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Neuroscience
Cluster Scientific Retreat |
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Department of Neurobiology The role
of the corticothalamocortical circuit in corticocortical information transfer An unresolved question in
neuroscience relates to the extent to which corticothalamocortical
circuits emanating from layer 5 play a role in information transfer through
the cortical hierarchy. During the talk I will present evidence that
demonstrates that the corticothalamocortical
pathway drives robust activity in higher-order somatosensory
cortex. When the corticocortical pathway was
interrupted, secondary somatosensory cortex still
showed robust activity in response to primary somatosensory
cortex stimulation, suggesting a highly efficacious circuit. Further, after chemically inhibiting the corticothalamocortical pathway, the activation in
secondary somatosensory cortex was eliminated, with
a subsequent return after washout. These findings suggest that the corticothalamocortical circuit is a physiologically
viable candidate for delivery of receptive field-defining input to
higher-order cortical areas. 09/16/2009 |