Biophysical and morphological properties of parasympathetic neurons controling the parotid and von Ebner salivary glands in rats

The inferior salivatory nucleus (ISN) contains parasympathetic neurons controlling the parotid and von Ebner salivary glands. To characterize the neurophysiological and morphological properties of these neurons, intracellular recordings were made from anatomically identified ISN neurons in rat brain slices. Neurons were also filled with Lucifer yellow and morphometrically analyzed. Based on responses to membrane hyperpolarization followed by depolarization, three types of repetitive discharge patterns were defined for neurons innervating the parotid gland. The regular, repetitive discharge response to membrane depolarization was changed by hyperpolarization resulting either in a delay in the occurrence of the first spike or to an increase in the length of the first interspike interval in the action potential train. Membrane hyperpolarization had little effect on the discharge pattern of some neurons. Similar response discharge patterns were found for neurons innervating the von Ebner salivary gland, which also included a further group of neurons that responded with a short burst of action potentials. Neurons innervating the parotid salivary glands differed morphologically from the von Ebner salivary glands having significantly larger soma and more and longer dendrites than von Ebner gland neurons. In addition, the mean membrane input resistance, time constant, and spike half-width of parotid gland neurons was significantly lower than in von Ebner gland neurons. These differences in intrinsic membrane properties and morphology may relate to the functions of the von Ebner and parotid glands. von Ebner glands are involved in taste stimulus delivery and removal from posterior tongue papillae while the parotid glands contribute saliva to the entire mouth.