Research Report 2010 - MDC

Figure 1. (a) Anatomical reconstruction of two layer 2/3 pyramidal neurons in mouse barrel cortex. (b)Simultaneous dual whole-cell recording of cells shown in A while the mouse is sitting still (quiet) and duringwhisking movements (whisk). (c) Cross correlation of V m in these two neurons shows high correlation duringquiet periods and a reduced correlation during whisker movements. (from Poulet and Petersen, 2008).Figure 2. (a) Single image from high speed(500Hz) whisker filming showing measurementof whisker angle (b) Schematic ofwhisker sensory pathway, scissors indicateposition of bilateral ION cut. (c) Membranepotential (V m ) dynamics undergo a changein state during whisking (red) as comparedto quiet periods (black), irrespective ofwhether the IONs were intact (black) or (d)cut (gray).memory, attention, plasticity and modulation of sensoryresponsiveness. Despite the widespread and importantroles of ACh, the underlying in vivo circuit andsynaptic mechanisms of its action in the central nervoussystem have remained elusive. In this project, wewill selectively manipulate the activity of ACh neuronsusing novel genetically-targeted techniques to revealthe precise role of ACh in cortical processing and ultimatelybehavior.Selected PublicationsPoulet JFA, Petersen CC (2008) Internal brain state regulates membranepotential synchrony in barrel cortex of behaving mice. Nature. 454:881-5.Borgdorff AJ, Poulet JFA, Petersen CC. (2007) Facilitating sensoryresponses in developing mouse somatosensory barrel cortex. JNeurophysiol. 97:2992-3003.Poulet JFA and Hedwig B (2006) The cellular basis of a corollarydischarge. Science 311, 518-22.Hedwig B. and Poulet JFA (2004) Complex auditory behaviour emergesfrom simple reactive steering. Nature 430, 781-785.Poulet JFA and Hedwig B (2002) A corollary discharge mechanismmaintains auditory sensitivity during sound production. Nature 418,872-876.Function and Dysfunction of the Nervous System 175