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Energy-efficient information transfer at thalamocortical synapses.

Julia Jade Harris1,2, Elisabeth Engl1, David Attwell1

  • 1Department of Neuroscience, Physiology & Pharmacology, University College London, London, United Kingdom.

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Summary

Energy efficiency, not just information transfer, optimizes synaptic function in the visual pathway. This study reveals that even weak thalamocortical synapses maximize transmitted information per unit of energy used.

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Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Computational Neuroscience
  • Synaptic Plasticity

Background:

  • Previous research indicated postsynaptic current size maximizes energy efficiency at the retinothalamic relay synapse.
  • The subsequent synapse in the visual pathway, from thalamus to primary visual cortex layer 4 spiny stellate cells (L4SS), was investigated for similar principles.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate information transmission and postsynaptic energy use at the thalamocortical synapse.
  • To determine if energy efficiency is a conserved principle across successive visual processing stages.

Main Methods:

  • Multicompartment Hodgkin-Huxley-type simulations were employed.
  • Electrophysiological recordings in rodent brain slices were performed.
  • Dynamic-clamp was used to simulate background synaptic input.

Main Results:

  • Increasing or decreasing postsynaptic conductance of thalamocortical inputs reduced energy efficiency for information transmission from a single input.
  • This effect was observed despite simulated and experimentally injected random background synaptic activity.
  • Energy efficiency was maximized at the thalamocortical synapse, similar to the retinothalamic synapse.

Conclusions:

  • Energy efficiency is a key principle at thalamocortical synapses, not solely a property of stronger relay synapses.
  • Evolutionarily selected postsynaptic properties appear to optimize information transmitted per energy consumed at L4SS.
  • This suggests a broader biological strategy for maximizing neural computation efficiency throughout the visual pathway.