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Targeted Labeling of Neurons in a Specific Functional Micro-domain of the Neocortex by Combining Intrinsic Signal and Two-photon Imaging
Published on: December 12, 2012
Universality in the evolution of orientation columns in the visual cortex.
Matthias Kaschube1, Michael Schnabel, Siegrid Löwel
1Max-Planck-Institute for Dynamics and Self-Organization, Bernstein Center for Computational Neuroscience, Faculty of Physics, Göttingen University, D-37073 Göttingen, Germany. kaschube@princeton.edu
Science (New York, N.Y.)
|November 6, 2010
Summary
Researchers found a common organizing principle in the visual cortex of three mammal species separated by over 65 million years. This suggests self-organization has guided the evolution of neuronal circuitry for orientation preference maps.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Evolutionary Biology
- Computational Biology
Background:
- The brain's visual cortex organizes sensory information into functional maps.
- Neuronal circuits in the visual cortex reflect the layout of these functional maps.
- Understanding the evolutionary principles behind visual cortex organization is crucial.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the common organizing principles of orientation preference maps in the visual cortex.
- To compare these principles across species with deep evolutionary divergence.
- To test the predictions of self-organization models for cortical development.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of functional maps of orientation preference in ferrets, tree shrews, and galagos.
- Comparison of map layouts across these three species.
- Mathematical modeling of cortical network self-organization with suppressive long-range interactions.
Main Results:
- A common organizing principle was identified in the orientation preference maps of the studied species.
- Symmetry-based self-organization models accurately predict the observed neuronal circuit layouts.
- Suppressing long-range interactions are critical for this developmental process.
Conclusions:
- Self-organization, driven by suppressive long-range interactions, appears to be a fundamental principle in visual cortex development.
- Evolution has likely conserved this organizational strategy for orientation preference maps.
- This suggests a single, common evolutionary path for this aspect of visual circuitry.
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