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Beyond the connectome: how neuromodulators shape neural circuits.

Cornelia I Bargmann¹

¹Howard Hughes Medical Institute, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY, USA. cori.bargmann@rockefeller.edu

Bioessays : News and Reviews in Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology

|March 8, 2012

Summary

Neuromodulators dynamically shape neuronal circuits, revealing that anatomical maps encode multiple, context-dependent functional circuits. This highlights the complexity of brain information processing beyond static wiring diagrams.

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Area of Science:

Neuroscience
Computational Neuroscience
Systems Neuroscience

Background:

Ultrastructural tools reveal detailed anatomical synaptic connections in neuronal circuits.
Anatomical maps alone are insufficient to understand functional connectivity.
Neuromodulators actively shape neuronal dynamics, excitability, and synaptic function.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate how neuromodulators and sensory context reconfigure information processing in neural circuits.
To understand the dynamic nature of functional circuits encoded within anatomical connectivity maps.

Main Methods:

Analysis of ultrastructural connectivity maps in diverse model organisms (crustaceans, C. elegans, Drosophila, vertebrate retina).
Examination of how neuromodulators alter neuronal activity and circuit composition.
Integration of anatomical and functional data to infer circuit dynamics.

Main Results:

Neuromodulators and sensory context can reconfigure information processing by altering functional circuit activity.
Each anatomical map contains multiple latent and active functional circuits.
Functional connectivity is not static but is actively modulated.

Conclusions:

Understanding neural computation requires considering dynamic neuromodulatory influences.
Anatomical connectivity provides a substrate for multiple, context-dependent functional circuits.
Future research should integrate structural and dynamic functional data for a complete circuit understanding.