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Impact of cortical network activity on short-term synaptic depression
Ramon Reig1, Roberto Gallego, Lionel G Nowak
1Instituto de Neurociencias de Alicante, Universidad Miguel Hernandez-CSIC, Apartado 18, 03550 San Juan de Alicante, Spain and.
Cerebral Cortex (New York, N.Y. : 1991)
|August 19, 2005
Summary
Spontaneous neural network activity reduces short-term synaptic depression (STD) in the cerebral cortex. This finding suggests that active networks maintain synaptic function better than silent ones.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Computational Neuroscience
- Synaptic Plasticity
Background:
- Repetitive stimulation of cortical synapses causes short-term synaptic depression (STD).
- STD is linked to transmitter release probability and network computation.
- The impact of spontaneous network activity on STD is not fully understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate how spontaneous network activity influences short-term synaptic depression in the cerebral cortex.
- To compare STD in silent versus active cortical networks.
Main Methods:
- Studied STD in cortical slices under silent and spontaneously active conditions.
- Recorded thalamocortical and intracortical synaptic potentials in vivo.
- Compared STD in active slices in vitro with active networks in vivo.
Main Results:
- Spontaneous rhythmic activity significantly reduced STD in cortical slices.
- Depression decreased over time with ongoing rhythmic activity until a plateau.
- In vivo, active cortical networks exhibited less STD than silent networks.
- STD in active cortical networks in vivo matched that in active slices in vitro.
Conclusions:
- Spontaneous network activity modulates short-term synaptic depression.
- Active cortical networks show reduced STD compared to silent networks.
- This modulation is likely due to distinct synaptic steady states in active versus silent networks.