Spike-triggered dendritic calcium transients depend on synaptic activity in the cricket giant interneurons

The relationship between electrical activity and spike-induced Ca²⁺ increases in dendrites was investigated in the identified wind-sensitive giant interneurons in the cricket. We applied a high-speed Ca²⁺ imaging technique to the giant interneurons, and succeeded in recording the transient Ca²⁺ increases (Ca²⁺ transients) induced by a single action potential, which was evoked by presynaptic stimulus to the sensory neurons. The dendritic Ca²⁺ transients evoked by a pair of action potentials accumulated when spike intervals were shorter than 100 ms. The amplitude of the Ca²⁺ transients induced by a train of spikes depended on the number of action potentials. When stimulation pulses evoking the same numbers of action potentials were separately applied to the ipsi- or contra-lateral cercal sensory nerves, the dendritic Ca²⁺ transients induced by these presynaptic stimuli were different in their amplitude. Furthermore, the side of presynaptic stimulation that evoked larger Ca²⁺ transients depended on the location of the recorded dendritic regions. This result means that the spike-triggered Ca²⁺ transients in dendrites depend on postsynaptic activity. It is proposed that Ca²⁺ entry through voltage-dependent Ca²⁺ channels activated by the action potentials will be enhanced by excitatory synaptic inputs at the dendrites in the cricket giant interneurons.