title: Thalamic NMDA receptor function is necessary for patterning of the thalamocortical somatosensory map and for sensorimotor behaviors.
abstract: NMDARs play a major role in patterning of topographic sensory maps in the brain. Genetic knock-out of the essential subunit of NMDARs in excitatory cortical neurons prevents whisker-specific neural pattern formation in the barrel cortex. To determine the role of NMDARs en route to the cortex, we generated sensory thalamus-specific NR1 (Grin1)-null mice (ThNR1KO). A multipronged approach, using histology, electrophysiology, optical imaging, and behavioral testing revealed that, in these mice, whisker patterns develop in the trigeminal brainstem but do not develop in the somatosensory thalamus. Subsequently, there is no barrel formation in the neocortex yet a partial afferent patterning develops. Whisker stimulation evokes weak cortical activity and presynaptic neurotransmitter release probability is also affected. We found several behavioral deficits in tasks, ranging from sensorimotor to social and cognitive. Collectively, these results show that thalamic NMDARs play a critical role in the patterning of the somatosensory thalamic and cortical maps and their impairment may lead to pronounced behavioral defects.
authors.affiliation: Departments of Anatomy and Neurobiology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland 21201.
authors.forename: Hiroyuki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Arakawa
authors.affiliation: Division of Neurogenetics, National Institute of Genetics (NIG) and Department of Genetics, SOKENDAI, Mishima, Shizuoka 411-8540, Japan, and.
authors.forename: Ayumi
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Suzuki
authors.affiliation: Departments of Anatomy and Neurobiology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland 21201.
authors.forename: Shuxin
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.affiliation: Departments of Anatomy and Neurobiology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland 21201.
authors.forename: Vassiliy
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-1901-4379
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Tsytsarev
authors.affiliation: Departments of Anatomy and Neurobiology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland 21201.
authors.forename: Fu-Sun
authors.initials: FS
authors.lastname: Lo
authors.affiliation: RIKEN Brain Science Institute (BSI), Wako, Saitama 351-198, Japan.
authors.forename: Yu
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Hayashi
authors.affiliation: RIKEN Brain Science Institute (BSI), Wako, Saitama 351-198, Japan.
authors.forename: Shigeyoshi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Itohara
authors.affiliation: Division of Neurogenetics, National Institute of Genetics (NIG) and Department of Genetics, SOKENDAI, Mishima, Shizuoka 411-8540, Japan, and.
authors.forename: Takuji
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Iwasato
authors.affiliation: Departments of Anatomy and Neurobiology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland 21201, rerzu001@umaryland.edu.
authors.forename: Reha S
authors.initials: RS
authors.lastname: Erzurumlu
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D063132:Connectome; D005071:Evoked Potentials; D018782:Maze Learning; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D016194:Receptors, N-Methyl-D-Aspartate / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D012919:Social Behavior; D013003:Somatosensory Cortex / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D013788:Thalamus / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000502:physiology; D055698:Touch Perception; D014278:Trigeminal Nuclei / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology; D014738:Vibrissae / Q000294:innervation / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: C121673:Gprin1 protein, mouse; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins; D016194:Receptors, N-Methyl-D-Aspartate
keywords: barrel cortex imaging; barreloids; barrels; glutamate; pattern formation