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Monocular Visual Deprivation and Ocular Dominance Plasticity Measurement in the Mouse Primary Visual Cortex
Published on: February 8, 2020
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Spatial Clustering of Inhibition in Mouse Primary Visual Cortex
Rinaldo D D'Souza1, Pawan Bista1, Andrew M Meier1
1Department of Neuroscience, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA.
Neuron
|October 19, 2019
Summary
Mouse visual cortex has distinct subnetworks, organized into patches and interpatches. These subnetworks receive different inputs and process unique spatiotemporal features, revealing a non-random architecture.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Visual Cortex Research
- Cortical Circuitry
Background:
- The precise organization of feature maps within the mouse visual cortex remains debated.
- Layer 1 (L1) exhibits M2 muscarinic acetylcholine receptor-rich patches, suggesting a structured cortical architecture.
- Geniculocortical inputs overlap with these patches, hinting at functional specialization.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the non-random architecture of the mouse visual cortex.
- To determine the input specificity and functional organization of L1 and L2/3 circuits.
- To elucidate the excitation/inhibition balance within distinct cortical subnetworks.
Main Methods:
- Channelrhodopsin-2-assisted mapping of excitatory postsynaptic currents (EPSCs) in layer 2/3 (L2/3).
- Paired recordings of parvalbumin-expressing interneurons (PVs) and pyramidal neurons (PNs).
- Analysis of unitary inhibitory postsynaptic currents (uIPSCs) and terminal distribution.
Main Results:
- Lateral posterior thalamus (LP) inputs target interpatches, avoiding M2 receptor-rich patches in L1.
- Distinct relative excitation of PVs and PNs by dLGN, LP, and cortical feedback in patch-aligned vs. interpatch-aligned neurons.
- Unitary inhibitory postsynaptic currents (uIPSCs) are larger in interpatches, with PV terminals densely clustered in interpatches.
Conclusions:
- The visual cortex is organized into patch and interpatch subnetworks with distinct long-range inputs.
- These subnetworks exhibit specialized excitation/inhibition balances.
- The findings support a model of specialized spatiotemporal feature processing within distinct cortical circuits.
