Intracortical multiplication of thalamocortical signals in mouse auditory cortex.

ABSTRACT: Cortical processing of sensory information begins with the transformation of thalamically relayed signals. We optogenetically silenced intracortical circuits to isolate thalamic inputs to layer 4 neurons and found that intracortical excitation linearly amplified thalamocortical responses underlying frequency and direction selectivity, with spectral range and tuning preserved, and prolonged the response duration. This signal pre-amplification and prolongation enhanced the salience of thalamocortically relayed information and ensured its robust, faithful and more persistent representation.

SUBMITTER: Li LY 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3844430 | biostudies-literature | 2013 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature