研究発表を行った学会；
Neuroscience 2017, Society for Neuroscience annual meeting
2017年11月11日〜15日（Washington DC, US）
タイトル；Patchwork-type spontaneous activity in layer 4 of neonatal somatosensory barrel cortex transferred via thalamocortical projections.
発表者；水野 秀信
（熊本大学 国際先端医学研究機構）
要旨；
Establishment of precise neuronal connectivity in the neocortex relies on activity-dependent circuit reorganization in postnatal development; however, the nature of cortical activity during these periods remains largely unknown. Using two-photon calcium imaging of the barrel cortex during the first postnatal week, here we found a “patchwork-type” spontaneous activity, which was confined to the barrel map. In the absence of whisker-stimulation, layer 4 (L4) neurons belonging to the same barrel fired together. By generating transgenic mice expressing GCaMP6s in the thalamocortical (TC) axons, we showed that TC axon termini also exhibited the patchwork activity. This activity was diminished by peripheral anesthesia but mostly uncorrelated with whisker movements. In the second postnatal week, the patchwork pattern disappeared and L4 neurons even within the same barrel fired in a desynchronized manner. The patchwork-type spontaneous L4 activity has features that are suitable as the template for TC circuit refinement in the neonatal barrel cortex.
