Three-dimensional axon morphologies of individual layer 5 neurons indicate cell type-specific intracortical pathways for whisker motion and touch

• DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1100647108
• Publication Date: 2011-02-23T03:52:57Z
• Authors: Marcel Oberlaender; Zimbo S. R. M. Bo...; Tatjana Kleele; Huibert D. Mansve...; Bert Sakmann; Christiaan P. J. ...
• Keywords: Whisking in animals; Barrel cortex; Biocytin; Vibratome

The cortical output layer 5 contains two excitatory cell types, slender- and thick-tufted neurons. In rat vibrissal cortex, slender-tufted neurons carry motion phase information during active whisking, but remain inactive after passive whisker touch. contrast, reliably increase spiking preferably By reconstructing the 3D patterns of intracortical axon projections from individual neurons, filled in vivo with biocytin, we were able to identify type-specific circuits that may encode Individual showed elaborate dense innervation supragranular layers large portions area (total length, 86.8 ± 5.5 mm). During these long-range modulate phase-lock membrane potential dendrites 2 3 whisking cycle. Thick-tufted soma locations intermingling those ones display less 31.6 14.3 mm) are primarily confined infragranular layers. Based on anatomical reconstructions previous measurements spiking, put forward hypothesis cortex receive input onto their apical tuft touch thalamic basal dendrites. tactile-driven behavior, such as object location, near-coincident pathways result increased activity thus enhanced signaling subcortical targets.