Photostimulation-based map of the local excitatory input to a single layer 5 pyramidal neuron in monkey visual cortex. UV light is targeted to stimulation sites in a brain slice by focusing through a microscope lens. At the same time, excitatory postsynaptic activity is measured by intracellular recording from a single neuron. Photostimulation at hundreds of sites within the brain slice generates action potentials in neurons at the stimulation sites such that postsynaptic activity detected following photostimulation indicates connections from each site. Colors indicate strength of connections to the recorded neuron with red indicating strong connectivity and blue indicating no connectivity. Intracellular dye-labeling and reconstruction of the recorded neuron's morphology allows correlation of local circuit connectivity with individual neuronal anatomy. See Briggs and Callaway, pp. 535-544.
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