Orthodromically and antidromically evoked local field potentials in the crayfish olfactory lobe

A local field potential, consistent in form and duration, can be recorded from the olfactory lobe of crayfish following electrical stimulation of the outer flagellum of the antennule. The field potential is reversibly blocked by perfusion of the brain with low-[Ca2+] saline or -aminobutyric acid and, to a lesser extent, histamine. Paired shocks to the antennule and antidromic electrical stimulation of olfactory lobe output neurones also partially block the field potential. Comparing the field potential with simultaneously recorded intracellular responses of olfactory interneurones reveals a coincidence between excitatory and inhibitory effects in the interneurones and the appearance of identifiable components of the field potential. We interpret the field potential to reflect the response of neural elements in the olfactory lobe to orthodromic activity in the axons of the olfactory receptor neurones on the antennule. We conclude from the blocking experiments that the greater part of the field potential stems from neurones in the olfactory lobe that are postsynaptic to olfactory receptor neurones. As such, it provides a robust indication of olfactory neurone activity.