title: Network mechanisms of spindle-burst oscillations in the neonatal rat barrel cortex in vivo.
abstract: Early in development, cortical networks generate particular patterns of activity that participate in cortical development. The dominant pattern of electrical activity in the neonatal rat neocortex in vivo is a spatially confined spindle-burst. Here, we studied network mechanisms of generation of spindle-bursts in the barrel cortex of neonatal rats using a superfused cortex preparation in vivo. Both spontaneous and sensory-evoked spindle-bursts were present in the superfused barrel cortex. Pharmacological analysis revealed that spindle-bursts are driven by glutamatergic synapses with a major contribution of AMPA/kainate receptors, but slight participation of NMDA receptors and gap junctions. Although GABAergic synapses contributed minimally to the pacing the rhythm of spindle-burst oscillations, surround GABAergic inhibition appeared to be crucial for their compartmentalization. We propose that local spindle-burst oscillations, driven by glutamatergic synapses and spatially confined by GABAergic synapses, contribute to the development of barrel cortex during the critical period of developmental plasticity.
authors.affiliation: The Mediterranean Institute of Neurobiology/INSERM U29, 163 Avenue de Luminy, B.P. 13, 13273 Marseille, France.
authors.forename: Marat
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Minlebaev
authors.forename: Yehezkel
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ben-Ari
authors.forename: Rustem
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Khazipov
mesh_terms: D000200:Action Potentials / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D000344:Afferent Pathways / Q000187:drug effects / Q000254:growth & development*; D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn; D001683:Biological Clocks / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D018691:Excitatory Amino Acid Antagonists / Q000494:pharmacology; D005260:Female; D018756:GABA Antagonists / Q000494:pharmacology; D058787:GABA-A Receptor Antagonists; D018698:Glutamic Acid / Q000378:metabolism; D007395:Interneurons / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D009415:Nerve Net / Q000187:drug effects / Q000254:growth & development; D009433:Neural Inhibition / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D009473:Neuronal Plasticity / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D009475:Neurons, Afferent / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D018091:Receptors, AMPA / Q000378:metabolism; D011963:Receptors, GABA-A / Q000378:metabolism; D013003:Somatosensory Cortex / Q000187:drug effects / Q000254:growth & development*; D009435:Synaptic Transmission / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D014276:Trigeminal Nerve / Q000187:drug effects / Q000254:growth & development; D014738:Vibrissae / Q000502:physiology*; D005680:gamma-Aminobutyric Acid / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D018691:Excitatory Amino Acid Antagonists; D018756:GABA Antagonists; D058787:GABA-A Receptor Antagonists; D018091:Receptors, AMPA; D011963:Receptors, GABA-A; D018698:Glutamic Acid; D005680:gamma-Aminobutyric Acid