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The Journal of Neuroscience, January 28, 2009, 29(4):964-972; doi:10.1523/JNEUROSCI.3924-08.2009

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Behavioral/Systems/Cognitive
Subthreshold Receptive Field Properties Distinguish Different Classes of Corticothalamic Neurons in the Somatosensory System

Ernest E. Kwegyir-Afful and Daniel J. Simons

Department of Neurobiology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15261

Correspondence should be addressed to Dr. Daniel J. Simons, Department of Neurobiology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, 200 Lothrop Street, BST E1452, Pittsburgh, PA 15261. Email: cortex{at}pitt.edu

Most corticothalamic (CT) neurons in somatosensory cortex are silent in lightly anesthetized and even awake animals, making it difficult to investigate CT function and the underlying circuitry. Here we use juxtasomal recording and stimulation techniques to probe subthreshold response properties of antidromically identified CT neurons in the rat whisker/barrel system. When neuronal firing is facilitated by depolarizing juxtasomal currents, silent neurons become responsive to whisker stimuli, permitting identification of three functional classes of CT cells: those having a short-latency excitatory response to whisker deflection, those having a long-latency response, and neurons whose firing is suppressed by whisker deflection. During sensorimotor behaviors when the CT system may be active, cells having excitatory vs inhibitory receptive fields may participate in push–pull corticothalamic circuits that, acting together, selectively enhance sensory signaling in the thalamocortical system.

Key words: corticothalamic; somatosensory; barrels; whisker; subthreshold responses; cortex

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Received Aug. 18, 2008; revised Dec. 3, 2008; accepted Dec. 5, 2008.

Correspondence should be addressed to Dr. Daniel J. Simons, Department of Neurobiology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, 200 Lothrop Street, BST E1452, Pittsburgh, PA 15261. Email: cortex{at}pitt.edu

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