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

Somatosensation01:33

Somatosensation

42.8K
The somatosensory system relays sensory information from the skin, mucous membranes, limbs, and joints. Somatosensation is more familiarly known as the sense of touch. A typical somatosensory pathway includes three types of long neurons: primary, secondary, and tertiary. Primary neurons have cell bodies located near the spinal cord in groups of neurons called dorsal root ganglia. The sensory neurons of ganglia innervate designated areas of skin called dermatomes.
42.8K
The Cochlea01:13

The Cochlea

50.1K
The cochlea is a coiled structure in the inner ear that contains hair cells—the sensory receptors of the auditory system. Sound waves are transmitted to the cochlea by small bones attached to the eardrum called the ossicles, which vibrate the oval window that leads to the inner ear. This causes fluid in the chambers of the cochlea to move, vibrating the basilar membrane.
50.1K

You might also read

Related Articles

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

Sort by
Same author

ARC/ARG3.1 binds the nuclear polyadenylate-binding protein RRM and regulates neuronal activity-dependent formation of nuclear speckles.

Cell reports·2025
Same author

Dynamic modulation of mouse thalamocortical visual activity by salient sounds.

iScience·2024
Same author

Reducing Merkel cell activity in the whisker follicle disrupts cortical encoding of whisker movement amplitude and velocity.

IBRO neuroscience reports·2022
Same author

Sensory deprivation leads to subpopulation-specific changes in layer 6 corticothalamic cells.

The European journal of neuroscience·2021
Same author

Hindlimb Somatosensory Information Influences Trunk Sensory and Motor Cortices to Support Trunk Stabilization.

Cerebral cortex (New York, N.Y. : 1991)·2021
Same author

Audiotactile interactions in the mouse cochlear nucleus.

Scientific reports·2021

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jan 3, 2026

Modification of a Colliculo-thalamocortical Mouse Brain Slice, Incorporating 3-D printing of Chamber Components and Multi-scale Optical Imaging
06:05

Modification of a Colliculo-thalamocortical Mouse Brain Slice, Incorporating 3-D printing of Chamber Components and Multi-scale Optical Imaging

Published on: September 18, 2015

8.7K

Activation of Corticothalamic Layer 6 Cells Decreases Angular Tuning in Mouse Barrel Cortex.

François Philippe Pauzin1, Nadja Schwarz1, Patrik Krieger1

  • 1Department of Systems Neuroscience, Faculty of Medicine, Ruhr University Bochum, Bochum, Germany.

Frontiers in Neural Circuits
|November 19, 2019
PubMed
Summary

L6 corticothalamic (L6 CT) cells modulate whisker direction processing by altering cortical inhibition, not thalamic output. This specific circuit primes the neocortex for complex tactile tasks like texture discrimination.

Keywords:
GAD2NTSR1direction selectivityexcitation inhibition balancelayer 6

More Related Videos

Author Spotlight: Deciphering Neural Circuit Formation from Two-Photon Microscopy and Single Neuron Imaging
06:18

Author Spotlight: Deciphering Neural Circuit Formation from Two-Photon Microscopy and Single Neuron Imaging

Published on: November 21, 2023

1.2K
Visualization of Cortical Modules in Flattened Mammalian Cortices
08:49

Visualization of Cortical Modules in Flattened Mammalian Cortices

Published on: January 22, 2018

13.6K

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jan 3, 2026

Modification of a Colliculo-thalamocortical Mouse Brain Slice, Incorporating 3-D printing of Chamber Components and Multi-scale Optical Imaging
06:05

Modification of a Colliculo-thalamocortical Mouse Brain Slice, Incorporating 3-D printing of Chamber Components and Multi-scale Optical Imaging

Published on: September 18, 2015

8.7K
Author Spotlight: Deciphering Neural Circuit Formation from Two-Photon Microscopy and Single Neuron Imaging
06:18

Author Spotlight: Deciphering Neural Circuit Formation from Two-Photon Microscopy and Single Neuron Imaging

Published on: November 21, 2023

1.2K
Visualization of Cortical Modules in Flattened Mammalian Cortices
08:49

Visualization of Cortical Modules in Flattened Mammalian Cortices

Published on: January 22, 2018

13.6K

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Sensory Processing
  • Computational Neuroscience

Background:

  • The mouse whisker system is a model for studying sensory processing.
  • L6 corticothalamic (L6 CT) cells play a role in sensory information flow.
  • Understanding the precise circuits involved in tactile processing is crucial.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the contribution of L6 CT cells to whisker deflection direction processing.
  • To determine whether L6 CT cell effects on cortical processing originate from thalamic output or cortical circuits.
  • To explore the role of L6 CT-driven inhibition in adapting sensory responses.

Main Methods:

  • Optogenetic activation of genetically defined L6 CT cells in mice.
  • Electrophysiological recordings in the somatosensory barrel cortex (BC).
  • Comparison with general optogenetic activation of GABAergic interneurons (Gad2-expressing cells).

Main Results:

  • Activation of L6 CT cells induced an adapted mode in BC, reducing angular tuning of excitatory neurons.
  • This loss of tuning was due to changes in cortical inhibition, not thalamic output.
  • L6 CT-driven cortical inhibition, unlike general GABAergic activation, abolished adaptation to whisker responses.
  • Evidence suggests a subpopulation of L6 CT cells activates specific GABAergic interneurons.

Conclusions:

  • L6 CT cells selectively modulate cortical processing of whisker direction.
  • A specific L6 CT-to-GABAergic interneuron circuit predisposes the neocortex for complex tactile tasks.
  • This circuit is critical for processing information requiring multiple whisker touches, such as texture discrimination.