Cited by 2,606Neural dynamics and brain functionNeuroscience and Neuropharmacology ResearchMemory and Neural Mechanisms

Parvalbumin neurons and gamma rhythms enhance cortical circuit performance

Open access
Sohal, Vikaas S., Zhang, Feng, Yizhar, Ofer, Deisseroth, Karl·2009·Nature

Abstract

Synchronized oscillations and inhibitory interneurons have important and interconnected roles within cortical microcircuits. In particular, interneurons defined by the fast-spiking phenotype and expression of the calcium-binding protein parvalbumin have been suggested to be involved in gamma (30-80 Hz) oscillations, which are hypothesized to enhance information processing. However, because parvalbumin interneurons cannot be selectively controlled, definitive tests of their functional significance in gamma oscillations, and quantitative assessment of the impact of parvalbumin interneurons and gamma oscillations on cortical circuits, have been lacking despite potentially enormous significance (for example, abnormalities in parvalbumin interneurons may underlie altered gamma-frequency synchronization and cognition in schizophrenia and autism). Here we use a panel of optogenetic technologies in mice to selectively modulate multiple distinct circuit elements in neocortex, alone or in combination. We find that inhibiting parvalbumin interneurons suppresses gamma oscillations in vivo, whereas driving these interneurons (even by means of non-rhythmic principal cell activity) is sufficient to generate emergent gamma-frequency rhythmicity. Moreover, gamma-frequency modulation of excitatory input in turn was found to enhance signal transmission in neocortex by reducing circuit noise and amplifying circuit signals, including inputs to parvalbumin interneurons. As demonstrated here, optogenetics opens the door to a new kind of informational analysis of brain function, permitting quantitative delineation of the functional significance of individual elements in the emergent operation and function of intact neural circuitry.

The claims and statistics of this paper haven’t been checked yet.

Run the check — free, no account needed. It reads the open-access text and checks the sources it cites.

A few free checks a day · papers already verified open instantly · results are public

Integrity signals

Registry

Crossref · 10.1038/nature07991

Cites

31 of 31 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

Statistics

Claims the paper makes

The claims and statistics of this paper haven’t been checked yet.

Run the check — free, no account needed. It reads the open-access text and checks the sources it cites.

A few free checks a day · papers already verified open instantly · results are public

Claims other papers make about this one

Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?

  • PV-expressing basket cells have critical roles in generating and maintaining gamma, theta and ripple oscillations.

    “strong evidence supporting the view that PV-expressing basket cells have critical roles in the generation and maintenance of gamma, theta and ripple oscillations”

    From GABAergic Interneurons in the Neocortex: From Cellular Properties to Circuits (2016) · cites this paper as Sohal et al., 2009

    The supplied passages (labelled Abstract; no page given) show that manipulating fast-spiking PV interneurons affected gamma oscillations. The paper says further work is needed to distinguish basket cells from other PV-interneuron subtypes, so it does not establish a basket-cell-specific role. Its theta findings concern responses to imposed rhythms, not their generation or maintenance, and the passages do not address ripple oscillations. (LLM, conf=0.90)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured
  • A sensory paradigm can induce a synchronous activated state in the prefrontal neuronal circuitry and elicit theta oscillations with nested gamma activity.

    “We used a sensory paradigm to induce a synchronous activated state in the prefrontal neuronal circuitry and, thus, elicit u oscillations with a nested g activity (Sohal et al., 2009)”

    From Perineuronal Nets Regulate the Inhibitory Perisomatic Input onto Parvalbumin Interneurons and γ Activity in the Prefrontal Cortex (2020) · cites this paper as Sohal et al., 2009

    The paper reports that rhythmic light stimulation induced theta- or gamma-frequency firing in pyramidal neurons, and it also tested prefrontal pyramidal neurons (section labeled Abstract; page unavailable). It does not show that a sensory paradigm induced a synchronous activated prefrontal state or theta oscillations with gamma activity nested within them; theta and gamma were applied as separate stimulation patterns. (LLM, conf=0.86)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured
  • Fast-spiking properties impose high metabolic demand and increased mitochondrial density, rendering PV cells, but not other interneurons such as calretinin and calbindin cells, particularly sensitive to oxidative stress.

    “Fast-spiking properties consequently impose high metabolic demand and increased mitochondrial density, which renders PV cells, but not other interneurons such as calretinin and calbindin cells, particularly sensitive to oxidative stress (3).”

    From Perineuronal nets protect fast-spiking interneurons against oxidative stress (2013) · cites this paper as [3]

    The passages on PV interneurons and gamma rhythms (section labeled Abstract; page unavailable) identify PV cells as fast-spiking, but do not address metabolic demand, mitochondrial density, or oxidative-stress sensitivity. Searches for those terms and for the comparison with calretinin and calbindin cells found no passage supporting the attributed causal claim. (LLM, conf=0.72)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured
  • The antioxidant N-acetylcysteine prevents the GBR-induced PV-cell defect in Gclm KO mice.

    “Furthermore, the antioxidant N-acetylcysteine prevents the GBRinduced PV-cell defect in Gclm KO mice (3).”

    From Perineuronal nets protect fast-spiking interneurons against oxidative stress (2013) · cites this paper as [3]

    The paper’s Abstract and Methods Summary describe optogenetic experiments in PV::Cre mice, not antioxidant treatment in Gclm knockout mice. Searches for N-acetylcysteine, GBR, Gclm knockout mice, and oxidative stress found no passage addressing the claimed prevention of a PV-cell defect; page numbers were unavailable. (LLM, conf=0.78)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured
  • Cortical PV cells contribute to synchronous oscillatory activity, particularly in the gamma range.

    “Cortical PV cells contribute to synchronous oscillatory activity (Cardin et al., 2009; Sohal et al., 2009; Uhlhaas et al., 2009), particularly in the gamma range (∼30–100 Hz).”

Self-check

Percentages, sums and reported differences re-computed from the paper’s own numbers.

The self-check needs the paper’s full text.

Cites

Flagged first, then by citations

Cited by

Sorted by citations

Authors
Sohal, V. S., Zhang, F., Yizhar, O., & Deisseroth, K.
Affiliations
Stanford University (US)
Corresponding author
Deisseroth, Karl
Venue
Nature
Published
2009-04-26
Volume
459
Issue
7247
Pages
698-702
ISSN
  • 0028-0836 (ISSN-L)
  • 1476-4687
OpenAlex
W2047347093
Cited by
2,606
References
31
Citations by year
2026: 118 · 2025: 143 · 2024: 155 · 2023: 138 · 2022: 169 · 2021: 183 · 2020: 190 · 2019: 143 · 2018: 154 · 2017: 172 · 2016: 171 · 2015: 158 · 2014: 143 · 2013: 151 · 2012: 136
FWCI
67.26
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Nature (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (acceptedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
  • RePEc: Research Papers in Economics (submittedVersion)
Funders
National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (F31NS059160)
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Neural dynamics and brain function
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience › Neuroscience and Neuropharmacology Research
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Memory and Neural Mechanisms
Keywords
parvalbumin interneurons, gamma oscillations, fast-spiking interneurons, cortical circuits, optogenetics, signal-to-noise ratio, sensory input, cortical inhibition, schizophrenia, autism spectrum disorder, neocortex, neuronal synchronization, information processing, attention, signal decoding
MeSH terms
Animals, Cell Line, Cerebral Cortex, Cortical Synchronization, Electrophysiology, Evoked Potentials, Interneurons, Parvalbumins, Periodicity, Photic Stimulation, Signal Transduction, Prefrontal Cortex, Neocortex, Mice

About these checks

Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.

Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.

Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.

What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›

Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review