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Standardized Induction and Assessment of Long-term Potentiation-like Cortical Plasticity Using Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation
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Cortical frequency-specific plasticity is independently induced by intracortical circuitry
Lingzhi Kong1, Shaohui Wang2, Xiuping Liu3
1Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Hotchkiss Brain Institute, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Alberta, T2N 4N1, Canada; Allied Health School, Beijing Language and Culture University, Beijing, 100871, China.
Neuroscience Letters
|December 24, 2017
Summary
Intracortical circuitry in the auditory cortex drives frequency-specific plasticity. This study demonstrates that auditory cortex plasticity occurs independently of thalamic input, highlighting the role of local neural circuits.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Auditory Neuroscience
- Cortical Plasticity
Background:
- Auditory learning induces frequency-specific plasticity in the auditory cortex.
- Both the auditory cortex and thalamus are implicated in cortical plasticity, but the role of intracortical circuitry is not fully understood.
- Controlling thalamocortical input is crucial for elucidating the precise function of intracortical circuits.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the role of intracortical circuitry in frequency-specific auditory cortex plasticity.
- To determine if auditory cortex plasticity can occur independently of thalamic input.
Main Methods:
- Induced cortical plasticity via local electrical stimulation (ES) of the primary auditory cortex (AI) in C57 mice.
- Compared plasticity patterns with and without auditory thalamus inactivation during ESAI.
- Recorded best frequencies (BFs) of cortical neurons and analyzed BF shifts.
Main Results:
- A similar pattern of cortical plasticity was induced by ESAI regardless of thalamic activity.
- Best frequencies (BFs) of recorded cortical neurons shifted towards the BFs of stimulated neurons.
- BF shifts showed a linear correlation with BF differences, and this relationship remained consistent with or without thalamic inactivation.
Conclusions:
- Intracortical circuitry is independently responsible for inducing frequency-specific plasticity in the auditory cortex.
- Thalamocortical inputs are not essential for the induction of this type of cortical plasticity.
- The findings clarify the contribution of local circuits to auditory cortex functional organization.
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