Angularly nonspecific response suppression in rat barrel cortex

Cerebral Cortex
Vivek Khatri, Daniel J Simons

Abstract

Response modulation by prior sensory stimulation is a common property of cortical neurons. The degree to which effects are specific to the adapting stimulus provides insights into properties of the underlying circuitry. Here, we examined the effects of an adapting whisker deflection's angle on the angular tuning of layer IV barrel neurons and their major input source, thalamic barreloid neurons. In both barrel regular-spike units (RSUs) and fast-spike units (FSUs), presumed excitatory and inhibitory neurons, prior whisker deflections suppressed subsequent test deflections in a largely angularly nonspecific manner, that is, adaptation in one direction reduced responses for test deflections of all angles. FSUs were poorly tuned for deflection angle and remained so after adaptation. In adapted RSUs, responses to suboptimal directions were suppressed most and angular preferences remained constant; tuning therefore became sharper. Adaptation effects in RSUs and FSUs do not appear to reflect corresponding changes in thalamic neurons. The angularly nonspecific suppression of barrel neurons is likely mediated by local intrabarrel suppressive interactions, such as broadly tuned inhibition and/or short-term synaptic depression of excitat...Continue Reading

Citations

Nov 26, 2010·Nature Neuroscience·Qi WangGarrett B Stanley
Sep 11, 2009·Journal of Neurophysiology·Michael R Bale, Rasmus S Petersen
Jul 30, 2010·Journal of Neurophysiology·Marie E HemeltAsaf Keller
Jan 29, 2010·PloS One·Stuart P WilsonJames A Bednar
Dec 19, 2013·PloS One·Miguel MaravallRasmus S Petersen
Jan 30, 2009·The Journal of Neuroscience : the Official Journal of the Society for Neuroscience·Ernest E Kwegyir-Afful, Daniel J Simons
Feb 20, 2014·Current Opinion in Neurobiology·Miguel Maravall, Mathew E Diamond
Oct 24, 2007·The European Journal of Neuroscience·J A Garcia-LazaroJ W H Schnupp
Feb 4, 2009·Biological cybernetics·Rasmus S PetersenMiguel Maravall
Mar 23, 2007·Journal of Neurophysiology·Michael J Higley, Diego Contreras
Nov 8, 2008·Somatosensory & Motor Research·Ernest E Kwegyir-AffulDaniel J Simons

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Barrel cortex

Here is the latest research on barrel cortex, a region of somatosensory and motor corticies in the brain, which are used by animals that rely on whiskers for world exploration.