Summary
In cats under pentobarbitone anaesthesia, single cuneate cells excited directly by microiontophoresis of glutamate (or ATP) reproduce the temporal patterns of firing seen during spontaneous activity or during activity evoked by peripheral stimulation. In particular, the glutamate-evoked discharges of hair or touch cells show their characteristic tendency to fire in high-frequency pairs or bursts of impulses. Since glutamate acts mainly on the post-synaptic cell, the explanation for the multiple discharges must lie in special, repetitive properties of the hair and touch cells. Cuneate neurones are strongly excited by microiontophoretic applications of Flaxedil. The most prominent effect is the appearance of prolonged bursts of spikes at a high frequency. Even systemic Flaxedil can alter the discharge of cuneate hair cells; short intervals occur more frequently, and, in some cases, there is an acceleration in spontaneous firing.
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Galindo, A., Kenjević, K. & Schwartz, S. Patterns of firing in cuneate neurones and some effects of flaxedil. Exp Brain Res 5, 87–101 (1968). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00238699
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00238699