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The Journal of Neuroscience, February 15, 2000, 20(4):1529-1537
Thalamic-Evoked Synaptic Interactions in Barrel Cortex Revealed
by Optical Imaging
Nora
Laaris,
Greg C.
Carlson, and
Asaf
Keller
Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology and Program in Neuroscience,
University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland 21201
We used optical imaging of voltage-sensitive dye signals to study
the spatiotemporal spread of activity in the mouse barrel cortex,
evoked by stimulation of thalamocortical afferents in an in
vitro slice preparation. Stimulation of the thalamus, at low
current intensity, results in activity largely restricted to a single
barrel, and to the border between layers Vb and VI. Low concentrations
of the GABAA receptor antagonist bicuculline increase the
amplitude of the optical signals, without affecting their
spatiotemporal propagation. Higher concentrations of bicuculline result
in paroxysmal activity, which propagates via intracolumnar and
intercolumnar excitatory pathways. Enhancing the activity of NMDA
receptors, by removing Mg2+ from the extracellular
solution, dramatically alters the spatiotemporal pattern of excitation:
activity spreads to supragranular and infragranular layers and adjacent
barrel columns. This enhanced propagation is suppressed by the NMDA
receptor antagonist AP5. A similar enhancement of activity propagation
can be produced by stimulating the thalamus with a short,
high-frequency pulse train. Application of AP5 suppresses the
frequency-dependent spread of activity. These findings indicate that
the spatiotemporal spread of activity in the barrel cortex is altered
by varying the temporal patterns of thalamic inputs, via an NMDA
receptor-mediated mechanism, and suggest that a similar process occurs
during repetitive whisking activity.
Key words:
somatosensory cortex; voltage-sensitive dyes; glutamate; NMDA; GABA; epilepsy; temporal coding; mouse
Copyright © 2000 Society for Neuroscience 0270-6474/00/2041529-09$05.00/0
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