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Translaminar Cortical Membrane Potential Synchrony in Behaving Mice.
Wen-Jie Zhao1, Jens Kremkow2, James F A Poulet1
1Department of Neuroscience, Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine (MDC), Berlin-Buch, Robert-Rössle-Straße 10, 13092 Berlin, Germany; Cluster of Excellence NeuroCure, Neuroscience Research Center, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Charitéplatz 1, 10117 Berlin, Germany.
Cortical neuron synchrony is crucial for perception and behavior. This study reveals that synaptic input origin, not just timing, dictates how synchronized neural activity is across cortical layers in mice.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Computational Neuroscience
- Systems Neuroscience
Background:
- Cortical neuron synchrony is vital for sensory perception and motor control.
- Mechanisms of cross-cortical layer synchrony in behaving animals remain largely unknown.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the synaptic mechanisms underlying cortical synchrony across layers in the primary somatosensory forepaw cortex.
- To determine how layer-specific neuronal properties influence translaminar synchrony.
Main Methods:
- Performed single and dual whole-cell recordings in the primary somatosensory forepaw cortex of awake mice.
- Analyzed layer-specific intrinsic properties, membrane potential dynamics, and firing rates of excitatory neurons in L2/3 and L5.
Main Results:
- Sensory and movement-evoked synaptic input showed tight correlation across cortical layers.
- Spontaneous action potentials and subthreshold fluctuations exhibited layer-specific timing.
- Longer forepaw movements correlated with decorrelated subthreshold activity.
- L5 neurons showed stronger signaling of spontaneous and sensory-evoked forepaw movements compared to L2/3 neurons.
Conclusions:
- Translaminar synchrony degree depends on the origin of synaptic input (sensory, spontaneous, or movement).
- Layer-specific neuronal properties shape firing rates and subthreshold synchrony, influencing information processing across cortical layers.
