POm Thalamocortical Input Drives Layer-Specific Microcircuits in Somatosensory Cortex.

ABSTRACT: Higher-order thalamic nuclei, such as the posterior medial nucleus (POm) in the somatosensory system or the pulvinar in the visual system, densely innervate the cortex and can influence perception and plasticity. To systematically evaluate how higher-order thalamic nuclei can drive cortical circuits, we investigated cell-type selective responses to POm stimulation in mouse primary somatosensory (barrel) cortex, using genetically targeted whole-cell recordings in acute brain slices. We find that ChR2-evoked thalamic input selectively targets specific cell types in the neocortex, revealing layer-specific modules for the summation and processing of POm input. Evoked activity in pyramidal neurons from deep layers is fast and synchronized by rapid feedforward inhibition from GABAergic parvalbum

SUBMITTER: Audette NJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6093433 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature