PUBLICATION
Chapter 8 - Physiological recordings from zebrafish lateral-line hair cells and afferent neurons
- Authors
- Trapani, J.G., and Nicolson, T.
- ID
- ZDB-PUB-101201-30
- Date
- 2010
- Source
- Methods in cell biology 100: 219-231 (Chapter)
- Registered Authors
- Nicolson, Teresa, Trapani, Josef
- Keywords
- none
- MeSH Terms
-
- Animals
- Electrophysiology/methods*
- Hair Cells, Auditory/physiology
- Humans
- Lateral Line System/cytology*
- Mechanoreceptors/physiology
- Mechanotransduction, Cellular
- Neurons/physiology*
- Signal Transduction
- Zebrafish*
- PubMed
- 21111219 Full text @ Meth. Cell. Biol.
Citation
Trapani, J.G., and Nicolson, T. (2010) Chapter 8 - Physiological recordings from zebrafish lateral-line hair cells and afferent neurons. Methods in cell biology. 100:219-231.
Abstract
Sensory signal transduction, the process by which the features of external stimuli are encoded into action potentials, is a complex process that is not fully understood. In fish and amphibia, the lateral-line organ detects water movement and vibration and is critical for schooling behavior and the detection of predators and prey. The lateral-line system in zebrafish serves as an ideal platform to examine encoding of stimuli by sensory hair cells. Here, we describe methods for recording hair-cell microphonics and activity of afferent neurons using intact zebrafish larvae. The recordings are performed by immobilizing and mounting larvae for optimal stimulation of lateral-line hair cells. Hair cells are stimulated with a pressure-controlled water jet and a recording electrode is positioned next to the site of mechanotransduction in order to record microphonics-extracellular voltage changes due to currents through hair-cell mechanotransduction channels. Another readout of the hair-cell activity is obtained by recording action currents from single afferent neurons in response to water-jet stimulation of innervated hair cells. When combined, these techniques make it possible to probe the function of the lateral-line sensory system in an intact zebrafish using controlled, repeatable, physiological stimuli.
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