Cortex is driven by weak but synchronously active thalamocortical synapses
Abstract
Sensory stimuli reach the brain via the thalamocortical projection, a group of axons thought to be among the most powerful in the neocortex. Surprisingly, these axons account for only approximately 15% of synapses onto cortical neurons. The thalamocortical pathway might thus achieve its effectiveness via high-efficacy thalamocortical synapses or via amplification within cortical layer 4. In rat somatosensory cortex, we measured in vivo the excitatory postsynaptic potential evoked by a single synaptic connection and found that thalamocortical synapses have low efficacy. Convergent inputs, however, are both numerous and synchronous, and intracortical amplification is not required. Our results suggest a mechanism of cortical activation by which thalamic input alone can drive cortex.
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Thalamo-recipient principal neurons act as coincidence detectors of near-synchronous thalamic input and have improved sensitivity to the temporal distribution of thalamic spiking.
“As a result of this circuit, thalamo-recipient principal neurons act as coincidence detectors of near synchronous thalamic input (Figure 5B) and improve the sensitivity of cortical neurons to the temporal distribution of thalamic spiking activity (Bruno and Sakmann, 2006; Bruno and Simons, 2002; Cardin et al., 2010; Pinto et al., 2000; Pinto et al., 2003)”
From GABAergic Interneurons in the Neocortex: From Cellular Properties to Circuits (2016) · cites this paper as Bruno and Sakmann, 2006
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- Authors
- Bruno, R. M., & Sakmann, B.
- Affiliations
- Max Planck Institute for Medical Research (DE)
- Corresponding author
- Bruno, Randy M.
- ORCID
- Bruno, Randy M.
- Venue
- Science
- Published
- 2006-06-16
- Volume
- 312
- Issue
- 5780
- Pages
- 1622-1627
- ISSN
- 0036-8075 (ISSN-L)
- 1095-9203
- OpenAlex
- W1987521590
- Cited by
- 714
- References
- 40
- Citations by year
- 2026: 12 · 2025: 26 · 2024: 20 · 2023: 34 · 2022: 29 · 2021: 56 · 2020: 25 · 2019: 42 · 2018: 32 · 2017: 31 · 2016: 32 · 2015: 46 · 2014: 44 · 2013: 45 · 2012: 35
- FWCI
- 21.21
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Science (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Max Planck Institute for Plasma Physics (submittedVersion)
- Max Planck Digital Library (submittedVersion)
- MPG.PuRe (Max Planck Society) (submittedVersion)
- 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
- thalamocortical synapses, thalamocortical circuits, synaptic efficacy, excitatory postsynaptic potentials, somatosensory cortex, cortical layer 4, convergent synaptic inputs, cortical activation
- MeSH terms
- Action Potentials, Animals, Axons, Dendrites, Electric Stimulation, Membrane Potentials, Neural Pathways, Synaptic Transmission, Neurons, Somatosensory Cortex, Synapses, Thalamus, Vibrissae, Rats, Wistar, Excitatory Postsynaptic Potentials, Rats
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