex. We measured the excitatory and inhibitory synaptic conductances elicited by pairs of brief sounds presented at intervals from tens to hundreds of milliseconds. We find that inhibitory conductances rarely last longer than 50-100 ms, whereas spike responses and synaptic inputs remain suppressed for hundreds of milliseconds. We conclude that postsynaptic inhibition contributes to forward suppression for only the first 50-100 ms after a stimulus and that intracortical contributions to long-lasting suppression must involve other mechanisms, such as synaptic depression.

Item Type:	Paper
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Acoustic Stimulation Animals Auditory Cortex physiology Barbiturates pharmacology Electric Conductivity Electrophysiology Long-Term Depression (Physiology) physiology Neural Inhibition physiology Rats Receptors GABA-B physiology Synapses drug effects physiology Time Factors
Subjects:	organism description > animal organs, tissues, organelles, cell types and functions > tissues types and functions > auditory cortex organs, tissues, organelles, cell types and functions > cell types and functions > cell functions organs, tissues, organelles, cell types and functions > cell types and functions organism description > animal > mammal > rodent > rat organism description > animal > mammal > rodent > rat organs, tissues, organelles, cell types and functions > cell types and functions > cell functions > synaptic transmission
CSHL Authors:	Zador, Anthony M.
Communities:	CSHL labs > Zador lab
Depositing User:	Leigh Johnson
Date:	4 August 2005
Date Deposited:	28 Mar 2012 19:03
Last Modified:	01 Mar 2013 20:48
Related URLs:	Publisher
URI:	https://repository.cshl.edu/id/eprint/25610

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