Abstract
Neurons in the deepest layer of mammalian cerebral cortex are morphologically and physiological diverse and are situated in a strategic position to modulate neuronal activity locally and in other structures. The variety of neuronal circuits within which layer 6 neurons participate differs across species and cortical regions. However even amidst this diversity, common organizational features emerge. Examination of the anatomical and physiological characteristics of different classes of layer 6 neuron, each specialized to participate in distinct circuits, provides insight into the functional contributions of layer 6 neurons toward cortical information processing.
Highlights
One of the most obvious distinguishing features of mammalian cerebral cortex is its laminar structure
Layer 6 contains the richest diversity of morphological cell types
Based on anatomical observations of short and tall pyramidal neurons in primary visual cortex (V1) of cat and primate, these cells are hypothesized to participate in reciprocal circuits with layer 4 and layer 5, respectively (Figure 1; see for review, Callaway, 2004; Douglas and Martin, 2004)
Summary
One of the most obvious distinguishing features of mammalian cerebral cortex is its laminar structure. In primate primary visual cortex, for example, there are at least 8 different types of pyramidal neuron (5 cell types display short pyramidal morphology and 3 cell types display tall pyramidal morphology), each defined by local dendritic and axonal arborization patterns targeting specific sub-lamina (Wiser and Callaway, 1996; Briggs and Callaway, 2001).
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