Inhibitory Circuitry of the Neocortex

The neocortex is composed of numerous types of neurons, which are highly interconnected with one another. While much is understood about how individual neurons function, there is much neurobiologists do not understand about how neurons function as circuits or networks. Work in Dr. Fanselow's laboratory focuses on several main questions: How are excitatory and various subtypes of inhibitory interneurons connected to one another? When are different types of inhibitory neurons active within the neocortical circuit and what influence do they have on the surrounding cells? In what functional states can the neocortical circuit exist and how do inhibitory neurons contribute to the generation of these states? How do such functional states affect information processing in the neocortex?

In order to address these questions, two preparations are used in Dr. Fanselow's lab. First, a thalamocortical slice preparation from the rodent somatosensory system is used to investigate cellular-level questions about connectivity, input and output of neurons and mechanisms underlying functional network states. Second, in vivo recordings, also from the rodent somatosensory system, are performed to address how neurons function in intact circuits and how naturally induced circuit states alter sensory processing. Trainees in Dr. Fanselow's lab have the opportunity to learn intracellular whole-cell recordings, as well as extracellular in vivo recording techniques.

Sample Publications:

Fanselow EE, Richardson KA, Connors BW. Selective, state-dependent activation of somatostatin-expressing inhibitory interneurons in mouse neocortex. J Neurophysiol. 2008 Nov;100(5):2640-52.

Richardson KA, Fanselow EE, and BW Connors. Neocortical Anatomy and Physiology, Chapter 29 in Epilepsy: A Comprehensive Textbook, 2nd Ed., Engel J and Pedley TA (eds). Lippincott-Williams & Wilkins, pp. 323-336, 2008. ebook

Fanselow EE, Sameshima K, Baccala LA, and Nicolelis MAL. Thalamic bursting in rats during different awake behavioral states. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2001 Dec 18;98(26):15330-5.

Fanselow EE, Reid AP, and Nicolelis MAL. Reduction of pentylenetetrazole-induced seizure activity in awake rats by seizure-triggered trigeminal nerve stimulation. J Neurosci. 2000 Nov 1;20(21):8160-8.

Fanselow EE and Nicolelis MAL. Behavioral modulation of tactile responses in the rat thalamocortical loop. J Neurosci. 1999 Sep 1;19(17):7603-16.

Nicolelis MAL, Fanselow EE, and Ghazanfar AA. Hebb's dream: the resurgence of cell assemblies. Neuron. 1997 Aug;19(2):219-21.

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