TY - JOUR
T1 - Arginine analogs modify signal detection by neurons in the visual cortex
AU - Kara, Prakash
AU - Friedlander, Michael J.
PY - 1999/7/1
Y1 - 1999/7/1
N2 - Nitric oxide (NO) modulates neurotransmitter release, induction of long- term synaptic potentiation and depression, and activity levels of neurons. However, it is not known whether NO contributes to the ability of the CNS to distinguish sensory signals from background noise and/or extract sensory information with greater reliability. We addressed these questions in the visual cortex, in vivo, using electrophysiological recording and analysis of signal detection from individual neurons. This was combined with microiontophoretic application of arginine analogs that either upregulate or downregulate the brain's endogenous NO-generating pathways or compounds that produce exogenous NO. Protocols that enhance NO levels generally increased the number of action potentials per trial evoked by visual stimuli, improved signal detection, and decreased the coefficient of variation of visually evoked responses, whereas NOreducing protocols predominantly had complementary effects. Control experiments demonstrate that these effects are likely attributable to the specific ability of these arginine compounds to modify NO levels versus other nonspecific effects. Differential effects between neighboring cells and between single-cell receptive subfields suggest that these actions have a significant direct neural component versus exclusively operating indirectly on neurons through the central vascular actions of NO.
AB - Nitric oxide (NO) modulates neurotransmitter release, induction of long- term synaptic potentiation and depression, and activity levels of neurons. However, it is not known whether NO contributes to the ability of the CNS to distinguish sensory signals from background noise and/or extract sensory information with greater reliability. We addressed these questions in the visual cortex, in vivo, using electrophysiological recording and analysis of signal detection from individual neurons. This was combined with microiontophoretic application of arginine analogs that either upregulate or downregulate the brain's endogenous NO-generating pathways or compounds that produce exogenous NO. Protocols that enhance NO levels generally increased the number of action potentials per trial evoked by visual stimuli, improved signal detection, and decreased the coefficient of variation of visually evoked responses, whereas NOreducing protocols predominantly had complementary effects. Control experiments demonstrate that these effects are likely attributable to the specific ability of these arginine compounds to modify NO levels versus other nonspecific effects. Differential effects between neighboring cells and between single-cell receptive subfields suggest that these actions have a significant direct neural component versus exclusively operating indirectly on neurons through the central vascular actions of NO.
KW - Arginine
KW - Information processing
KW - Nitric oxide
KW - Nitric oxide synthase
KW - Signal detection
KW - Signal-to-noise
KW - Striate cortex
KW - Visual cortex
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=0033169053&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=0033169053&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1523/jneurosci.19-13-05528.1999
DO - 10.1523/jneurosci.19-13-05528.1999
M3 - Article
C2 - 10377361
AN - SCOPUS:0033169053
SN - 0270-6474
VL - 19
SP - 5528
EP - 5548
JO - Journal of Neuroscience
JF - Journal of Neuroscience
IS - 13
ER -