[Neuropostdocs] Weekly NSP Seminar on 1/22/02

[Joan Cornell]

The weekly Neuroscience Program Seminar will be held on Tuesday, January 
22, 2002 at 4:00 pm in room 5602 of the Beckman Institute.

Speaker:

Dr. Ray W. Turner
Associate Professor
Department of Cell Biology and Anatomy
Neuroscience Research Group
University of Calgary
Calgary, Alberta, Canada

Title of Presentation:  Dendritic Control of Gamma-Frequency Burst 
Discharge in Electrosensory Neurons

Abstract:
Gamma frequency burst discharge is recognized as an important aspect of 
feature detection and synchronization of neural ensembles.  Pyramidal cells 
of the electrosensory lobe of weakly electric fish generate spike bursts 
for the purpose of detecting specific stimulus features in surrounding 
electric fields.  Spike bursts in the gamma frequency range (40 - 80 Hz) 
are generated by a newly recognized interaction between somatic and 
dendritic membranes that depends on a periodic failure of spike 
backpropagation from soma to dendritic regions.  Electrophysiological 
recording in vitro and compartmental modeling indicates that this process 
of "Conditional Backpropagation" results from a cumulative inactivation of 
dendritic K+ channels and positive feedback by a persistent Na+ 
current.  These interactions provide a simple and eloquent mechanism for 
producing burst discharge in the gamma frequency range, a neural output 
increasingly recognized in a wide range of central neurons.

Dr. Marc Nelson is serving as Dr. Turner's host.  If you would like to meet 
with Dr. Turner during his visit please contact Dr. Nelson at 
m-nelson@staff.uiuc.edu and he'll make these arrangements for you.

Students who would like to have lunch with Dr. Turner should contact Victor 
Wang at vwang@students.uiuc.edu.

Joan

Joan Cornell
Neurosciences Program
University of Illinois
393 Morrill Hall, MC-119
505 S. Goodwin Ave.
Urbana, IL 61801
Telephone:  217/333-3166
FAX:           217/265-0927
jcornell@life.uiuc.edu