Molecular signatures of neural connectivity in the olfactory cortex

The ability to target subclasses of neurons with defined connectivity is crucial for uncovering neural circuit functions. The olfactory (piriform) cortex is thought to generate odour percepts and memories, and odour information encoded in piriform is routed to target brain areas involved in multimod...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Nature communications 2016-07, Vol.7 (1), p.12238-12238, Article 12238
Main Authors: Diodato, Assunta, Ruinart de Brimont, Marion, Yim, Yeong Shin, Derian, Nicolas, Perrin, Sandrine, Pouch, Juliette, Klatzmann, David, Garel, Sonia, Choi, Gloria B, Fleischmann, Alexander
Format: Article
Language:English
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Brain research
Dissection
Experiments
Gene expression
Humanities and Social Sciences
Life Sciences
multidisciplinary
Neurobiology
Neurons
Neurons and Cognition
Science
Science (multidisciplinary)
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Summary:The ability to target subclasses of neurons with defined connectivity is crucial for uncovering neural circuit functions. The olfactory (piriform) cortex is thought to generate odour percepts and memories, and odour information encoded in piriform is routed to target brain areas involved in multimodal sensory integration, cognition and motor control. However, it remains unknown if piriform outputs are spatially organized, and if distinct output channels are delineated by different gene expression patterns. Here we identify genes selectively expressed in different layers of the piriform cortex. Neural tracing experiments reveal that these layer-specific piriform genes mark different subclasses of neurons, which project to distinct target areas. Interestingly, these molecular signatures of connectivity are maintained in reeler mutant mice, in which neural positioning is scrambled. These results reveal that a predictive link between a neuron’s molecular identity and connectivity in this cortical circuit is determined independent of its spatial position. The piriform cortex projects to multiple brain regions involved in diverse aspects of olfactory behavior but information about the organization of these outputs is lacking. Here the authors show that piriform neurons exhibit layer specific gene expression patterns that also define distinct projection targets.
ISSN:2041-1723
2041-1723
DOI:10.1038/ncomms12238