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Thalamic NMDA Receptor Function Is Necessary for Patterning of the Thalamocortical Somatosensory Map and for Sensorimotor Behaviors
- Source :
- The Journal of Neuroscience. 34:12001-12014
- Publication Year :
- 2014
- Publisher :
- Society for Neuroscience, 2014.
-
Abstract
- NMDARs play a major role in patterning of topographic sensory maps in the brain. Genetic knock-out of the essential subunit of NMDARs in excitatory cortical neurons prevents whisker-specific neural pattern formation in the barrel cortex. To determine the role of NMDARs en route to the cortex, we generated sensory thalamus-specific NR1 (Grin1)-null mice (ThNR1KO). A multipronged approach, using histology, electrophysiology, optical imaging, and behavioral testing revealed that, in these mice, whisker patterns develop in the trigeminal brainstem but do not develop in the somatosensory thalamus. Subsequently, there is no barrel formation in the neocortex yet a partial afferent patterning develops. Whisker stimulation evokes weak cortical activity and presynaptic neurotransmitter release probability is also affected. We found several behavioral deficits in tasks, ranging from sensorimotor to social and cognitive. Collectively, these results show that thalamic NMDARs play a critical role in the patterning of the somatosensory thalamic and cortical maps and their impairment may lead to pronounced behavioral defects.
- Subjects :
- Thalamus
Nerve Tissue Proteins
Sensory system
Somatosensory system
Receptors, N-Methyl-D-Aspartate
Trigeminal Nuclei
Mice
Cortex (anatomy)
Connectome
medicine
Animals
Maze Learning
Social Behavior
Evoked Potentials
Neocortex
musculoskeletal, neural, and ocular physiology
General Neuroscience
Articles
Somatosensory Cortex
Barrel cortex
Mice, Inbred C57BL
medicine.anatomical_structure
Touch Perception
nervous system
Somatosensory evoked potential
Vibrissae
Sensory maps
Psychology
Neuroscience
Subjects
Details
- ISSN :
- 15292401 and 02706474
- Volume :
- 34
- Database :
- OpenAIRE
- Journal :
- The Journal of Neuroscience
- Accession number :
- edsair.doi.dedup.....167d7813966a4837dcc28f58e7d8a5a7