A circuit mechanism for independent modulation of excitatory and inhibitory firing rates after sensory deprivation

Diverse interneuron subtypes shape sensory processing in mature cortical circuits. During development, sensory deprivation evokes powerful synaptic plasticity that alters circuitry, but how different inhibitory subtypes modulate circuit dynamics in response to this plasticity remains unclear. We inv...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences - PNAS 2022-08, Vol.119 (32)
Main Authors: Richter, Leonidas M A, Gjorgjieva, Julijana
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Circuits
Cortex (somatosensory)
Firing rate
Information processing
Modulation
Parvalbumin
Plasticity
Sensory deprivation
Sensory integration
Somatostatin
Synaptic plasticity
Visual pathways
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Summary:Diverse interneuron subtypes shape sensory processing in mature cortical circuits. During development, sensory deprivation evokes powerful synaptic plasticity that alters circuitry, but how different inhibitory subtypes modulate circuit dynamics in response to this plasticity remains unclear. We investigate how deprivation-induced synaptic changes affect excitatory and inhibitory firing rates in a microcircuit model of the sensory cortex with multiple interneuron subtypes. We find that with a single interneuron subtype (parvalbumin-expressing [PV]), excitatory and inhibitory firing rates can only be comodulated-increased or decreased together. To explain the experimentally observed independent modulation, whereby one firing rate increases and the other decreases, requires strong feedback from a second interneuron subtype (somatostatin-expressing [SST]). Our model applies to the visual and somatosensory cortex, suggesting a general mechanism across sensory cortices. Therefore, we provide a mechanistic explanation for the differential role of interneuron subtypes in regulating firing rates, contributing to the already diverse roles they serve in the cortex.
ISSN:0027-8424
1091-6490
DOI:10.1073/pnas.211689511