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Spiral waves in disinhibited mammalian neocortex
Xiaoying Huang1, William C Troy, Qian Yang
1Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Georgetown University Medical Center, Washington, DC 20057, USA.
Summary
Stable rotating spiral waves were observed in rat neocortical slices, a first for mammalian cortex neuronal activity. These findings suggest spiral waves may organize brain oscillations.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Computational Neuroscience
- Systems Neuroscience
Background:
- Spiral waves are fundamental patterns in excitable systems, observed in various biological contexts.
- Their presence in mammalian cortical neuronal activity remained unconfirmed until this study.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the existence and characteristics of spiral waves in the mammalian neocortex.
- To explore the potential role of spiral waves in organizing cortical oscillations.
Main Methods:
- Utilized voltage-sensitive dye imaging to visualize neuronal activity in tangential slices of rat occipital cortex.
- Preserved cortical layers III-V to maintain horizontal connections.
- Developed a computational model of a cortical layer to simulate and replicate experimental observations.
Main Results:
- Successfully observed stable, rotating spiral waves in rat neocortical slices during cholinergic oscillations.
- Spiral waves occurred spontaneously, alternating with other wave patterns, at a rate of approximately 10 turns per second.
- A phase singularity at the spiral center drifted slowly, and a computational model accurately replicated key experimental findings.
Conclusions:
- This study provides the first evidence of rotating spiral waves in the mammalian cortex.
- These spiral waves exhibit characteristics consistent with organizing principles for cortical oscillations.
- The findings open new avenues for understanding information processing in the brain.