Excitatory and inhibitory contributions to receptive fields of alpha-like retinal ganglion cells in mouse.

The ON and OFF pathways that emerge at the first synapse in the retina are generally thought to be streamed in parallel to higher visual areas, but recent work shows cross talk at the level of retinal ganglion cells. The ON pathway drives inhibitory inputs onto some OFF ganglion cells, such that these neurons show "push-pull" convergence of OFF-excitation and ON-disinhibition. In this study we measure the spatial receptive field of excitatory and inhibitory inputs to OFF-sustained (OFF-S) retinal ganglion cells of mouse, establish how contrast adaptation modulates excitatory and inhibitory synaptic inputs, and show the pharmacology of the inhibitory inputs. We find that the spatial tuning properties of excitatory and inhibitory inputs are sufficient to determine the spatial profile of the spike output and that high spatial acuity may be particularly reliant on disinhibitory circuits. Contrast adaptation reduced excitation to OFF-S ganglion cells, as expected, and also unmasked an asymmetry in inhibitory inputs: disinhibition at light-off was immune to contrast adaptation, but inhibition at light-on was substantially reduced. In pharmacological experiments we confirm that inhibitory inputs are partly mediated by glycine, but our measurements also suggest a substantial role for GABA. Our observations therefore reveal functional diversity in the inhibitory inputs to OFF ganglion cells and suggest that in addition to enhancing operational range these inputs help shape the spatial receptive fields of ganglion cells.

Nanocomposite polymeric electrolytes to record electrophysiological brain signals in prolonged, unconventional or extreme conditions.

Chemically stable nanocomposite iono-conducting polymeric membranes (based on lithium salts and nanocrystalline oxide powders dispersed in a polymethyl methacrylate matrix) performed successfully in the recording of human brain responses to visual stimulation. Impedance was higher than that of conventional electrodes. However, the electrophysiological signals recorded by acid Al(2)O(3) and neutral Al(2)O(3) 5 wt.% and 10 wt.% nanocomposite gel electrolytes were comparable to those obtained with standard electrodes, even without preliminary skin cleaning and in the absence of gel electrolytes allowing better contact with and skin-electrode ionic conductance. The electrochemical and mechanical characteristics of these membranes make them fit for human and animal research, for clinical application (specifically in emergencies, prolonged electrophysiological recordings), or in unconventional or extreme conditions when fluid electrolytes are unsuitable (e.g., biomedical space research).