Thalamic NMDA receptor function is necessary for patterning of the thalamocortical somatosensory map and for sensorimotor behaviors

NMDARs play a major role in patterning of topographic sensory maps in the brain. Genetic knock-out of the essential subunit of NMDARs in excitatory cortical neurons prevents whisker-specific neural pattern formation in the barrel cortex. To determine the role of NMDARs en route to the cortex, we gen...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The Journal of neuroscience 2014-09, Vol.34 (36), p.12001-12014
Main Authors: Arakawa, Hiroyuki, Suzuki, Ayumi, Zhao, Shuxin, Tsytsarev, Vassiliy, Lo, Fu-Sun, Hayashi, Yu, Itohara, Shigeyoshi, Iwasato, Takuji, Erzurumlu, Reha S
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animals
Connectome
Evoked Potentials
Maze Learning
Mice
Mice, Inbred C57BL
Nerve Tissue Proteins - genetics
Nerve Tissue Proteins - metabolism
Receptors, N-Methyl-D-Aspartate - genetics
Receptors, N-Methyl-D-Aspartate - metabolism
Social Behavior
Somatosensory Cortex - metabolism
Somatosensory Cortex - physiology
Thalamus - metabolism
Thalamus - physiology
Touch Perception
Trigeminal Nuclei - metabolism
Trigeminal Nuclei - physiology
Vibrissae - innervation
Vibrissae - physiology
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Summary:NMDARs play a major role in patterning of topographic sensory maps in the brain. Genetic knock-out of the essential subunit of NMDARs in excitatory cortical neurons prevents whisker-specific neural pattern formation in the barrel cortex. To determine the role of NMDARs en route to the cortex, we generated sensory thalamus-specific NR1 (Grin1)-null mice (ThNR1KO). A multipronged approach, using histology, electrophysiology, optical imaging, and behavioral testing revealed that, in these mice, whisker patterns develop in the trigeminal brainstem but do not develop in the somatosensory thalamus. Subsequently, there is no barrel formation in the neocortex yet a partial afferent patterning develops. Whisker stimulation evokes weak cortical activity and presynaptic neurotransmitter release probability is also affected. We found several behavioral deficits in tasks, ranging from sensorimotor to social and cognitive. Collectively, these results show that thalamic NMDARs play a critical role in the patterning of the somatosensory thalamic and cortical maps and their impairment may lead to pronounced behavioral defects.
ISSN:0270-6474
1529-2401
DOI:10.1523/JNEUROSCI.1663-14.2014