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Monocular Visual Deprivation and Ocular Dominance Plasticity Measurement in the Mouse Primary Visual Cortex
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Behavioral-state modulation of inhibition is context-dependent and cell type specific in mouse visual cortex
Janelle Mp Pakan1, Scott C Lowe2, Evelyn Dylda1
1Centre for Integrative Physiology, School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom.
Elife
|August 24, 2016
Summary
Locomotion enhances visual cortex responses, but not solely through disinhibition. This study shows context-dependent increases in inhibitory interneuron activity, challenging previous models of sensory gain control.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Systems Neuroscience
- Sensory Processing
Background:
- Cortical sensory responses are modulated by behavioral state, such as locomotion.
- Locomotion-induced gain in visual cortex responses was hypothesized to result from disinhibition via inhibitory neurons.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the role of different interneuron populations (VIP, SST, PV) in mediating locomotion-induced changes in mouse primary visual cortex (V1) activity.
- To challenge or support the disinhibition model for sensory gain control during locomotion.
Main Methods:
- In vivo two-photon calcium imaging in mouse V1 (layers 2/3 and 4).
- Recording neuronal activity during locomotion and visual stimulation, in both light and dark conditions.
Main Results:
- Locomotion increased activity in VIP, SST, and PV interneurons during visual stimulation, contradicting the disinhibition model.
- Locomotion responses were context-dependent; SST and excitatory neurons were largely unresponsive in darkness, unlike VIP and PV neurons.
- SST neurons exhibited the highest proportion of context-dependent locomotion responses.
Conclusions:
- Neuronal activity modulation by locomotion is context-dependent.
- The generality of a disinhibitory circuit for behavioral state-dependent sensory gain control is contested.
