Translaminar synchronous neuronal activity is required for columnar synaptic strengthening in the mouse neocortex
Synchronous neuronal activity is a hallmark of the developing mouse primary somatosensory cortex. While the patterns of synchronous neuronal activity in cortical layer 2/3 have been well described, the source of the robust layer 2/3 activity is still unknown. Using a novel microprism preparation and in vivo 2-photon imaging in neonatal mice, we show that synchronous neuronal activity is organized in barrel columns across layers. Monosynaptic rabies tracing and slice electrophysiology experiments reveal that layer 2/3 pyramidal neurons receive significant layer 5 inputs during the first postnatal week, and silencing layer 5 synaptic outputs results in a significant reduction in spontaneous activity, abnormal sensory-evoked activity and disrupted layer 4-layer 2/3 connectivity. Our results demonstrate that translaminar layer 5-layer 2/3 connectivity plays an important role in synchronizing the developing barrel column to ensure the strengthening of layer 4-layer 2/3 connections, supporting the formation of the canonical cortical organization in barrel cortex.
Authors
- Sajida Khan (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0752-0215)
- John Lee Soto-Vargas (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7921-8958)
- Alicia Che (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7530-8531)
- Sam Wacks
- Rachel Babij (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9102-1549)
- Vena K. Martinez
- Natalia V. De Marco García (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5540-258X)
- Zhe Ran S. Duan
- Lin Lin (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9640-0687)
- Liyuan Sun (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2643-2576)
- Ying Wang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0367-6677)
- Rong-Jian Liu
- John Vargas-Ortiz (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1485-6363)
Institutions
- Cornell University (US)
- Yale University (US)
- MIND Research Institute (US)
- Tri-Institutional PhD Program in Chemical Biology (US)
- Weill Cornell Medicine (US)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Nature Communications
- Published
- 2025-02-03
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-55783-w
- Citations
- 1
- Primary Topic
- Neuroscience and Neuropharmacology Research
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.91
Funders
- Brain and Behavior Research Foundation
- State of Connecticut Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services
- Weill Cornell Medical College
- National Institute of Mental Health
- National Institute on Drug Abuse
- National Institute of General Medical Sciences
- National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke