scholarly journals Subtraction and division of visual cortical population responses by the serotonergic system

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zohre Azimi ◽  
Katharina Spoida ◽  
Ruxandra Barzan ◽  
Patric Wollenweber ◽  
Melanie D. Mark ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Visual Cortex ◽  
Dynamic Range ◽  
Cortical Cell ◽  
Cell Types ◽  
Wide Field ◽  
Population Responses ◽  
Optogenetic Stimulation ◽  
Receptor Blockers ◽  
Neuronal Systems ◽  
Visual Cortical

Normalization is a fundamental operation throughout neuronal systems to adjust dynamic range. In the visual cortex various cell circuits have been identified that provide the substrate for such a canonical function, but how these circuits are orchestrated remains unclear. Here we suggest the serotonergic (5-HT) system as another player involved in normalization. 5-HT receptors of different classes are co-distributed across different cortical cell types, but their individual contribution to cortical population responses is unknown. We combined wide-field calcium imaging of primary visual cortex (V1) with optogenetic stimulation of 5-HT neurons in mice dorsal raphe nucleus (DRN) — the major hub for widespread release of serotonin across cortex — in combination with selective 5-HT receptor blockers. While inhibitory (5-HT1A) receptors accounted for subtractive suppression of spontaneous activity, depolarizing (5-HT2A) receptors promoted divisive suppression of response gain. Added linearly, these components led to normalization of population responses over a range of visual contrasts.

scholarly journals Separable gain control of ongoing and evoked activity in the visual cortex by serotonergic input

eLife ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zohre Azimi ◽  
Ruxandra Barzan ◽  
Katharina Spoida ◽  
Tatjana Surdin ◽  
Patric Wollenweber ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Visual Cortex ◽  
Gain Control ◽  
Wide Field ◽  
Visual Response ◽  
Sensory Drive ◽  
Population Responses ◽  
Neuronal Populations ◽  
Optogenetic Stimulation ◽  
Evoked Activity ◽  
Mouse Visual Cortex

Controlling gain of cortical activity is essential to modulate weights between internal ongoing communication and external sensory drive. Here, we show that serotonergic input has separable suppressive effects on the gain of ongoing and evoked visual activity. We combined optogenetic stimulation of the dorsal raphe nucleus (DRN) with wide-field calcium imaging, extracellular recordings, and iontophoresis of serotonin (5-HT) receptor antagonists in the mouse visual cortex. 5-HT1A receptors promote divisive suppression of spontaneous activity, while 5-HT2A receptors act divisively on visual response gain and largely account for normalization of population responses over a range of visual contrasts in awake and anesthetized states. Thus, 5-HT input provides balanced but distinct suppressive effects on ongoing and evoked activity components across neuronal populations. Imbalanced 5-HT1A/2A activation, either through receptor-specific drug intake, genetically predisposed irregular 5-HT receptor density, or change in sensory bombardment may enhance internal broadcasts and reduce sensory drive and vice versa.

scholarly journals Development and Binocular Matching of Orientation Selectivity in Visual Cortex: A Computational Model

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xize Xu ◽  
Jianhua Cang ◽  
Hermann Riecke
Keyword(s):  
Visual Cortex ◽  
Computational Model ◽  
Ocular Dominance ◽  
Cortical Cell ◽  
Orientation Selectivity ◽  
Multiple Sources ◽  
Matching Process ◽  
Eye Opening ◽  
Neuronal Systems ◽  
Information Streams

AbstractIn mouse visual cortex, right after eye-opening binocular cells have different orientation preferences for input from the two eyes. With normal visual experience during a critical period, these orientation preferences shift and eventually become well matched. To gain insight into the matching process, we developed a computational model of a cortical cell receiving - via plastic synapses - orientation selective inputs that are individually monocular. The model captures the experimentally observed matching of the orientation preferences, the dependence of matching on ocular dominance of the cell, and the relationship between the degree of matching and the resulting monocular orientation selectivity. Moreover, our model puts forward testable predictions: i) the matching speed increases with initial ocular dominance and decreases with initial orientation selectivity; ii) matching proceeds faster than the sharpening of the orientation selectivity, suggesting that orientation selectivity is not a driving force for the matching process; iii) there are two main routes to matching: the preferred orientations either drift towards each other or one of the orientations switches suddenly. The latter occurs for cells with large initial mismatch and can render the cell monocular. We expect that these results provide insight more generally into the development of neuronal systems that integrate inputs from multiple sources, including different sensory modalities.New & NoteworthyAnimals gather information through multiple modalities (vision, audition, touch, etc). These information streams have to be merged coherently to provide a meaningful representation of the world. Thus, for neurons in visual cortex V1 the orientation selectivities for inputs from the two eyes have to match to enable binocular vision. We analyze the postnatal process underlying this matching using computational modeling. It captures recent experimental results and reveals interdependence between matching, ocular dominance, and orientation selectivity.

