Project description
Insight into brain cortex dynamics
In the mammalian brain, sensory perception is achieved through a fine orchestration of neocortical networks, which are formed by a rich diversity of excitatory and inhibitory neurons. In particular, the neocortical layer 1 (L1) integrates motor cortex and thalamic inputs to facilitate top-down context-dependent sensory processing. The scope of the EU-funded InProSMod project is to delineate the role of L1 interneurons in decoding sensory information. Scientists will employ electrophysiology, imaging and theoretical modelling to investigate whisking in mice, a behaviour used for exploratory movements and spatial navigation. Apart from advancing our knowledge of cortical circuit dynamics, the project's work may have positive implications for several brain disorders.
Objective
In the sensory cortex of awake mice, spontaneous activity has been shown to exhibit various regimes, characterized by various levels of spiking activity. Such diverse activity regimes, termed network states, have a profound impact on the computational properties during sensory processing. In the mouse barrel cortex, a major top-down pathway modulating sensory input is represented by the integration of inputs from the motor cortex and associative thalamus onto layer 1 (L1). Here I will characterize the synaptic and circuit properties underlying top-down control of sensory network states during whisking in L1. Using a combination of synaptic biophysics, in vivo electrophysiology, 2-photon imaging and theoretical modeling, I will define the important role of L1 interneurons in decoding top-down processing of sensory information. This research will generate valuable information to advance our knowledge of cortical circuit dynamics during normal cortical operations, with crucial implications for several brain disorders.
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Programme(s)
Funding Scheme
MSCA-IF - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowships (IF)Coordinator
75013 Paris
France