Thehippocampalregionofthebrainisimportantforencodingenvironmentinputsandmemoryformation.However,theunderlyingmechanismsareunclear.ToinvestigatethebehaviorofinpidualneuronsinresponsetosomatosensoryinputsinthehippocampalCA1region,werecordedandanalyzedchangesinlocalfieldpotentialsandthefiringratesofinpidualpyramidalcellsandinterneuronsduringtailclampinginurethane-anesthetizedrats.Wealsoexploredthemechanismsunderlyingtheneuronalresponses.Somatosensorystimulation,intheformoftailclamping,changedlocalfieldpotentialsintothetarhythm-dominatedwaveforms,decreasedthespikefiringofpyramidalcells,andincreasedinterneuronfiring.Inaddition,somatosensorystimulationattenuatedorthodromic-evokedpopulationspikes.TheseresultssuggestthatsomatosensorystimulationsuppressestheexcitabilityofpyramidalcellsinthehippocampalCA1region.Increasedinhibitionbylocalinterneuronsmightunderliethiseffect.Thesefindingsprovideinsightintothemechanismsofsignalprocessinginthehippocampusandsuggestthatsensorystimulationmighthavetherapeuticpotentialforbraindisordersassociatedwithneuronalhyperexcitability.
