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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 13, 2026

Visualization of Cortical Modules in Flattened Mammalian Cortices

Visualization of Cortical Modules in Flattened Mammalian Cortices

Published on: January 22, 2018

The functional microarchitecture of the mouse barrel cortex.

Takashi R Sato¹, Noah W Gray, Zachary F Mainen

¹Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Janelia Farm Research Campus, Ashburn, Virginia, United States of America. satot@janelia.hhmi.org

|July 12, 2007

Summary

Mapping the mouse barrel cortex reveals that while whisker maps are smooth across the surface, individual neurons show diverse selectivity. This suggests specific subcolumnar circuits and cortical state shape neuronal responses.

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Area of Science:

Neuroscience
Computational Neuroscience
Systems Neuroscience

Background:

Cortical maps exhibit functional columns, but single-neuron microorganization remains unclear due to mapping technique limitations.
Understanding neuronal microorganization is crucial for deciphering cortical processing.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the microorganization of cortical maps at the single-neuron level in the mouse barrel cortex.
To map whisker selectivity of individual neurons and their population-level organization.

Main Methods:

Utilized bulk loading of calcium (Ca2+) indicators and two-photon microscopy for in vivo imaging of Layer (L) 2/3 neurons.
Developed novel methods to reliably detect single action potentials in L2/3 neurons.
Measured spiking probability after whisker deflection to map neuronal whisker selectivity.

Main Results:

Population-level whisker maps showed smooth variations across the cortical surface, within and between barrels.
Individual neurons, even adjacent ones, exhibited significant differences in whisker selectivity.
High trial-to-trial correlations were observed between neuron pairs across multiple cortical columns.

Conclusions:

Neuronal response properties are influenced by highly specific subcolumnar circuits.
The momentary intrinsic state of the neocortex plays a role in shaping individual neuron responses.
Suggests complex microcircuits underlying cortical map function.