Cerebral Cortex Advance Access originally published online on May 4, 2005
Cerebral Cortex 2006 16(2):223-236; doi:10.1093/cercor/bhi100
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Morphology, Electrophysiology and Functional Input Connectivity of Pyramidal Neurons Characterizes a Genuine Layer Va in the Primary Somatosensory Cortex
1 C. & O. Vogt Institute for Brain Research, University of Düsseldorf, POB 101007, D-40001 Düsseldorf, Germany, 2 Institute of Anatomy II, University of Düsseldorf, POB 101007, D-40001 Düsseldorf, Germany and 3 Institute of Physiology and Pathophysiology, University of Mainz, Düsbergweg 6, D-55128 Mainz, Germany
Address correspondence to Dr Dirk Schubert, C. & O. Vogt-Institute for Brain Research, Heinrich-Heine-University Düsseldorf, POB 101007, D-40001 Düsseldorf, Germany. Email: schubd{at}uni-duesseldorf.de.
Cortical layer V classically has been subdivided into sublayers Va and Vb on cytoarchitectonic grounds. In the analysis of cortical microcircuits, however, layer Va has largely been ignored. The purpose of this study was to investigate pyramidal neurons of layer Va in view of their potential role in integrating information from lemniscal and paralemniscal sources. For this we combined detailed electrophysiological and morphological characterization with mapping of intracortical functional connectivity by caged glutamate photolysis in layer Va of rat barrel cortex in vitro. Electrophysiological characterization revealed pyramidal cells of the regular spiking as well as the intrinsically burst firing type. However, all layer Va pyramidal neurons displayed uniform morphological properties and comparable functional input connectivity patterns. They received most of their excitatory and inhibitory inputs from intracolumnar sources, especially from layer Va itself, but also from layer IV. Those two layers were also the main origin for transcolumnar excitatory inputs. Layer Va pyramidal neurons thus may predominantly integrate information intralaminarly as well as from layer IV. The functional connectivity maps clearly distinguish layer Va from layer Vb pyramidal cells, and suggest that layer Va plays a unique role in intracortical processing of sensory information.
Key Words: Barrel cortex • caged glutamate • functional connectivity • intracortical • photolysis
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