Stable properties of spontaneous EPSCs and miniature retinal EPSCs during the development of ON/OFF sublamination in the ferret lateral geniculate nucleus.

Retinal projections to the lateral geniculate nucleus (LGN) in ferrets progressively segregate into eye-specific laminae and subsequently into sublaminae that receive inputs from either ON-center or OFF-center afferents. To study the development of synaptic efficacy during a period of activity-dependent growth and reorganization in the CNS, we recorded spontaneous EPSCs (sEPSCs) from cells of the LGN during ON/OFF sublamination. We also examined retinal inputs specifically by stimulating the optic tract in the presence of strontium and recording evoked miniature EPSCs (emEPSCs). The rise times, areas, half-widths, and decay times of sEPSCs and emEPSCs and interevent intervals of sEPSCs recorded at the beginning of ON/OFF sublamination were not different from those recorded after its completion. Typically EPSC areas were small (10-20 fC) but varied greatly both within and between neurons. The frequency of sEPSCs was also quite variable, ranging from 0.2 to 5 Hz. sEPSCs were equivalent to miniature EPSCs recorded in the presence of tetrodotoxin, and both sEPSCs and emEPSCs were CNQX-sensitive. No difference was observed between sEPSCs recorded at room temperature and those recorded at 34 degreesC, and strontium could be substituted for calcium with no effect on sEPSC shape. These data argue for a remarkable stability in the components of at least AMPA-mediated synaptic transmission during a period of major synaptic rearrangement in the LGN.