Early Gamma Oscillations Synchronize Developing Thalamus and Cortex

• Published in: Science (American Association for the Advancement of Science) Vol. 334; no. 6053; pp. 226 - 229
• Main Authors: Minlebaev, Marat, Colonnese, Matthew, Tsintsadze, Timur, Sirota, Anton, Khazipov, Roustem
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Washington, DC American Association for the Advancement of Science 14-10-2011; The American Association for the Advancement of Science
• Subjects: Adults; Animals; Animals, Newborn; Biological and medical sciences; Brain research; Brain Waves - physiology; Evoked Potentials, Somatosensory; Excitatory Postsynaptic Potentials; Female; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Histograms; Inhibition; Inhibitory Postsynaptic Potentials; Interneurons; Male; Models, Neurological; Nerve Net - physiology; Neural Inhibition; Neuronal Plasticity; Neurons; Neurons - physiology; Neuroscience; Oscillators; Patch-Clamp Techniques; Rats; Rats, Wistar; Rodents; Sensory perception; Somatosensory Cortex - growth & development; Somatosensory Cortex - physiology; Spectral energy distribution; Synapses; Synapses - physiology; Thalamus; Thalamus - growth & development; Thalamus - physiology; Topography; Vertebrates: nervous system and sense organs; Vibrissae - growth & development; Vibrissae - innervation; Vibrissae - physiology; Human; Cartography; Rat; Rodentia; Central nervous system; Temporal cortex; Ego; Synchronization; Vertebrata; Mammalia; Neuron; Newborn animal; Topography; Oscillation; Development; Adult; Early; Thalamus; Inhibition
• ISSN: 0036-8075; 1095-9203
• DOI: 10.1126/science.1210574

During development, formation of topographic maps in sensory cortex requires precise temporal binding in thalamocortical networks. However, the physiological substrate for such synchronization is unknown. We report that early gamma oscillations (EGOs) enable precise spatiotemporal thalamocortical synchronization in the neonatal rat whisker sensory system. Driven by a thalamic gamma oscillator and initially independent of cortical inhibition, EGOs synchronize neurons in a single thalamic barreloid and corresponding cortical barrel and support plasticity at developing thalamocortical synapses. We propose that the multiple replay of sensory input in thalamocortical circuits during EGOs allows thalamic and cortical neurons to be organized into vertical topographic functional units before the development of horizontal binding in adult brain.