Behavioral control of distal dendritic inhibition in the neocortex

old_uid10407
titleBehavioral control of distal dendritic inhibition in the neocortex
start_date2011/11/21
schedule11h
onlineno
location_infoBibliothèque
detailsConférence CRNL - WAKING
summaryInhibitory neurons of the neocortex have highly diverse features, but little is known about functional correlates of this diversity in awake behaving animals. Here, I will talk about unique functional properties of genetically-defined somatostatin-expressing (SOM) neurons, which inhibit distal dendrites of excitatory pyramidal neurons. SOM neurons in mouse primary somatosensory barrel cortex were spontaneously active during periods of quiet wakefulness, but turned off during passive and active whisker sensing. Optogenetic inhibition of SOM neurons increased action potential firing and burst-firing in nearby excitatory neurons. I propose that SOM neurons turn off during active cortical computation, thus enhancing dendritic integration of distal top-down, associational and motor inputs, of critical importance for sensory perception.
responsiblesBéranger, Rossetti