| First Author | Yassin L | Year | 2010 |
| Journal | Neuron | Volume | 68 |
| Issue | 6 | Pages | 1043-50 |
| PubMed ID | 21172607 | Mgi Jnum | J:167717 |
| Mgi Id | MGI:4879040 | Doi | 10.1016/j.neuron.2010.11.029 |
| Citation | Yassin L, et al. (2010) An embedded subnetwork of highly active neurons in the neocortex. Neuron 68(6):1043-50 |
| abstractText | Unbiased methods to assess the firing activity of individual neurons in the neocortex have revealed that a large proportion of cells fire at extremely low rates (<0.1 Hz), both in their spontaneous and evoked activity. Thus, firing in neocortical networks appears to be dominated by a small population of highly active neurons. Here, we use a fosGFP transgenic mouse to examine the properties of cells with a recent history of elevated activity. FosGFP-expressing layer 2/3 pyramidal cells fired at higher rates compared to fosGFP(-) neurons, both in vivo and in vitro. Elevated activity could be attributed to increased excitatory and decreased inhibitory drive to fosGFP(+) neurons. Paired-cell recordings indicated that fosGFP(+) neurons had a greater likelihood of being connected to each other. These findings indicate that highly active, interconnected neuronal ensembles are present in the neocortex and suggest these cells may play a role in the encoding of sensory information. VIDEO ABSTRACT: |
