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Stimulus-specific enhancement in mouse visual cortex requires GABA but not VIP-peptide release from VIP interneurons
Megumi Kaneko1, Mahmood S Hoseini1, James A Waschek2
1Department of Physiology and Kavli Institute For Fundamental Neuroscience, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, United States.
Journal of Neurophysiology
|May 22, 2024
Summary
Locomotion enhances visual cortex responses to specific stimuli through vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) interneurons. GABA release, not VIP peptide, is crucial for this stimulus-specific enhancement (SSE) in adult mice.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Neurophysiology
- Cortical Plasticity
Background:
- Locomotion induces a high-gain state in the visual cortex (V1).
- Vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) interneurons, releasing both GABA and VIP, mediate locomotion's effect on V1.
- The distinct roles of GABA and VIP peptide release from these interneurons in plasticity remain unclear.
Purpose of the Study:
- To elucidate whether GABA or VIP peptide release from VIP interneurons is responsible for stimulus-specific enhancement (SSE) in the adult visual cortex.
Main Methods:
- Genetic ablation techniques were employed to selectively remove VIP or impair GABA release from VIP cells in adult mice.
- Stimulus-specific enhancement (SSE) was assessed by measuring V1 neuronal responses after repeated visual stimulus exposure during locomotion.
Main Results:
- SSE was observed when mice were exposed to visual stimuli during locomotion.
- Deleting VIP did not affect SSE.
- Compromising GABA release from VIP cells prevented SSE.
- These findings suggest SSE is mediated by GABA release from VIP interneurons.
Conclusions:
- GABA release from VIP interneurons, not VIP peptide, is essential for stimulus-specific enhancement in the adult visual cortex.
- This suggests that Hebbian mechanisms may underlie SSE in adult V1.
- The study challenges the conventional view of neuropeptide roles in plasticity, highlighting the rapid action of GABA in this context.
