QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

HOME  |   SEARCH  |   ARCHIVE  |   SUBSCRIBE  |   CONTACT  |   HELP

The Journal of Neuroscience, February 7, 2007, 27(6):1271-1284; doi:10.1523/JNEUROSCI.4264-06.2007

This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Supplemental Data Submit an eLetter Alert me when this article is cited Alert me when eLetters are posted Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in Web of Science Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Web of Science (6) Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Jacob, V. Articles by Shulz, D. E. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Jacob, V. Articles by Shulz, D. E.

 Previous Article  |  Next Article 

Behavioral/Systems/Cognitive
Spike Timing-Dependent Synaptic Depression in the In Vivo Barrel Cortex of the Rat

Vincent Jacob,¹ Daniel J. Brasier,² Irina Erchova,¹ Dan Feldman,^2,3 and Daniel E. Shulz¹

¹Unité de Neurosciences Intégratives et Computationnelles, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, 91198 Gif sur Yvette, France, and ²Neurosciences Program and ³Neurobiology Section, Division of Biology, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California 92093-0357

Correspondence should be addressed to Daniel E. Shulz, Unité de Neurosciences Intégratives et Computationnelles, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, 1 Avenue de la Terrasse, 91198 Gif sur Yvette, France. Email: shulz{at}iaf.cnrs-gif.fr

Spike timing-dependent plasticity (STDP) is a computationally powerful form of plasticity in which synapses are strengthened or weakened according to the temporal order and precise millisecond-scale delay between presynaptic and postsynaptic spiking activity. STDP is readily observed in vitro, but evidence for STDP in vivo is scarce. Here, we studied spike timing-dependent synaptic depression in single putative pyramidal neurons of the rat primary somatosensory cortex (S1) in vivo, using two techniques. First, we recorded extracellularly from layer 2/3 (L2/3) and L5 neurons, and paired spontaneous action potentials (postsynaptic spikes) with subsequent subthreshold deflection of one whisker (to drive presynaptic afferents to the recorded neuron) to produce "post-leading-pre" spike pairings at known delays. Short delay pairings (<17 ms) resulted in a significant decrease of the extracellular spiking response specific to the paired whisker, consistent with spike timing-dependent synaptic depression. Second, in whole-cell recordings from neurons in L2/3, we paired postsynaptic spikes elicited by direct-current injection with subthreshold whisker deflection to drive presynaptic afferents to the recorded neuron at precise temporal delays. Post-leading-pre pairing (<33 ms delay) decreased the slope and amplitude of the PSP evoked by the paired whisker, whereas "pre-leading-post" delays failed to produce depression, and sometimes produced potentiation of whisker-evoked PSPs. These results demonstrate that spike timing-dependent synaptic depression occurs in S1 in vivo, and is therefore a plausible plasticity mechanism in the sensory cortex.

Key words: spike-timing dependent plasticity; STDP; somatosensory cortex; plasticity; rat; synaptic depression; LTP; LTD; barrel

---

Received Jan. 17, 2006; revised Dec. 20, 2006; accepted Dec. 23, 2006.

Correspondence should be addressed to Daniel E. Shulz, Unité de Neurosciences Intégratives et Computationnelles, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, 1 Avenue de la Terrasse, 91198 Gif sur Yvette, France. Email: shulz{at}iaf.cnrs-gif.fr

This article has been cited by other articles:

				P. J. Drew and D. E. Feldman Intrinsic Signal Imaging of Deprivation-Induced Contraction of Whisker Representations in Rat Somatosensory Cortex Cereb Cortex, February 1, 2009; 19(2): 331 - 348. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				J. C. Dahmen, D. E. H. Hartley, and A. J. King Stimulus-Timing-Dependent Plasticity of Cortical Frequency Representation J. Neurosci., December 10, 2008; 28(50): 13629 - 13639. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				P. J. Sjostrom, E. A. Rancz, A. Roth, and M. Hausser Dendritic Excitability and Synaptic Plasticity Physiol Rev, April 1, 2008; 88(2): 769 - 840. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				V. Pawlak and J. N. D. Kerr Dopamine Receptor Activation Is Required for Corticostriatal Spike-Timing-Dependent Plasticity J. Neurosci., March 5, 2008; 28(10): 2435 - 2446. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				S. Augustinaite and P. Heggelund Changes in firing pattern of lateral geniculate neurons caused by membrane potential dependent modulation of retinal input through NMDA receptors J. Physiol., July 1, 2007; 582(1): 297 - 315. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home  |   Search  |   Archive  |   Subscribe  |   Contact  |   Help