The amplitude principle of the structural-functional classification of cortical neurons

Some literature and author's experimental data are presented on functional and morphological characteristics of nerve cells by their electrophysiological parameters. The proposition is substantiated that in multineuron discharges reflecting the activity of microgroups of neighbouring cells, the absolute size of impulses indicates the distance of cortical neurones from the tip of the electrode, while amplitudes correlation may characterize the size of the cell and some of its functional properties. Arguments for this proposition are: latencies of impulse responses to afferent and antidromic stimulations and amplitude changes of multineuronal activity during movement of the electrode through the cortex thickness in acute experiments. As the electrode (with the tip diameter of 50 mcm) approaches a microgroup of neurons, the amplitude of the recorded impulse discharges increases, while the relation of big spikes to small ones remains almost the same.