Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

Action Potential01:14

Action Potential

11.8K
Neurons communicate by firing action potentials—the electrochemical signal that is propagated along the axon. The signal results in the release of neurotransmitters at axon terminals, thereby transmitting information to the nervous system. An action potential is a specific "all-or-none" change in membrane potential that results in a rapid spike in voltage.
Membrane potential in neurons
Neurons typically have a resting membrane potential of about -70 millivolts (mV). When they receive...
11.8K
Motor and Sensory Areas of the Cortex01:14

Motor and Sensory Areas of the Cortex

8.7K
The cerebral cortex, the brain's outermost layer, is pivotal in processing complex cognitive tasks, emotions, and various sensory inputs and executing voluntary motor activities. This intricate structure is divided into three primary functional areas: the motor areas, sensory areas, and association areas.
Motor Areas
The motor areas located in the frontal lobe are central to controlling voluntary movements. This region is further subdivided into the primary motor cortex and the premotor cortex....
8.7K
Somatosensory, Motor, and Association Cortex01:23

Somatosensory, Motor, and Association Cortex

3.4K
The somatosensory cortex in the parietal lobes is crucial for interpreting sensory data such as touch, temperature, and proprioception. The somatosensory cortex, situated in the parietal lobes, plays a vital role in interpreting sensory information like touch, temperature, and proprioception—awareness of body position. This specialized brain region features an organized structure wherein neurons at the top primarily process sensations originating from the lower body. In contrast, those at...
3.4K
Postsynaptic Potential (PSP)01:32

Postsynaptic Potential (PSP)

7.3K
Postsynaptic potential (PSP) refers to a change in the electrical potential of a neuron when neurotransmitters released by presynaptic neurons bind to postsynaptic receptors. This potential can either be excitatory, leading to depolarization and ultimately action potential generation, or inhibitory, leading to hyperpolarization and suppression of the postsynaptic neuron.
There are two types of receptors: ionotropic and metabotropic.
The ionotropic receptor is the membrane protein that has an...
7.3K
The Role of Ion Channels in Neuronal Computation01:19

The Role of Ion Channels in Neuronal Computation

4.1K
A postsynaptic neuron usually receives numerous impulses from several other presynaptic neurons. The axon hillock of the postsynaptic neuron integrates all these signals and determines the likelihood of firing an action potential.
Sometimes a single EPSP is strong enough to induce an action potential in the postsynaptic neuron. However, multiple presynaptic inputs must often create EPSPs around the same time for the postsynaptic neuron to be sufficiently depolarized to fire an action potential....
4.1K
Neuroplasticity01:01

Neuroplasticity

2.2K
Neuroplasticity reflects the brain's remarkable capacity to adapt and evolve, responding dynamically to learning, experiences, or injury by reorganizing its neural circuitry. This reorganization involves creating new neural connections and refining old ones through a series of biological processes that contribute to the brain's lifelong development and adaptability.
2.2K

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Tuft dendrites in frontal motor cortex enable flexible learning.

Science (New York, N.Y.)·2026
Same author

Outplaying elite table tennis players with an autonomous robot.

Nature·2026
Same author

The Conformational Switches of a Bacterial Light-Driven Sodium Pump Characterized by Time-Resolved Resonance Raman Spectroscopy.

Chemphyschem : a European journal of chemical physics and physical chemistry·2026
Same author

Whisker-based spatial cognition in mice.

Current biology : CB·2026
Same author

Distinct roles of cortical layer 5 subtypes in associative learning.

Nature communications·2026
Same author

The layer 6b theory of attention.

Neuron·2026

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Mar 9, 2026

Multiscale Investigations of Cortical Processing by Integrating Laminar Polytrodes and Optogenetics with Micro Electrocorticography in Rodents
07:52

Multiscale Investigations of Cortical Processing by Integrating Laminar Polytrodes and Optogenetics with Micro Electrocorticography in Rodents

Published on: May 23, 2025

921

Active cortical dendrites modulate perception.

Naoya Takahashi1, Thomas G Oertner2, Peter Hegemann3

  • 1Institute for Biology, Neuronal Plasticity, Humboldt Universität zu Berlin, D-10117, Berlin, Germany.

Science (New York, N.Y.)
|December 24, 2016
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Neural mechanisms of perception remain unclear. Calcium activity in mouse layer 5 pyramidal neuron dendrites correlates with whisker detection thresholds, causally linking dendritic activity to perception.

More Related Videos

Multi-layer Cortical Ca2+ Imaging in Freely Moving Mice with Prism Probes and Miniaturized Fluorescence Microscopy
10:35

Multi-layer Cortical Ca2+ Imaging in Freely Moving Mice with Prism Probes and Miniaturized Fluorescence Microscopy

Published on: June 13, 2017

32.3K
Multi-electrode Array Recordings of Neuronal Avalanches in Organotypic Cultures
16:01

Multi-electrode Array Recordings of Neuronal Avalanches in Organotypic Cultures

Published on: August 1, 2011

27.0K

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Mar 9, 2026

Multiscale Investigations of Cortical Processing by Integrating Laminar Polytrodes and Optogenetics with Micro Electrocorticography in Rodents
07:52

Multiscale Investigations of Cortical Processing by Integrating Laminar Polytrodes and Optogenetics with Micro Electrocorticography in Rodents

Published on: May 23, 2025

921
Multi-layer Cortical Ca2+ Imaging in Freely Moving Mice with Prism Probes and Miniaturized Fluorescence Microscopy
10:35

Multi-layer Cortical Ca2+ Imaging in Freely Moving Mice with Prism Probes and Miniaturized Fluorescence Microscopy

Published on: June 13, 2017

32.3K
Multi-electrode Array Recordings of Neuronal Avalanches in Organotypic Cultures
16:01

Multi-electrode Array Recordings of Neuronal Avalanches in Organotypic Cultures

Published on: August 1, 2011

27.0K

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Sensory Perception
  • Computational Neuroscience

Background:

  • The neural underpinnings of sensory perception are not fully understood.
  • Mechanistic explanations for how perception operates are lacking.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the neural basis of perceptual detection.
  • To explore the role of active dendritic mechanisms in sensory perception.

Main Methods:

  • Recorded calcium (Ca2+) activity in apical dendrites of layer 5 (L5) pyramidal neurons in the primary somatosensory cortex (S1) of mice.
  • Correlated neuronal activity with the perceptual threshold for whisker deflection detection.
  • Manipulated apical dendritic activity to assess causal links to perception.

Main Results:

  • Found a correlation between Ca2+ activity in L5 apical dendrites and the perceptual detection threshold for whisker stimuli.
  • Demonstrated that altering apical dendritic activity causally influenced the perceptual threshold.

Conclusions:

  • Active dendritic mechanisms in L5 pyramidal neurons are causally involved in perceptual detection.
  • Provides mechanistic insight into the neural basis of somatosensory perception.