Tion is that the T-junction is a preferential site of failure for afferent traffic. Furthermore, this low-pass filtering function is Ca2+ -dependent, and filtering is lost selectively in C-type neurons after peripheral nerve injury.Regulation of T-junction conductionIn our model, AP propagation can potentially fail at several locations between the axonal stimulation site and the somatic recording site. During activation with short interstimulus intervals, incomplete somatic depolarizations may appear that display a distinct amplitude, lack an AHP, and fail in an all-or-none fashion (Figs 1E and F and 2B), suggesting that these depolarizations represent the passive electrotonic residue of a distant AP that fails to activate somatic AP generation (Stoney, 1990; Luscher et al. 1994b). Our collision experiments agree with others (Stoney, 1990; Luscher et al. 1994b; Zhou Chiu, 2001) in showing that these incomplete depolarizations originate from APs that successfully propagate longitudinally into the opposing process and into the stem axon, but fail to activate the somatic membrane. Complete loss of the somatic depolarization represents failure of the AP to propagate into either the stem axon or to propagatelongitudinally. Using this endpoint, we observed failure of propagation through the T-junction at AP repetition rates that are slower than the rates at which the soma and axon can be excited. These combined findings indicate that the T-junction acts as a low-pass filter such that fewer sensory signals may reach the spinal cord than are generated in the periphery. Rate-dependent propagation failure at neuronal branch points has been identified in other systems, including vertebrate central and peripheral neurons, for which several mechanisms have been proposed (see Debanne et al. 2011). There is evidence to support CI-1011 site membrane depolarization resulting from extracellular K+ accumulation, which in turn leads to inactivation of Na+ channels. In other systems, propagation failure has been attributed to hyperpolarization due to activation of Ca2+ -dependent channels and intracellular Na+ accumulation, which shift V m away from the threshold for AP initiation. However, our present findings in mammalian sensory neurons show no consistent relationship between shifts in V m and propagation failure at the T-junction (detailed in SB 202190 manufacturer Results). We cannot conclusively establish a mechanism for sensory neuron propagation failure, but we note that somatic input resistance is consistently decreased during trains of repetitive APs regardless of the trends in V m during repetitive firing. Other findings from our study support membrane resistance as a controlling factor, including increased conduction failure with pharmacological opening of IK/SK subtypes of KCa channels, and substantial train-induced expansion of theFigure 9. The effect of an action potential (AP) train on subsequent input resistance in an uninjured Ao neuron Input resistance, determined as the voltage change divided by current injected during a brief hyperpolarizing current injection, is depressed after a single AP (A), but recovers promptly to baseline. Following a train of 20 APs at 200 Hz (B), the same neuron shows a prolonged recovery of input resistance. The scale bars apply to both A and B. The current protocol for determining input resistance (C) consists of 0.5 nA hyperpolarizing current pulses lasting 7 ms, every 50 ms, starting 10 ms after the last AP. Summary data (mean ?SEM) of 15 A.Tion is that the T-junction is a preferential site of failure for afferent traffic. Furthermore, this low-pass filtering function is Ca2+ -dependent, and filtering is lost selectively in C-type neurons after peripheral nerve injury.Regulation of T-junction conductionIn our model, AP propagation can potentially fail at several locations between the axonal stimulation site and the somatic recording site. During activation with short interstimulus intervals, incomplete somatic depolarizations may appear that display a distinct amplitude, lack an AHP, and fail in an all-or-none fashion (Figs 1E and F and 2B), suggesting that these depolarizations represent the passive electrotonic residue of a distant AP that fails to activate somatic AP generation (Stoney, 1990; Luscher et al. 1994b). Our collision experiments agree with others (Stoney, 1990; Luscher et al. 1994b; Zhou Chiu, 2001) in showing that these incomplete depolarizations originate from APs that successfully propagate longitudinally into the opposing process and into the stem axon, but fail to activate the somatic membrane. Complete loss of the somatic depolarization represents failure of the AP to propagate into either the stem axon or to propagatelongitudinally. Using this endpoint, we observed failure of propagation through the T-junction at AP repetition rates that are slower than the rates at which the soma and axon can be excited. These combined findings indicate that the T-junction acts as a low-pass filter such that fewer sensory signals may reach the spinal cord than are generated in the periphery. Rate-dependent propagation failure at neuronal branch points has been identified in other systems, including vertebrate central and peripheral neurons, for which several mechanisms have been proposed (see Debanne et al. 2011). There is evidence to support membrane depolarization resulting from extracellular K+ accumulation, which in turn leads to inactivation of Na+ channels. In other systems, propagation failure has been attributed to hyperpolarization due to activation of Ca2+ -dependent channels and intracellular Na+ accumulation, which shift V m away from the threshold for AP initiation. However, our present findings in mammalian sensory neurons show no consistent relationship between shifts in V m and propagation failure at the T-junction (detailed in Results). We cannot conclusively establish a mechanism for sensory neuron propagation failure, but we note that somatic input resistance is consistently decreased during trains of repetitive APs regardless of the trends in V m during repetitive firing. Other findings from our study support membrane resistance as a controlling factor, including increased conduction failure with pharmacological opening of IK/SK subtypes of KCa channels, and substantial train-induced expansion of theFigure 9. The effect of an action potential (AP) train on subsequent input resistance in an uninjured Ao neuron Input resistance, determined as the voltage change divided by current injected during a brief hyperpolarizing current injection, is depressed after a single AP (A), but recovers promptly to baseline. Following a train of 20 APs at 200 Hz (B), the same neuron shows a prolonged recovery of input resistance. The scale bars apply to both A and B. The current protocol for determining input resistance (C) consists of 0.5 nA hyperpolarizing current pulses lasting 7 ms, every 50 ms, starting 10 ms after the last AP. Summary data (mean ?SEM) of 15 A.
