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Delayed integration of somatostatin interneurons into visual circuits
Alex Wang1,2,3, Katie A Ferguson1,2,3, Jyoti Gupta1,2,3
1Department of Neuroscience, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA.
Nature Communications
|November 1, 2025
Summary
Somatostatin-expressing interneurons (SST-INs) in mouse primary visual cortex (V1) mature later than expected, developing visual sensitivity and increasing inhibitory modulation during the third postnatal week.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Developmental Neuroscience
- Visual System Development
Background:
- Neuronal receptive fields in the primary visual cortex (V1) are thought to mature before eye-opening.
- Experience-dependent refinement is regulated by GABAergic inhibition and homeostatic mechanisms.
- The early roles of diverse, dendrite-targeting interneurons remain largely unknown.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the developmental trajectory of somatostatin-expressing interneurons (SST-INs) in mouse V1.
- To understand the functional contribution of SST-INs to visual circuit maturation.
Main Methods:
- Optogenetics and in vivo imaging in juvenile mice.
- Electrophysiological recordings to assess neuronal responsiveness.
- Analysis of excitatory synaptic input onto SST-INs.
Main Results:
- SST-INs in mouse V1 lack visual responsiveness at eye opening.
- Visual sensitivity emerges during the third postnatal week.
- Rapid increase in excitatory innervation and enhanced multiplicative modulation by SST-INs occur during this period.
Conclusions:
- SST-INs exhibit a delayed developmental window for maturation in V1.
- This inhibitory circuit contributes to visual gain normalization through time-dependent modulation.
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