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Reliability of chemoreceptor cell response

I. Intensity coding by pattern and response magnitude with a comparison of analytical methods

  • Original Paper
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Journal of Comparative Physiology A Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

  1. 1.

    To determine reliability of stimulus intensity coding we measured the response variability of 30 hydroxy-L-proline sensitive chemoreceptor cells from antennules of Homarus americanus. First, cells were tested with 5 repeated presentations of 10-5 M and l0-4 M hydroxy-L-proline. Then a stimulus response function was determined in each cell from l0-6to 5 × l0-4 M in half log steps.

  2. 2.

    Population mean responses to repetitive stimulation showed little variability and mean stimulus response functions increased monotonically. In contrast, most individual cells showed a high response variability and no single cell stimulus-response function increased monotonically. The greatest response variability occurred between different cells.

  3. 3.

    Mean response magnitude of a 30 cell population allowed reliable discrimination between 10-5 M and l0-4 M hydroxy-L-proline for each of the 5 repetitions. It also allowed discrimination of all concentrations of hydroxy-L-proline tested. Across-fiber response patterns also differed significantly with concentration while they remained relatively stable with repetition of the same stimulus.

  4. 4.

    We applied different analytical methods to test the reliability of response magnitude and across-fiber pattern as possible codes for intensity discrimination. We demonstrated that a random population of rather unreliable receptor cells could provide remarkably reliable intensity information to the CNS based on response magnitude or across-fiber pattern.

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Abbreviations

AFP:

Across-Fiber Pattern (AFPs = plural)

ASW:

Artificial Seawater

CV:

Coefficient of Variation (CVs = plural)

GCV:

Grand Coefficient of Variation

GMRM:

Grand Mean Response Magnitude

Hyp:

trans-4-hydroxy-L-proline, Hyp cells primary chemoreceptor cells sensitive to Hyp

IRC:

Intensity Response Characteristic

MDS:

Multi-Dimensional Scaling

MRM:

Mean Response Magnitude (spikes/s) (MRMs = plural)

NMD:

Neural Mass Differences, RM Response Magnitude (spikes/s) (RMs = plural)

SEM:

Standard Error of the Mean (SEMs = plural)

SD:

Standard Deviation (SDs = plural)

S-R:

Stimulus-Response

TRM:

Total Response Magnitude (TRMs = plural); Subscripts (as used with CV and MRM)

C:

within a cell (intra-cell)

P:

within the population (inter-cell)

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Author notes

  1. C. L. Merrill

    Present address: Biology Department, Suffolk University, 41 Temple Street, 02114, Boston, MA, USA

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Boston University Marine Program, Marine Biological Laboratory, 02543, Woods Hole, MA, USA

    C. L. Merrill, R. Voigt & J. Atema

Authors
  1. C. L. Merrill
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  2. R. Voigt
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  3. J. Atema
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Additional information

Dedicated to the memory of Vincent Dethier, who pioneered several of the questions addressed in this study.

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Merrill, C.L., Voigt, R. & Atema, J. Reliability of chemoreceptor cell response. J Comp Physiol A 175, 95–105 (1994). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00217440

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