Infragranular excitatory projection to granular neurons in neonatal rodent somatosensory neocortex

Abstract

Though the principles of central nervous system development are genetically encoded, the cortical activity is also critically involved in these processes. While this question is quite important, up to now we are limited in our understanding of the role that neuronal activity plays in formation of functionally linked cellular ensembles in the developing cortex. Recently, transient inhibitory neuronal projections were shown in the barrel cortex during the critical period of its development. Expression of interneuronal connections from infragranular to other cortical layers exactly during the period of barrel formation suggests their critical role in establishment of adult-like columnar organization of the barrel cortex. While the inhibitory connections were demonstrated, the question remains, whether the transient connectivity is restricted by emergence of inhibitory projections, or both types (including excitatory connections) could be expressed during the critical period of the barrel cortex development.

Here, we aimed to answer this question using in vitro optogenetic stimulation of the neurons in the infragranular layers of the neonatal mouse barrel cortex. A viral vector of serotype AAV.PHP.eB containing channelrhodopsin-2 along with a fluorescent Venus tag sequence under the hSyn promoter was delivered via intraventricular injection into the neonatal mouse brain at P0. This transduction protocol resulted in neuron-specific expression of the construct primarily in the L2/3, L5 and L6 cortical layers at P7. At P7, acute coronal brain slices containing the barrel cortical field were prepared. For a given cortical column, the infragranular layers were optogenetically mapped while simultaneous whole-cell electrophysiological registration of a pyramidal cell in the barrel was performed. Holding potential was varied to discriminate between light-evoked EPSCs and IPSCs.

The results of our preliminary recordings in the neonatal somatosensory cortex showed presence of neuronal projections from infra- to granular layer, which is in agreement with the already demonstrated data. However, L4 EPSCs evoked by infragranular layer stimulation were also recorded, suggesting the expression of the excitatory connections from infra- to granular layers early in development. Though we require to continue our recordings, our findings suggest an even more complex network interactions that shape the barrel cortex L4 during the early postnatal stages.

Keywords

barrel cortex / neonatal development / translaminar projections / viral transduction / optogenetic mapping

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