scholarly journals Development and binocular matching of orientation selectivity in visual cortex: a computational model

2020 ◽  
Vol 123 (4) ◽  
pp. 1305-1319 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xize Xu ◽  
Jianhua Cang ◽  
Hermann Riecke
Keyword(s):  
Visual Cortex ◽  
Computational Model ◽  
Ocular Dominance ◽  
Cortical Cell ◽  
Orientation Selectivity ◽  
Multiple Sources ◽  
Matching Process ◽  
Eye Opening ◽  
Neuronal Systems ◽  
Information Streams

In mouse visual cortex, right after eye opening binocular cells have different preferred orientations for input from the two eyes. With normal visual experience during a critical period, these preferred orientations evolve and eventually become well matched. To gain insight into the matching process, we developed a computational model of a cortical cell receiving orientation selective inputs via plastic synapses. The model captures the experimentally observed matching of the preferred orientations, the dependence of matching on ocular dominance of the cell, and the relationship between the degree of matching and the resulting monocular orientation selectivity. Moreover, our model puts forward testable predictions: 1) The matching speed increases with initial ocular dominance. 2) While the matching improves more slowly for cells that are more orientation selective, the selectivity increases faster for better matched cells during the matching process. This suggests that matching drives orientation selectivity but not vice versa. 3) There are two main routes to matching: the preferred orientations either drift toward each other or one of the orientations switches suddenly. The latter occurs for cells with large initial mismatch and can render the cells monocular. We expect that these results provide insight more generally into the development of neuronal systems that integrate inputs from multiple sources, including different sensory modalities. NEW & NOTEWORTHY Animals gather information through multiple modalities (vision, audition, touch, etc.). These information streams have to be merged coherently to provide a meaningful representation of the world. Thus, for neurons in visual cortex V1, the orientation selectivities for inputs from the two eyes have to match to enable binocular vision. We analyze the postnatal process underlying this matching using computational modeling. It captures recent experimental results and reveals interdependence between matching, ocular dominance, and orientation selectivity.

scholarly journals Gamma-band resonance of visual cortex to optogenetic stimulation

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jianguang Ni (倪剑光) ◽  
Christopher Murphy Lewis ◽  
Thomas Wunderle ◽  
Patrick Jendritza ◽  
Ilka Diester ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Visual Cortex ◽  
Transfer Function ◽  
White Noise ◽  
Frequency Band ◽  
Gamma Band ◽  
Cortical Circuits ◽  
Optogenetic Stimulation ◽  
Gamma Frequency ◽  
Visual Cortical ◽  
Modulated Light

