Cortex is driven by weak but synchronously active thalamocortical synapses

Cortex is driven by weak but synchronously active thalamocortical synapses
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DOI:
10.1126/science.1124593
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发表时间:
2006-06-16
期刊:
影响因子:
56.9
通讯作者:
Sakmann, Bert
Sakmann, Bert
中科院分区:
综合性期刊1区
文献类型:
--
作者:
Bruno, Randy M.;Sakmann, Bert

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感觉刺激通过丘脑皮质投射到达大脑,这是一组被认为是新皮质中最强大的轴突。令人惊讶的是,这些轴突仅占皮质神经元上突触的15%。因此,丘脑皮质通路可能通过高效的丘脑皮质突触或通过皮层4层内的放大来实现其有效性。在大鼠躯体感觉皮层,我们在体内测量了由单个突触连接诱发的兴奋性突触后电位,发现丘脑皮层突触具有低效能。然而,会聚输入既多又同步,并且不需要皮层内放大。我们的研究结果表明,皮层激活的机制,丘脑输入可以单独驱动皮层。
Sensory stimuli reach the brain via the thalamocortical projection, a group of axons thought to be among the most powerful in the neocortex. Surprisingly, these axons account for only similar to 15% of synapses onto cortical neurons. The thalamocortical pathway might thus achieve its effectiveness via high-efficacy thalamocortical synapses or via amplification within cortical layer 4. In rat somatosensory cortex, we measured in vivo the excitatory postsynaptic potential evoked by a single synaptic connection and found that thalamocortical synapses have low efficacy. Convergent inputs, however, are both numerous and synchronous, and intracortical amplification is not required. Our results suggest a mechanism of cortical activation by which thalamic input alone can drive cortex.