Repetitive convulsant-induced seizures reduce the number but not precision of hippocampal place cells

Lin, H., Hangya, B., Fox, S. E., Muller, R. U. (March 2012) Repetitive convulsant-induced seizures reduce the number but not precision of hippocampal place cells. Journal of Neuroscience, 32 (12). pp. 4163-78. ISSN 0270-6474

Abstract

Repetitive one-per-day seizures induced in otherwise normal rats by the volatile convulsant flurothyl decrease the accuracy of locating a hidden goal without changing the mean location of goal selection. We now show that an 8-d series of such seizures degrades the spatial signal carried by the firing of hippocampal pyramidal cells and specifically reduces the information conveyed by the place cell subset of pyramidal cells. This degradation and a concomitant slowing of the hippocampal theta rhythm occur over time courses parallel to the development of the behavioral deficit and plausibly account for the impairment. The details of how pyramidal cell discharge weakens are, however, unexpected. Rather than a reduction in the precision of location-specific firing distributed evenly over all place cells, the number of place cells decreases with seizure number, although the remaining place cells remain quite intact. Thus, with serial seizures there is a cell-specific conversion of robust place cells to sporadically firing (<0.1 spike/s) "low-rate" cells as opposed to gradual loss of place cell resolution. This transformation occurs in the absence of significant changes in the discharge rate of hippocampal interneurons, suggesting that the decline in the number of place cells is not a simple matter of increased inhibitory tone. The cumulative transformation of place cells to low-rate cells by repetitive seizures may reflect a homeostatic, negative-feedback process.

Item Type: Paper
Subjects: organs, tissues, organelles, cell types and functions > cell types and functions > cell functions
organs, tissues, organelles, cell types and functions > cell types and functions > cell functions > cell signaling
organs, tissues, organelles, cell types and functions > tissues types and functions > hippocampus
organs, tissues, organelles, cell types and functions > tissues types and functions > neural networks
organs, tissues, organelles, cell types and functions > cell types and functions > cell types > neurons > pyramidal neurons
organs, tissues, organelles, cell types and functions > cell types and functions > cell types > neurons > pyramidal neurons
organs, tissues, organelles, cell types and functions > cell types and functions > cell types > neurons > pyramidal neurons
CSHL Authors:
Communities: CSHL Post Doctoral Fellows
CSHL labs > Kepecs lab
Depositing User: CSHL Librarian
Date: 21 March 2012
Date Deposited: 25 Apr 2012 18:30
Last Modified: 20 Jul 2021 13:33
PMCID: PMC3743017
Related URLs:
URI: https://repository.cshl.edu/id/eprint/26255

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