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Related Experiment Video

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Functional Imaging of Auditory Cortex in Adult Cats using High-field fMRI

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Published on: February 19, 2014

Cracking the Function of Layers in the Sensory Cortex.

Hillel Adesnik¹, Alexander Naka¹

¹Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA; The Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA.

|December 7, 2018

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Researchers are developing a theory of cortical function by examining the roles of specific cell types and circuits within each cortical layer. New technologies will enable detailed study of layer-specific computations and sensory perception.

Keywords:

cortex cortical layers cortical microcircuits inhibitory circuits neural circuits neural codes neural computation neurotechnology optogenetics

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Area of Science:

Neuroscience
Computational Neuroscience

Background:

Understanding cortical layer function is crucial for explaining sensory perception.
Current knowledge of cortical layer computation is limited despite anatomical data.

Purpose of the Study:

To review progress toward a theory of cortical function based on cell types and circuit architecture.
To propose an experimental roadmap for dissecting cortical layer contributions.

Main Methods:

Discussing all-optical interrogation of cortical layers.
Correlating in vivo function with transcriptional cell type identification.
Mapping in vivo activity with synaptic resolution.

Main Results:

New technologies are emerging to enable detailed investigation of cortical layer function.
These advancements promise to bridge the gap between circuit architecture and computation.

Conclusions:

A theory of cortical function requires integrating cell-type-specific and circuit-level details.
Emerging technologies offer unprecedented opportunities to achieve this integration and understand sensory perception.