Spatial organization of thalamocortical and corticothalamic projection systems in the rat SmI barrel cortex

Mutual inhibition between the GABAergic cells of the thalamic reticular nucleus (RTN) is important in regulating oscillations in the thalamocortical network, promoting those in the spindle range of frequencies over those at lower frequencies. Excitatory inputs to the RTN from the cerebral cortex are numerically large and particularly powerful in inducing spindles. However, the extent to which corticothalamic influences can engage the inhibitory network of the RTN has not been fully explored. Focal electrical stimulation of layer VI in the barrel cortex of the mouse thalamocortical slice in vitro resulted in prominent di- or polysynaptic inhibitory postsynaptic currents (IPSCs) in RTN cells under the experimental conditions used. The majority of cortically induced responses consisted of mixed PSCs in which the inhibitory component predominated or of large IPSCs alone, implying inhibition of neighboring cells by other, cortically excited RTN cells. Within the mixed PSCs, fixed and variable latency components could commonly be identified. IPSCs could be blocked by application of ionotropic glutamate receptor antagonists or of GABAA receptor antagonists, also indicating their dependence on corticothalamic excitation triggering disynaptic or polysynaptic inhibition. Spontaneous GABAA receptor-dependent IPSCs were routinely observed in the RTN and, taken together with the results of cortical stimulation, indicate the existence of a substantial network of intrareticular inhibitory connections that can be effectively recruited by the corticothalamic system. These results suggest activation of cortical excitatory inputs triggers the propagation of inhibitory currents within the RTN and support the view that activation of the RTN from the somatosensory cortex, although focused by the topography of the corticothalamic projection, is capable of disynaptically engaging the whole inhibitory network of the RTN, by local and probably by reentrant GABAA receptor–based synapses, thus spreading the corticothalamic influence throughout the RTN.

Download Full-text

Spatial Organization of Neuronal Population Responses in Layer 2/3 of Rat Barrel Cortex

Journal of Neuroscience ◽

10.1523/jneurosci.2210-07.2007 ◽

2007 ◽

Vol 27 (48) ◽

pp. 13316-13328 ◽

Cited By ~ 160

Author(s):

J. N. D. Kerr ◽

C. P. J. de Kock ◽

D. S. Greenberg ◽

R. M. Bruno ◽

B. Sakmann ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Spatial Organization ◽

Barrel Cortex ◽

Neuronal Population ◽

Population Responses ◽

Layer 2

Download Full-text

Organization and somatotopy of corticothalamic projections from L5B in mouse barrel cortex

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences ◽

10.1073/pnas.1704302114 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 114 (33) ◽

pp. 8853-8858 ◽

Cited By ~ 12

Author(s):

Anton Sumser ◽

Rebecca A. Mease ◽

Bert Sakmann ◽

Alexander Groh

Keyword(s):

Spatial Organization ◽

Barrel Cortex ◽

Cortical Layer ◽

Three Dimensions ◽

Zona Incerta ◽

Medial Nucleus ◽

Posterior Group ◽

Posterior Medial Nucleus ◽

Whisker Map ◽

Corticothalamic Projections

Neurons in cortical layer 5B (L5B) connect the cortex to numerous subcortical areas. Possibly the best-studied L5B cortico–subcortical connection is that between L5B neurons in the rodent barrel cortex (BC) and the posterior medial nucleus of the thalamus (POm). However, the spatial organization of L5B giant boutons in the POm and other subcortical targets is not known, and therefore it is unclear if this descending pathway retains somatotopy, i.e., body map organization, a hallmark of the ascending somatosensory pathway. We investigated the organization of the descending L5B pathway from the BC by dual-color anterograde labeling. We reconstructed and quantified the bouton clouds originating from adjacent L5B columns in the BC in three dimensions. L5B cells target six nuclei in the anterior midbrain and thalamus, including the posterior thalamus, the zona incerta, and the anterior pretectum. The L5B subcortical innervation is target specific in terms of bouton numbers, density, and projection volume. Common to all target nuclei investigated here is the maintenance of projection topology from different barrel columns in the BC, albeit with target-specific precision. We estimated low cortico–subcortical convergence and divergence, demonstrating that the L5B corticothalamic pathway is sparse and highly parallelized. Finally, the spatial organization of boutons and whisker map organization revealed the subdivision of the posterior group of the thalamus into four subnuclei (anterior, lateral, medial, and posterior). In conclusion, corticofugal L5B neurons establish a widespread cortico–subcortical network via sparse and somatotopically organized parallel pathways.

