Cerebral Cortex, Vol. 9, No. 8, 833-843,
December 1999
© 1999 Oxford University Press
Intracortical Excitation of Spiny Neurons in Layer 4 of Cat Striate Cortex In Vitro
University Laboratory of Physiology, Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3PT, UK and , 1 Institute of Neuroinformatics, University/ETH Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland
Address correspondence to K.A.C. Martin, Institute of Neuroinformatics, University/ETH Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland. Email : kevan{at}ini.phys.ethz.ch.
Recordings were made from pairs of neurons in cat striate visual cortex in vitro to study the AMPA-channel-mediated components of intracortical excitatory synaptic connections between layer 4 spiny neurons and between layer 6 and layer 4 spiny neurons. Forty-six of the 72 cells recorded were identified morphologically. They consisted of spiny stellate and pyramidal cells in layer 4, and pyramidal cells in layer 6. Connections between layer 4 excitatory cells involve excitatory postsynaptic potentials (EPSPs) averaging 949 µV, with an average coefficient of variation of 0.21 (n = 30). The synapses operate at very high release probabilities (0.69–0.98). With repetitive stimulation these EPSPs show varying degrees of depression, largely mediated by presynaptic changes in release probability. Four pairs of layer 4 cells were reciprocally connected. The connections from layer 6 to layer 4 involve smaller, more variable EPSPs, with an average amplitude of 214 µV, and average coefficient of variation 0.72 (n = 7). These synapses operate at moderately high release probabilities (0.37–0.56). They show facilitation with repetitive stimulation, mediated largely by presynaptic changes in release probability. One excitatory connection from a layer 4 neuron to a layer 6 pyramidal cell was also detected. Thus, layer 4 spiny neurons receive effective excitation from two intracortical sources that have different synaptic dynamics and are likely to contribute significantly to the temporal properties of these cells in vivo.
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