RESUMO
Mastication can be triggered by repetitive stimulation of the cortex or of sensory inputs, but is patterned by a brain stem central pattern generator (CPG). This CPG may include the dorsal part of the principal trigeminal sensory nucleus (NVsnpr), where neurons burst repetitively when the extracellular concentration of Ca(2+) ([Ca(2+)](e)) drops. We examined the effects of repetitive stimulation of sensory afferents of the trigeminal tract on activity of NVsnpr neurons recorded extracellularly in vitro under physiologic [Ca(2+)](e) (1.6 mM). Spontaneously active cells had either a tonic (n = 145) or a bursting (n = 46) firing pattern. Afferent stimulation altered burst duration and/or burst frequency in bursting cells and firing frequency in most tonic cells. In 28% of the latter, the firing pattern switched to rhythmic bursting. This effect could be mimicked by local application of N-methyl-d-aspartate and blocked by APV but not DNQX. Detailed analysis showed that rhythm indices (RIs) of 35 tonic neurons that were negative (nonrhythmic) before stimulation became significantly rhythmic (RI > or = 0.01) after stimulation. Mean and median bursting frequency of these units were 8.32 +/- 0.72 (SE) Hz and 6.25 Hz (range, 2.5-17.5 Hz). In seven instances, two units were recorded simultaneously, and cross-correlation analysis showed that firing of six pairs was rhythmic and synchronized after stimulation. Optimal stimulation parameters for eliciting rhythmic bursting consisted in 500-ms trains of pulses delivered at 40-60 Hz. Together, our results show that repetitive stimulation of sensory afferents in vitro can elicit masticatory-like rhythmic bursting in NVsnpr neurons at physiological [Ca(2+)](e).