Equalizing transcallosal inhibition in the mouse anterior cingulate mitigates visuospatial neglect
1Neurobiology of Vision Lab, Brain Institute, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, Brazil; Göttingen Campus Institute for Dynamics of Biological Networks, Georg-August University, Göttingen, Germany.
Trends in Neurosciences
|April 24, 2024
Summary
Researchers identified a transcallosal inhibitory circuit in the mouse anterior cingulate cortex (ACC). This circuit balances brain hemispheres for visuospatial attention and modulates visual cortex activity.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Cerebral Cortex Research
- Interhemispheric Communication
Background:
- The anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) plays a crucial role in cognitive functions.
- Understanding interhemispheric communication is vital for brain function.
- Inhibitory circuits within the cortex are key to neural processing.
Purpose of the Study:
- To identify and characterize a specific transcallosal inhibitory circuit in the mouse ACC.
- To elucidate the role of this circuit in modulating neural activity between brain hemispheres.
- To determine the circuit's contribution to visuospatial attention and visual cortex modulation.
Main Methods:
- Electrophysiological recordings in mouse ACC.
- Circuit tracing techniques to identify neuronal connections.
- In vivo experiments to assess behavioral and neural modulation.
Main Results:
- A novel transcallosal inhibitory circuit was identified in the mouse ACC.
- This circuit excites contralateral parvalbumin-positive (PV+) interneurons.
- The circuit was shown to modulate ipsilateral excitatory tone and contralateral inhibition.
Conclusions:
- The identified ACC circuit is critical for maintaining interhemispheric balance.
- This circuit mediates visuospatial attention.
- It provides top-down modulation of visual cortices, impacting visual processing.
