Transfer of thalamocortical and its control by GABAergic mechanisms in the adolescent mouse cerebral cortex in vitro

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Sensory information is encoded in distributed neuronal assemblies in cortical and subcortical areas. To investigate the role of GABAergic interneurons in the formation and propagation of such neuronal assemblies we will use confocal Ca2+ imaging, whole-cell patch clamp and high-densitiy multi electrode array (HD-MEA) recordings to analyse spatiotemporal patterns of coactive neurons after stimulation of the ventrobasal thalamus in an in vitro slice preparation of the mouse barrel cortex. Part of the experiments will be performed in animals expressing GFP under the control of the GAD67 promotor to enable identification of GABAergic interneurons. Confocal Ca2+ imaging will be used to characterize the spatial domain of stimulus-induced neuronal assemblies and their dependence on stimulus features. Targeted patch-clamp recordings from neurons characterized by their contribution to stimulus-induced assemblies and/or their neurotransmitter phenotype will be used to identify the synaptic processes during assembly formation and to selectively add/remove GABAergic interneurons from neuronal assemblies. In addition, pharmacological interference with GABAergic neurotransmission will be used to analyze how inhibition contributes to assembly formation and propagation. HD-MEA recordings will deliver the spike pattern occurring after application of a specific stimulus, allowing the analysis of the dynamic processes leading to the formation of neuronal assemblies. The results of these experiments will contribute to our understanding how sensory information is encoded and processed in nervous systems.