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Sensory learning‐induced enhancement of inhibitory synaptic transmission in the barrel cortex of the mouse
Author(s) -
Tokarski Krzysztof,
UrbanCiecko Joanna,
Kossut Malgorzata,
Hess Grzegorz
Publication year - 2007
Publication title -
european journal of neuroscience
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.346
H-Index - 206
eISSN - 1460-9568
pISSN - 0953-816X
DOI - 10.1111/j.1460-9568.2007.05629.x
Subject(s) - barrel cortex , inhibitory postsynaptic potential , neuroscience , sensory system , barrel (horology) , neurotransmission , psychology , transmission (telecommunications) , chemistry , computer science , materials science , receptor , biochemistry , telecommunications , composite material
In adult mice, repetitive pairing of stimulation of mystacial vibrissae with an electrical shock to the tail induces expansion of the cortical representation of stimulated vibrissae accompanied by elevation of the GABAergic markers. Here, we show that this associative learning paradigm results in a selective increase in the frequency of spontaneous inhibitory postsynaptic currents in layer IV excitatory neurons located within the barrel representing stimulated vibrissae, evident 24 h after the end of training. The mean amplitude of spontaneous inhibitory postsynaptic potentials recorded from excitatory neurons was unchanged. Recordings from layer IV excitatory and fast spiking neurons showed that the training induced changes neither in the mean frequency nor it the mean amplitude of spontaneous excitatory postsynaptic currents. On the other hand, the mean amplitude of field potentials evoked by the stimulation of layer VI and recorded in layer IV was significantly reduced. These data indicate that aversive training results in a selective and long‐lasting enhancement of GABAergic transmission within the cortical representation of stimulated vibrissae, which may result in a decrease in layer VI‐evoked field responses.