Click here to close
Hello! We notice that you are using Internet Explorer, which is not supported by Xenbase and may cause the site to display incorrectly.
We suggest using a current version of Chrome,
FireFox, or Safari.
J Neurophysiol
2015 Jan 01;1131:400-7. doi: 10.1152/jn.00672.2014.
Show Gene links
Show Anatomy links
The horizontal brain slice preparation: a novel approach for visualizing and recording from all layers of the tadpoletectum.
Hamodi AS
,
Pratt KG
.
???displayArticle.abstract???
The Xenopus tadpole optic tectum is a multisensory processing center that receives direct visual input as well as nonvisual mechanosensory input. The tectal neurons that comprise the optic tectum are organized into layers. These neurons project their dendrites laterally into the neuropil where visual inputs target the distal region of the dendrite and nonvisual inputs target the proximal region of the same dendrite. The Xenopus tadpoletectum is a popular model to study the development of sensory circuits. However, whole cell patch-clamp electrophysiological studies of the tadpoletectum (using the whole brain or in vivo preparations) have focused solely on the deep-layer tectal neurons because only neurons of the deep layer are visible and accessible for whole cell electrophysiological recordings. As a result, whereas the development and plasticity of these deep-layer neurons has been well-studied, essentially nothing has been reported about the electrophysiology of neurons residing beyond this layer. Hence, there exists a large gap in our understanding about the functional development of the amphibian tectum as a whole. To remedy this, we developed a novel isolated brain preparation that allows visualizing and recording from all layers of the tectum. We refer to this preparation as the "horizontal brain slice preparation." Here, we describe the preparation method and illustrate how it can be used to characterize the electrophysiology of neurons across all of the layers of the tectum as well as the spatial pattern of synaptic input from the different sensory modalities.
Aizenman,
Visually driven regulation of intrinsic neuronal excitability improves stimulus detection in vivo.
2003, Pubmed,
Xenbase
Aizenman,
Visually driven regulation of intrinsic neuronal excitability improves stimulus detection in vivo.
2003,
Pubmed
,
Xenbase
Behrend,
Neural responses to water surface waves in the midbrain of the aquatic predator Xenopus laevis laevis.
2006,
Pubmed
,
Xenbase
Bollmann,
Subcellular topography of visually driven dendritic activity in the vertebrate visual system.
2009,
Pubmed
,
Xenbase
Chung,
Functional synaptic relations during the development of the retino-tectal projection in amphibians.
1974,
Pubmed
,
Xenbase
Chung,
The synaptic organization of optic afferents in the amphibian tectum.
1974,
Pubmed
,
Xenbase
Deeg,
Sensory modality-specific homeostatic plasticity in the developing optic tectum.
2011,
Pubmed
,
Xenbase
Deeg,
Development of multisensory convergence in the Xenopus optic tectum.
2009,
Pubmed
,
Xenbase
Dong,
Visual avoidance in Xenopus tadpoles is correlated with the maturation of visual responses in the optic tectum.
2009,
Pubmed
,
Xenbase
Engert,
Moving visual stimuli rapidly induce direction sensitivity of developing tectal neurons.
2002,
Pubmed
,
Xenbase
Gabriel,
Layer-specific targeting of direction-selective neurons in the zebrafish optic tectum.
2012,
Pubmed
Hamodi,
Region-specific regulation of voltage-gated intrinsic currents in the developing optic tectum of the Xenopus tadpole.
2014,
Pubmed
,
Xenbase
Hiramoto,
Convergence of multisensory inputs in Xenopus tadpole tectum.
2009,
Pubmed
,
Xenbase
Lowe,
Organisation of lateral line and auditory areas in the midbrain of Xenopus laevis.
1986,
Pubmed
,
Xenbase
Lázár,
The development of the optic tectum in Xenopus laevis: a Golgi study.
1973,
Pubmed
,
Xenbase
Miraucourt,
GABA expression and regulation by sensory experience in the developing visual system.
2012,
Pubmed
,
Xenbase
Mitzdorf,
Laminar segregation of afferents to lateral geniculate nucleus of the cat: an analysis of current source density.
1977,
Pubmed
Muñoz,
Anuran dorsal column nucleus: organization, immunohistochemical characterization, and fiber connections in Rana perezi and Xenopus laevis.
1995,
Pubmed
,
Xenbase
Nakagawa,
Current source density analysis of ON/OFF channels in the frog optic tectum.
2000,
Pubmed
Nakagawa,
Principal neuronal organization in the frog optic tectum revealed by a current source density analysis.
1997,
Pubmed
Nakagawa,
ON and OFF channels of the frog optic tectum revealed by current source density analysis.
1998,
Pubmed
Pratt,
Development and spike timing-dependent plasticity of recurrent excitation in the Xenopus optic tectum.
2008,
Pubmed
,
Xenbase
Pratt,
Multisensory integration in mesencephalic trigeminal neurons in Xenopus tadpoles.
2009,
Pubmed
,
Xenbase
Pratt,
Homeostatic regulation of intrinsic excitability and synaptic transmission in a developing visual circuit.
2007,
Pubmed
,
Xenbase
Richards,
In vivo spike-timing-dependent plasticity in the optic tectum of Xenopus laevis.
2010,
Pubmed
,
Xenbase
Schwartz,
Activity-dependent transcription of BDNF enhances visual acuity during development.
2011,
Pubmed
,
Xenbase
Straznicky,
The development of the tectum in Xenopus laevis: an autoradiographic study.
1972,
Pubmed
,
Xenbase
Tao,
Activity-dependent matching of excitatory and inhibitory inputs during refinement of visual receptive fields.
2005,
Pubmed
,
Xenbase
Tsurudome,
Intracellular and current source density analyses of somatosensory input to the optic tectum of the frog.
2005,
Pubmed
Wu,
Maturation of a central glutamatergic synapse.
1996,
Pubmed
,
Xenbase
Zhang,
A critical window for cooperation and competition among developing retinotectal synapses.
1998,
Pubmed
,
Xenbase