AbstractActivated visual cortex typically engages in neuronal synchronization in the gamma-frequency band (30-90 Hz). Gamma-band synchronization is related to cognitive functioning, and its mechanisms have been extensively investigated, predominantly through in-vitro studies. To further elucidate its mechanisms in-vivo, we performed simultaneous optogenetic stimulation and electrophysiological recordings of visual cortical areas 17 and 21a in the anesthetized cat. Viral transfection with AAV1 or AAV9 under a CamKIIα promoter led to robust Channelrhodopsin-2 (ChR2) expression. Immunohistochemical analysis showed that all ChR2-expressing neurons were negative for Parvalbumin, consistent with predominant or exclusive expression in excitatory neurons. Optogenetic stimulation used primarily surface illumination directly above the transfected and recorded cells. Stimulation with constant light led to strong and sustained gamma-band synchronization with strength and bandwidth similar to visually induced gamma. Rhythmic stimulation with light-pulse trains or sinusoidal light modulation revealed strongest resonance for gamma-band frequencies. Gamma resonance was confirmed by optogenetic white-noise stimulation. White-noise stimulation allowed the quantification of the transfer function between the optogenetic stimulation and the local field potential response. This transfer function showed a dominant peak in the gamma band. Thus, we find that visual cortical circuits resonate most strongly to gamma-band components in their input. This resonance renders both the sensitivity to input, and the output of these circuits, selectively tuned to gamma.Significance StatementActivated groups of cortical neurons often display rhythmic synchronization in the gamma-frequency band (30-90 Hz). Gamma-band synchronization is particularly well studied in visual cortex. We used optogenetics to control visual cortex neurons with light. Different optogenetic stimulation protocols, using constant light, rhythmically modulated light or white-noise modulated light, all demonstrated that the investigated circuits predominantly resonate to stimulation in the gamma band. The observed gamma-band resonance renders visual cortical circuits most sensitive to gamma-rhythmic synaptic inputs. This in turn renders their spike output and the ensuing interareal synchronization gamma rhythmic.This work was supported by DFG (SPP 1665, FOR 1847, FR2557/5-1-CORNET to P.F.; EXC 1086, DI 1908/5-1, DI 1908/6-1 to I.D.), BMBF (01GQ1301 to I.D.), EU (HEALTH-F2-2008-200728-BrainSynch, FP7-604102-HBP, FP7-600730-Magnetrodes to P.F.; ERC Starting Grant OptoMotorPath to I.D.), a European Young Investigator Award to P.F., the FENS-Kavli Network of Excellence to I.D., National Institutes of Health (1U54MH091657-WU-Minn-Consortium-HCP to P.F.), the LOEWE program (NeFF to P.F. and I.D.). Present address of I.D.: Optophysiology, Bernstein Center and BrainLinks-BrainTools, University of Freiburg, Albertstrase 23, 79104 Freiburg, Germany.Author contributionsJ.N, C.M.L., T.W., P.F. designed research; J.N, C.M.L., T.W., P.J., I.D., P.F. performed experiments; J.N., C.M.L., T.W. analyzed data; J.N., P.F. wrote the paper.

scholarly journals A global map of orientation tuning in mouse visual cortex

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul G. Fahey ◽  
Taliah Muhammad ◽  
Cameron Smith ◽  
Emmanouil Froudarakis ◽  
Erick Cobos ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Visual Cortex ◽  
Visual Processing ◽  
Large Fraction ◽  
Orientation Tuning ◽  
Wide Field ◽  
Two Photon ◽  
Visual Hierarchy ◽  
Visual Cortical ◽  
Mouse Visual Cortex ◽  
Salt And Pepper

In primates and most carnivores, neurons in primary visual cortex are spatially organized by their functional properties. For example, neurons with similar orientation preferences are grouped together in iso-orientation domains that smoothly vary over the cortical sheet. In rodents, on the other hand, neurons with different orientation preferences are thought to be spatially intermingled, a feature which has been termed “salt-and-pepper” organization. The apparent absence of any systematic structure in orientation tuning has been considered a defining feature of the rodent visual system for more than a decade, with broad implications for brain development, visual processing, and comparative neurophysiology. Here, we revisited this question using new techniques for wide-field two-photon calcium imaging that enabled us to collect nearly complete population tuning preferences in layers 2-4 across a large fraction of the mouse visual hierarchy. Examining the orientation tuning of these hundreds of thousands of neurons, we found a global map spanning multiple visual cortical areas in which orientation bias was organized around a single pinwheel centered in V1. This pattern was consistent across animals and cortical depth. The existence of this global organization in rodents has implications for our understanding of visual processing and the principles governing the ontogeny and phylogeny of the visual cortex of mammals.

scholarly journals Shared and distinct transcriptomic cell types across neocortical areas

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bosiljka Tasic ◽  
Zizhen Yao ◽  
Kimberly A. Smith ◽  
Lucas Graybuck ◽  
Thuc Nghi Nguyen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Visual Cortex ◽  
Motor Cortex ◽  
Single Cell ◽  
Primary Visual Cortex ◽  
Cortical Cell ◽  
Cell Types ◽  
Rna Seq ◽  
Mouse Cortex ◽  
Single Cell Rna Sequencing ◽  
Cortical Regions

