1993 Fiscal Year Final Research Report Summary
Study on the factors determining synaptic linkage in the neural net for the ascending cutaneous sensory tract
| Project/Area Number |
03670882
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| Research Category |
Grant-in-Aid for General Scientific Research (C)
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| Allocation Type | Single-year Grants |
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| Research Field |
Functional basic dentistry
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| Research Institution | Aichi-Gakuin University |
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Principal Investigator |
SATOH Toyohiko Aichi-Gakuin University, School of Dentistry, Professor, 歯学部, 教授 (80064830)
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| Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha) |
FUJISAWA Hiromi Aichi-Gakuin University, School of Dentistry, Instructor, 歯学部, 助手 (20241143)
YOKOTA Tatsuko Aichi-Gakuin University, School of Dentistry, Instructor, 歯学部, 助手 (70192416)
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| Project Period (FY) |
1991 – 1993
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| Keywords | sinus hair / synapse / central neurons / single neuron activity / tactile sensation |
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| Research Abstract |
The whiskers of rats are innervated by sensory nerves having extremely sensitive mechanoreceptors. The central neurons receiving inputs from these nerves are highly selective ; their response being tuned to only one whisker. We have stimulated multiple whiskers simultaneously and recorded single neuron responses in the trigeminal and thalamic nuclei. As compared to the single whisker stimulation, not only enhancement but also suppression of the response was a common observation. In case of enhancement, both the latency and duration of the response became shorter and a long rebound suppression followed, resulting in transformation of response characteristics from tonic to phasic. In parallel with the increment of the magnitude of the response newly produced by stronger stimulation of multiple whiskers, the response evoked by a single whisker stimulation became often smaller to disappear ultimately. These observations indicate that the major determinant of the response of a central neuron is not the amount of input from its principal whisker, but rather that from the co-activated neurons. The physiological functioning of single neurons can be estimated properly only when they are co-operating with partner neurons.
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Research Products
(2 results)
