title: Spatiotemporal patterns of excitation and inhibition evoked by the horizontal network in layer 2/3 of ferret visual cortex.
abstract: The horizontal network in visual cortex layer 2/3 is implicated in numerous psychophysical and physiological properties. To investigate the spatial and temporal distribution of excitation and inhibition evoked by this network, we used voltage-sensitive dyes to image the responses to focal electrical stimulation in tangential slices of ferret visual cortex layer 2/3. The resulting optical patterns included a diffuse zone of activation near the stimulation site and numerous ovoid domains throughout the slice. In contrast to the fixed anatomy of the horizontal connections, substantial shifts in both space and time were evident in the distribution of population-based neuronal activity during stimulus trains. Both of these shifts relied on inhibitory synaptic potentials, suggesting that inhibition driven by horizontal connections sculpts the distribution of activity in this cortical network.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurobiology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina 27710, USA. ttucker@neuro.duke.edu
authors.forename: Thomas R
authors.initials: TR
authors.lastname: Tucker
authors.forename: Lawrence C
authors.initials: LC
authors.lastname: Katz
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004396:Coloring Agents; D004558:Electric Stimulation; D019706:Excitatory Postsynaptic Potentials / Q000502:physiology; D005289:Ferrets; D008564:Membrane Potentials / Q000502:physiology; D008959:Models, Neurological; D009433:Neural Inhibition / Q000502:physiology*; D009924:Organ Culture Techniques; D013997:Time Factors; D014793:Visual Cortex / Q000166:cytology* / Q000502:physiology*; D014795:Visual Pathways / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D004396:Coloring Agents