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Clusters of synaptic inputs on dendrites of layer 5 pyramidal cells in mouse visual cortex
- Source :
- eLife, eLife, Vol 5 (2016)
- Publication Year :
- 2016
- Publisher :
- eLife Sciences Publications, Ltd, 2016.
-
Abstract
- The spatial organization of synaptic inputs on the dendritic tree of cortical neurons plays a major role for dendritic integration and neural computations, yet, remarkably little is known about it. We mapped the spatial organization of glutamatergic synapses between layer 5 pyramidal cells by combining optogenetics and 2-photon calcium imaging in mouse neocortical slices. To mathematically characterize the organization of inputs we developed an approach based on combinatorial analysis of the likelihoods of specific synapse arrangements. We found that the synapses of intralaminar inputs form clusters on the basal dendrites of layer 5 pyramidal cells. These clusters contain 4 to 14 synapses within ≤30 µm of dendrite. According to the spatiotemporal characteristics of synaptic summation, these numbers suggest that there will be non-linear dendritic integration of synaptic inputs during synchronous activation. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.09222.001<br />eLife digest Neurons in the brain exchange information through points of contact called synapses. If electrical activity arriving at a number of synapses exceeds a certain threshold, it can trigger an electrical impulse, which is transmitted to the next neuron. Synapses generally connect with branch-like structures called dendrites on the receiving neuron. However, little is known about how synapses are arranged on dendrites. Gökçe et al. have now used a technique called optogenetics to work out the exact arrangement of a type of synapse on neurons in a part of the mouse brain that is devoted to vision. Optogenetics takes advantage of light-activated proteins that can trigger electrical activity. Gökçe et al. used mice that had been genetically engineered to produce these proteins in specific neurons, and then deliberately triggered electrical activity simply by shining light on these neurons. The experiments also used another technique called two-photon calcium imaging to monitor the activity of single synapses in response to the electrical activity triggered by optogenetics. Gökçe et al. found that these neurons have clusters of four to fourteen synapses within a space of 30 micrometers along a dendrite. Synapses in clusters that are active at the same time can interact and thereby generate electrical signals more effectively than synapses spread across the dendrites. Further experiments are now needed to map the synapses between other kinds of neurons, and to map synapses from two different inputs at the same time. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.09222.002
- Subjects :
- 0301 basic medicine
synapse mapping
Mouse
QH301-705.5
Science
Models, Neurological
Short Report
Dendrite
Biology
Optogenetics
General Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology
Synapse
Mice
03 medical and health sciences
0302 clinical medicine
Calcium imaging
medicine
Animals
Biology (General)
visual cortex
Layer (object-oriented design)
spatial cluster analysis
General Immunology and Microbiology
synapse cluster
Pyramidal Cells
General Neuroscience
Optical Imaging
2-photon calcium imaging
Dendrites
General Medicine
Anatomy
030104 developmental biology
Visual cortex
medicine.anatomical_structure
Medicine
Electrical impulse
Neuron
Neuroscience
030217 neurology & neurosurgery
Subjects
Details
- ISSN :
- 2050084X
- Volume :
- 5
- Database :
- OpenAIRE
- Journal :
- eLife
- Accession number :
- edsair.doi.dedup.....62ace9d222e12a0efe1fa224de34562c