Whose Cortical Column Would that Be?

Frontiers in Neuroanatomy
Nuno Maçarico da Costa, Kevan A C Martin

Abstract

The cortical column has been an invaluable concept to explain the functional organization of the neocortex. While this idea was born out of experiments that cleverly combined electrophysiological recordings with anatomy, no one has 'seen' the anatomy of a column. All we know is that when we record through the cortex of primates, ungulates, and carnivores in a trajectory perpendicular to its surface there is a remarkable constancy in the receptive field properties of the neurons regarding one set of stimulus features. There is no obvious morphological analog for this functional architecture, in fact much of the anatomical data seems to challenge it. Here we describe historically the origins of the concept of the cortical column and the struggles of the pioneers to define the columnar architecture. We suggest that in the concept of a 'canonical circuit' we may find the means to reconcile the structure of neocortex with its functional architecture. The canonical microcircuit respects the known connectivity of the neocortex, and it is flexible enough to change transiently the architecture of its network in order to perform the required computations.

Citations

Feb 19, 2011·Neuroinformatics·Rodney J Douglas, Kevan A C Martin
Aug 10, 2011·Advances in Cognitive Psychology·William R Klemm
Aug 1, 2015·The Journal of Comparative Neurology·Robert K NaumannMichael Brecht
Dec 14, 2011·The European Journal of Neuroscience·Roberto LentAna V O Pinto
May 20, 2015·The Journal of Comparative Neurology·Patricio Ahumada-GalleguillosJorge Mpodozis
May 30, 2015·ELife·Alexandre HyafilAnne-Lise Giraud
Apr 30, 2013·NeuroImage·Nuno Maçarico da Costa, Kevan A C Martin
Jun 29, 2013·Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews·Benjamin Auffarth
Nov 18, 2014·Frontiers in Neuroanatomy·James Joseph WrightOleg Vyachesslavovich Favorov
Dec 17, 2014·Frontiers in Neuroscience·Dean R FreestoneDavid B Grayden
Feb 3, 2015·Frontiers in Neuroanatomy·Sarah F Beul, Claus C Hilgetag
Oct 30, 2014·Frontiers in Human Neuroscience·Philipp Haueis
Dec 17, 2014·Trends in Neurosciences·Barbara L Finlay, Ryutaro Uchiyama
Feb 12, 2015·PLoS Computational Biology·Daniel MalagarrigaAntonio J Pons
Jun 12, 2013·PloS One·Kenneth C CataniaDuncan B Leitch
Mar 18, 2015·PloS One·Paul C Bush, Zachary F Mainen
Jun 22, 2016·History and Philosophy of the Life Sciences·Philipp Haueis
Apr 9, 2017·Brain Structure & Function·Kevan A C MartinElisha S Rusch
Aug 27, 2019·PLoS Computational Biology·Maxim KomarovMaxim Bazhenov
Jun 26, 2020·Frontiers in Systems Neuroscience·Chand Parvez Danka Mohammed, Reem Khalil

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