The Plastic Glial-Synaptic Dynamics within the Neuropil: A Self-Organizing System Composed of Polyelectrolytes in Phase Transition

Figure 8

Circling experiment with 4-hour recording time and changing extracellular potential and ion activity concomitants. The horizontal bars show the recording length of 7 minutes. (a) First-hour recording time, waves 7–10, calcium sensitive electrode inserted at the inner plexiform layer. Only wave turn 7 has a small extracellular calcium transient. The extracellular potential drop looked typical for turns 7 and 8 and dropped markedly in amplitude for turn 9. The electrode was reinserted nearby (about 1 mm away) and the calcium transient was still zero with the extracellular potential changing direction from negative to positive for turns 10 to 20. (b) Second-hour recording time; the calcium electrode was replaced by a potassium sensitive electrode. Wave turns at 12–14. Low amplitude and variable shape of the potassium activity wave and potential rises in the extracellular inner plexiform layer occur. The “positive” potential waves were present from turns 10 to 20, and from 21 to 26 there were “zero potential” waves. (c) Third-hour recording time. Small potential drops reappear and persist from turns 33 to 39, when a pulse of 3 mM TEA was applied. TEA depressed the amplitude of potassium and potential waves and slowed down their propagation velocity (modified from [74]).

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