Electrophysiology and Pharmacology of Two Types of Neurons in the Medial Vestibular Nucleus and Nucleus Gigantocellularis of the Guinea Pig In Vitro

The importance of intrinsic membrane properties in shaping the firing pattern of neurons in the mammalian central nervous system is well recognized. Despite a significant literature in vivo, neither the vestibular system nor the reticulospinal systems have yet been investigated in this respect. It is of interest to identify whether such neurons are endowed with complex intrinsic properties, because they might play a crucial role in some aspects of sensory-motor transformations. The authors restricted themselves to neurons either of the medial vestibular nucleus (MVN) or the nucleus gigantocellularis (NCG). The latter were documented in an area situated above the inferior olive that is known to contain mostly reticulospinal neurons.