ABSTRACTNeocortex contains a multitude of cell types segregated into layers and functionally distinct regions. To investigate the diversity of cell types across the mouse neocortex, we analyzed 12,714 cells from the primary visual cortex (VISp), and 9,035 cells from the anterior lateral motor cortex (ALM) by deep single-cell RNA-sequencing (scRNA-seq), identifying 116 transcriptomic cell types. These two regions represent distant poles of the neocortex and perform distinct functions. We define 50 inhibitory transcriptomic cell types, all of which are shared across both cortical regions. In contrast, 49 of 52 excitatory transcriptomic types were found in either VISp or ALM, with only three present in both. By combining single cell RNA-seq and retrograde labeling, we demonstrate correspondence between excitatory transcriptomic types and their region-specific long-range target specificity. This study establishes a combined transcriptomic and projectional taxonomy of cortical cell types from functionally distinct regions of the mouse cortex.

scholarly journals Vision is Required for Cell Type Specification in the Visual Cortex

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah Cheng ◽  
Salwan Butrus ◽  
Vincent Xu ◽  
Srikant Sagireddy ◽  
Liming Tan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Visual Cortex ◽  
Synapse Formation ◽  
Cortical Development ◽  
Cortical Cell ◽  
Cell Types ◽  
Postnatal Life ◽  
Neuronal Types ◽  
Single Nucleus ◽  
Eye Opening ◽  
Mouse Visual Cortex

The role of postnatal experience in mammalian cortical development, while long appreciated, is poorly understood at the resolution of cell types. To explore this issue, we used single-nucleus RNA-sequencing to profile the mouse visual cortex at different times in postnatal life with and without visual experience. The identities of glutamatergic cell types in upper layers (L) (L2/3/4) were established following eye opening. L2/3 cell types formed a spatial continuum, defined by the graded expression of ~200 genes that included candidates associated with synapse formation and axon projection specificity. These patterns required visual input for both their establishment and maintenance. By contrast to upper-layer glutamatergic neurons, the remaining neuronal and non-neuronal types were established in a vision-independent fashion. Our results demonstrate that vision acts preferentially in the specification of cortical cell types and provide a framework for exploring experience-dependent cortical development at the cellular and molecular level.

Phosphene perceptions and safety of chronic visual cortex stimulation in a blind subject

2020 ◽  
Vol 132 (6) ◽  
pp. 2000-2007 ◽  
Author(s):  
Soroush Niketeghad ◽  
Abirami Muralidharan ◽  
Uday Patel ◽  
Jessy D. Dorn ◽  
Laura Bonelli ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Visual Cortex ◽  
Adverse Events ◽  
Clinical Intervention ◽  
Occipital Cortex ◽  
Neuronal Population ◽  
Serious Adverse Events ◽  
Stimulation Parameters ◽  
The Right ◽  
Visual Cortical ◽  
Stimulation Of

Stimulation of primary visual cortices has the potential to restore some degree of vision to blind individuals. Developing safe and reliable visual cortical prostheses requires assessment of the long-term stability, feasibility, and safety of generating stimulation-evoked perceptions.A NeuroPace responsive neurostimulation system was implanted in a blind individual with an 8-year history of bare light perception, and stimulation-evoked phosphenes were evaluated over 19 months (41 test sessions). Electrical stimulation was delivered via two four-contact subdural electrode strips implanted over the right medial occipital cortex. Current and charge thresholds for eliciting visual perception (phosphenes) were measured, as were the shape, size, location, and intensity of the phosphenes. Adverse events were also assessed.Stimulation of all contacts resulted in phosphene perception. Phosphenes appeared completely or partially in the left hemifield. Stimulation of the electrodes below the calcarine sulcus elicited phosphenes in the superior hemifield and vice versa. Changing the stimulation parameters of frequency, pulse width, and burst duration affected current thresholds for eliciting phosphenes, and increasing the amplitude or frequency of stimulation resulted in brighter perceptions. While stimulation thresholds decreased between an average of 5% and 12% after 19 months, spatial mapping of phosphenes remained consistent over time. Although no serious adverse events were observed, the subject experienced mild headaches and dizziness in three instances, symptoms that did not persist for more than a few hours and for which no clinical intervention was required.Using an off-the-shelf neurostimulator, the authors were able to reliably generate phosphenes in different areas of the visual field over 19 months with no serious adverse events, providing preliminary proof of feasibility and safety to proceed with visual epicortical prosthetic clinical trials. Moreover, they systematically explored the relationship between stimulation parameters and phosphene thresholds and discovered the direct relation of perception thresholds based on primary visual cortex (V1) neuronal population excitation thresholds.

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