Focal inputs are a potential origin of local field potential (LFP) in the brain regions without laminar structure

Takuma Tanaka; Kouichi C Nakamura

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0226028

Focal inputs are a potential origin of local field potential (LFP) in the brain regions without laminar structure

PLoS One. 2019 Dec 11;14(12):e0226028. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0226028. eCollection 2019.

Authors

Takuma Tanaka¹, Kouichi C Nakamura²

Affiliations

¹ Graduate School of Data Science, Shiga University, Hikone, Shiga, Japan.
² MRC Brain Network Dynamics Unit, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom.

Abstract

Current sinks and sources spatially separated between the apical and basal dendrites have been believed to be essential in generating local field potentials (LFPs). According to this theory, LFPs would not be large enough to be observed in the regions without laminar structures, such as striatum and thalamus. However, LFPs are experimentally recorded in these regions. We hypothesized that focal excitatory input induces a concentric current sink and source generating LFPs in these regions. In this study, we tested this hypothesis by the numerical simulations of multicompartment neuron models and the analysis of simplified models. Both confirmed that focal excitatory input can generate LFPs on the order of 0.1 mV in a region without laminar structures. The present results suggest that LFPs in subcortical nuclei indicate localized excitatory input.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Action Potentials
Computer Simulation
Models, Neurological*
Neurons / physiology*
Receptors, AMPA / metabolism
Receptors, GABA-A / metabolism

Substances

Receptors, AMPA
Receptors, GABA-A

Grants and funding

TT was supported by JSPS KAKENHI Grant Numbers JP19K12184 and JP16K16123. The funder had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.