Abstract
SummaryThe timing of stimulus-evoked spikes encodes information about sensory stimuli. Here we studied the neural circuits controlling this process in the mouse primary somatosensory cortex. We found that brief optogenetic activation of layer V pyramidal cells just after whisker deflection modulated the membrane potential of neurons and interrupted their long-latency whisker responses, increasing their accuracy in encoding whisker deflection time. In contrast, optogenetic inhibition of layer V during either passive whisker deflection or active whisking decreased accuracy in encoding stimulus or touch time, respectively. Suppression of layer V pyramidal cells increased reaction times in a texture discrimination task. Moreover, two-color optogenetic experiments revealed that cortical inhibition was efficiently recruited by layer V stimulation and that it mainly involved activation of parvalbumin-positive rather than somatostatin-positive interneurons. Layer V thus performs behaviorally relevant temporal sharpening of sensory responses through circuit-specific recruitment of cortical inhibition.
Highlights
The cortex is crucially involved in sensory perception, and its function is dictated by its architecture [1]
Contacts with objects trigger patterns of whisker deflections whose temporal structure is crucial for sensory perception [21,22,23,24,25,26] and that is in part encoded as precisely timed patterns of cortical spikes [20, 24, 26,27,28,29]
We demonstrate that activity of layer V pyramidal cells sharpens the temporal neuronal responses to whisker stimuli, leading to more precise encoding of whisker deflection or touch time in the primary somatosensory cortex (S1)
Summary
The cortex is crucially involved in sensory perception, and its function is dictated by its architecture [1]. The whisker system is a preferred model for studying the mechanisms of sensory processing [13, 14]. Through their whiskers, rodents detect and localize objects [15,16,17,18] and discriminate their textures [19,20,21]. Contacts with objects trigger patterns of whisker deflections whose temporal structure is crucial for sensory perception [21,22,23,24,25,26] and that is in part encoded as precisely timed patterns of cortical spikes [20, 24, 26,27,28,29]. The neural circuits controlling how neural responses encode the timing of sensory stimuli remain largely unresolved
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
