Dataset Information

The Transformation of Adaptation Specificity to Whisker Identity from Brainstem to Thalamus.

ABSTRACT: Stimulus specific adaptation has been studied extensively in different modalities. High specificity implies that deviant stimulus induces a stronger response compared to a common stimulus. The thalamus gates sensory information to the cortex, therefore, the specificity of adaptation in the thalamus must have a great impact on cortical processing of sensory inputs. We studied the specificity of adaptation to whisker identity in the ventral posteromedial nucleus of the thalamus (VPM) in rats using extracellular and intracellular recordings. We found that subsequent to repetitive stimulation that induced strong adaptation, the response to stimulation of the same, or any other responsive whisker was equally adapted, indicating that thalamic adaptation is non-specific. In contrast, adaptation of single units in the upstream brainstem principal trigeminal nucleus (PrV) was significantly more specific. Depolarization of intracellularly recorded VPM cells demonstrated that adaptation is not due to buildup of inhibition. In addition, adaptation increased the probability of observing complete synaptic failures to tactile stimulation. In accordance with short-term synaptic depression models, the evoked synaptic potentials in response to whisker stimulation, subsequent to a response failure, were facilitated. In summary, we show that local short-term synaptic plasticity is involved in the transformation of adaptation in the trigemino-thalamic synapse and that the low specificity of adaptation in the VPM emerges locally rather than cascades from earlier stages. Taken together we suggest that during sustained stimulation, local thalamic mechanisms equally suppress inputs arriving from different whiskers before being gated to the cortex.

SUBMITTER: Jubran M

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4917531 | biostudies-literature | 2016

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

ACCESS DATA

Publications

The Transformation of Adaptation Specificity to Whisker Identity from Brainstem to Thalamus.

Jubran Muna M Mohar Boaz B Lampl Ilan I

Frontiers in systems neuroscience 20160623

Stimulus specific adaptation has been studied extensively in different modalities. High specificity implies that deviant stimulus induces a stronger response compared to a common stimulus. The thalamus gates sensory information to the cortex, therefore, the specificity of adaptation in the thalamus must have a great impact on cortical processing of sensory inputs. We studied the specificity of adaptation to whisker identity in the ventral posteromedial nucleus of the thalamus (VPM) in rats using ...[more]

PMID: 27445716

Similar Datasets

Project description:Purpose: We aimed to resolve if there is a matched expression of neuropeptide receptor(s) and their ligand(s) between the sensory trunk of the trigeminal nerve (Pr5) and the ventrobasal hypothalamus on postnatal day 7 (P7) in mice. We hypothesized that a coincidence of neuropeptide expression and release from the ventrobasal thalamus and the cognate receptor(s) for the specific neuropeptide(s) in trigeminal neurons could allow for novel hypotheses be built on intercellular communication between peripheral axons and their postsynaptic targets in the thalamus. Thereby, this work can be informative of the developmental integration of the whisker pathway, one of the major sensory modalities in laboratory rodents. To this end, we used single-cell RNA-seq on cells dissociated from the ventrobasal thalamus and Pr5 on P7. Results: We tested this hypothesis by single-nucleus RNA-seq performed in parallel on the ventrobasal thalamus and Pr5 at P7. At this developmental stage, the ventrobasal thalamus contained two subtypes of Slc17a6+(glutamatergic) neurons, one subtype of Gad1/Gad2+ (GABA) neurons, astroglia, oligodendrocytes, and vascular components (n = 923 nuclei isolated from n = 3 pups of mixed sex). Slc17a6+ neurons, which we recognize as cortically projecting glutamate neurons, co-expressed molecular components underpinning barrel map formation (e.g., Grin1, Adcy1, Prkaca,99 Ache, Slc6a4) and a significant amount of the thalamocortical neuronal marker Cck, while other neuropeptides/hormones were absent or barely present (e.g., Npy, Sst). At the same time, we harvested n = 731 nuclei from the Pr5 by micro-excision at P7, of which ∼98% expressed Slc17a6, thus qualifying, in total or in part, as centrally-projecting sensory neurons. This neuronal cohort harbored axon guidance molecules, and neuropeptide receptors. Conclusions: We suggest that neuropeptides, particularly galanin, could participate in guidance decisions of Pr5 axons given the complementarity of ligand-receptor expression patterns, and that Galr1 expression could be a time locked feature for those neurons that actively undergo neuritogenesis at a given time.

Dataset Information

The Transformation of Adaptation Specificity to Whisker Identity from Brainstem to Thalamus.

Publications

The Transformation of Adaptation Specificity to Whisker Identity from Brainstem to Thalamus.

Similar Datasets

OmicsDI is part of the ELIXIR infrastructure

Tweets