Download Full-text

Disruption of Transient SERT Expression in Thalamic Glutamatergic Neurons Alters Trajectory of Postnatal Interneuron Development in the Mouse Cortex

Cerebral Cortex ◽

10.1093/cercor/bhz191 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 30 (3) ◽

pp. 1623-1636 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Roberto De Gregorio ◽

Xiaoning Chen ◽

Emilie I Petit ◽

Kostantin Dobrenis ◽

Ji Ying Sze

Keyword(s):

Spatial Organization ◽

Barrel Cortex ◽

Dendritic Structure ◽

Terminal Differentiation ◽

Projection Neurons ◽

Development Trajectory ◽

The Right ◽

Cortical Map ◽

Cortical Architecture ◽

Interneuron Development

Abstract In mice, terminal differentiation of subpopulations of interneurons occurs in late postnatal stages, paralleling the emergence of the adult cortical architecture. Here, we investigated the effects of altered initial cortical architecture on later interneuron development. We identified that a class of somatostatin (SOM)-expressing GABAergic interneurons undergoes terminal differentiation between 2nd and 3rd postnatal week in the mouse somatosensory barrel cortex and upregulates Reelin expression during neurite outgrowth. Our previous work demonstrated that transient expression (E15-P10) of serotonin uptake transporter (SERT) in thalamocortical projection neurons regulates barrel elaboration during cortical map establishment. We show here that in thalamic neuron SERT knockout mice, these SOM-expressing interneurons develop at the right time, reach correct positions and express correct neurochemical markers, but only 70% of the neurons remain in the adult barrel cortex. Moreover, those neurons that remain display altered dendritic patterning. Our data indicate that a precise architecture at the cortical destination is not essential for specifying late-developing interneuron identities, their cortical deposition, and spatial organization, but dictates their number and dendritic structure ultimately integrated into the cortex. Our study illuminates how disruption of temporal-specific SERT function and related key regulators during cortical map establishment can alter interneuron development trajectory that persists to adult central nervous system.

Download Full-text

Developmental Phase Transitions in Spatial Organization of Spontaneous Activity in Postnatal Barrel Cortex Layer 4

10.1101/2020.05.26.117713 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Shingo Nakazawa ◽

Yumiko Yoshimura ◽

Masahiro Takagi ◽

Hidenobu Mizuno ◽

Takuji Iwasato

Keyword(s):

Phase Transitions ◽

Phase I ◽

Spontaneous Activity ◽

Phase Ii ◽

Spatial Organization ◽

Barrel Cortex ◽

Glutamatergic Neurons ◽

Layer 4 ◽

Type Pattern ◽

Three Phases

AbstractSpatially-organized spontaneous activity is a characteristic feature of developing mammalian sensory systems. However, the transitions of spontaneous-activity spatial organization during development and related mechanisms remain largely unknown. We reported previously that layer 4 (L4) glutamatergic neurons in the barrel cortex exhibit spontaneous activity with a patchwork-type pattern at postnatal day 5 (P5), which is during barrel formation. In the current work, we revealed that spontaneous activity in barrel-cortex L4 glutamatergic neurons exhibits at least three phases during the first two weeks of postnatal development. Phase I activity has a patchwork-type pattern and is observed not only at P5, but also P1, prior to barrel formation. Phase II is found at P9, by which time barrel formation is completed, and exhibits broadly synchronized activity across barrel borders. Phase III emerges around P11 when L4-neuron activity is desynchronized. The Phase I activity, but not Phase II or III activity, is blocked by thalamic inhibition, demonstrating that the Phase I to II transition is associated with loss of thalamic dependency. Dominant-negative Rac1 expression in L4 neurons hampers the Phase II to III transition. It also suppresses developmental increases in spine density and excitatory synapses of L4 neurons in the second postnatal week, suggesting that Rac1-mediated synapse maturation could underlie the Phase II to III transition. Our findings revealed the presence of distinct mechanisms for Phase I to II and Phase II to III transition. They also highlighted the role of a small GTPase in the developmental desynchronization of cortical spontaneous activity.Significant statementDeveloping neocortex exhibits spatially-organized spontaneous activity, which plays a critical role in cortical circuit development. The features of spontaneous-activity spatial organization and the mechanisms underlying its changes during development remain largely unknown. In the present study, using two-photon in vivo imaging, we revealed three phases (Phase I, II, and III) of spontaneous activity in barrel-cortex layer 4 (L4) glutamatergic neurons during the first two postnatal weeks. We also demonstrated the presence of distinct mechanisms underlying phase transitions. Phase I to II shift arose from the switch in the L4-neuron driving source, and Phase II to III transition relied on L4-neuron Rac1 activity. These results provide new insights into the principles of developmental transitions of neocortical spontaneous-activity spatial patterns.

Download Full-text

Computational Micrograph Registration with Sieve Processes

Proceedings, annual meeting, Electron Microscopy Society of America ◽

10.1017/s0424820100164660 ◽

1996 ◽

Vol 54 ◽

pp. 440-441

Author(s):

P.J. Phillips ◽

J. Huang ◽

S. M. Dunn

Keyword(s):

Planar Graph ◽

Efficient Algorithm ◽

Spatial Organization ◽

Spatial Arrangement ◽

Stereo Image ◽

Image Model ◽

Geometric Invariants ◽

Point Set

In this paper we present an efficient algorithm for automatically finding the correspondence between pairs of stereo micrographs, the key step in forming a stereo image. The computation burden in this problem is solving for the optimal mapping and transformation between the two micrographs. In this paper, we present a sieve algorithm for efficiently estimating the transformation and correspondence.In a sieve algorithm, a sequence of stages gradually reduce the number of transformations and correspondences that need to be examined, i.e., the analogy of sieving through the set of mappings with gradually finer meshes until the answer is found. The set of sieves is derived from an image model, here a planar graph that encodes the spatial organization of the features. In the sieve algorithm, the graph represents the spatial arrangement of objects in the image. The algorithm for finding the correspondence restricts its attention to the graph, with the correspondence being found by a combination of graph matchings, point set matching and geometric invariants.

Download Full-text

Caveolin-1, galectin-3 and lipid raft domains in cancer cell signalling

Essays in Biochemistry ◽

10.1042/bse0570189 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 57 ◽

pp. 189-201 ◽

Cited By ~ 13

Author(s):

Jay Shankar ◽

Cecile Boscher ◽

Ivan R. Nabi

Keyword(s):

Plasma Membrane ◽

Lipid Rafts ◽

Cancer Cell ◽

Cellular Response ◽

Spatial Organization ◽

Essential Feature ◽

Cell Signalling ◽

Coated Pits ◽

Signalling Molecules ◽

Raft Domains

Spatial organization of the plasma membrane is an essential feature of the cellular response to external stimuli. Receptor organization at the cell surface mediates transmission of extracellular stimuli to intracellular signalling molecules and effectors that impact various cellular processes including cell differentiation, metabolism, growth, migration and apoptosis. Membrane domains include morphologically distinct plasma membrane invaginations such as clathrin-coated pits and caveolae, but also less well-defined domains such as lipid rafts and the galectin lattice. In the present chapter, we will discuss interaction between caveolae, lipid rafts and the galectin lattice in the control of cancer cell signalling.

Download Full-text