Postsynaptic excitability is necessary for strengthening of cortical sensory responses during experience-dependent development

Komai, S., Licznerski, P., Cetin, A., Waters, J., Denk, W., Brecht, M., Osten, P. (September 2006) Postsynaptic excitability is necessary for strengthening of cortical sensory responses during experience-dependent development. Nature Neuroscience, 9 (9). pp. 1125-33. ISSN 1097-6256

Abstract

Sensory experience is necessary for normal cortical development. This has been shown by sensory deprivation and pharmacological perturbation of the cortex. Because these manipulations affect the cortical network as a whole, the role of postsynaptic cellular properties during experience-dependent development is unclear. Here we addressed the developmental role of somatodendritic excitability, which enables postsynaptic spike timing-dependent forms of plasticity, in rat somatosensory cortex. We used short interfering RNA (siRNA)-based knockdown of Na+ channels to suppress the somatodendritic excitability of small numbers of layer 2/3 pyramidal neurons in the barrel cortex, without altering the ascending sensory pathway. In vivo recordings from siRNA-expressing cells revealed that this manipulation interfered with the normal developmental strengthening of sensory responses. The sensory responsiveness of neighboring cortical neurons was unchanged, indicating that the cortical network was unchanged. We conclude that somatodendritic excitability of the postsynaptic neuron is needed for the regulation of synaptic strength in the developing sensory cortex.

Item Type:	Paper
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Animals DNA Recombinant administration dosage genetics Excitatory Postsynaptic Potentials physiology Green Fluorescent Proteins genetics/metabolism Lentivirus genetics Microscopy Confocal Neuronal Plasticity physiology Pyramidal Cells metabolism physiology RNA Interference physiology RNA Small Interfering genetics metabolism Rats Rats, Wistar Sensory Deprivation/physiology Sodium Channels/genetics/*physiology Somatosensory Cortex/*physiology Synaptic Transmission/physiology
Subjects:	organs, tissues, organelles, cell types and functions > tissues types and functions > barrel cortex organs, tissues, organelles, cell types and functions > sub-cellular tissues: types and functions > calcium channel organs, tissues, organelles, cell types and functions > cell types and functions > cell types > neurons organs, tissues, organelles, cell types and functions > cell types and functions > cell types > neurons organs, tissues, organelles, cell types and functions > cell types and functions > cell types > neurons organism description > animal > mammal > rodent > rat organism description > animal > mammal > rodent > rat bioinformatics > genomics and proteomics > genetics & nucleic acid processing > DNA, RNA structure, function, modification > siRNA organs, tissues, organelles, cell types and functions > sub-cellular tissues: types and functions > synapse
CSHL Authors:	Osten, Pavel
Communities:	CSHL labs > Osten lab
Highlight:	Osten, Pavel
Depositing User:	CSHL Librarian
Date:	September 2006
Date Deposited:	13 Dec 2011 16:40
Last Modified:	18 Nov 2014 16:31
Related URLs:	Publisher
URI:	https://repository.cshl.edu/id/eprint/22843

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