title: Inhibitory interneurons in visual cortical plasticity.
abstract: For proper maturation of the neocortex and acquisition of specific functions and skills, exposure to sensory stimuli is vital during critical periods of development when synaptic connectivity is highly malleable. To preserve reliable cortical processing, it is essential that these critical periods end after which learning becomes more conditional and active interaction with the environment becomes more important. How these age-dependent forms of plasticity are regulated has been studied extensively in the primary visual cortex. This has revealed that inhibitory innervation plays a crucial role and that a temporary decrease in inhibition is essential for plasticity to take place. Here, we discuss how different interneuron subsets regulate plasticity during different stages of cortical maturation. We propose a theory in which different interneuron subsets select the sources of neuronal input that undergo plasticity.
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Visual Plasticity, Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience, Institute of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences, Meibergdreef 47, 1105 BA, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Daniëlle
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: van Versendaal
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Visual Plasticity, Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience, Institute of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences, Meibergdreef 47, 1105 BA, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. c.levelt@nin.knaw.nl.|Department of Molecular and Cellular Neurobiology, Center for Neurogenomics and Cognitive Research, VU University Amsterdam, de Boelelaan 1085, 1081HV, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. c.levelt@nin.knaw.nl.
authors.forename: Christiaan N
authors.initials: CN
authors.lastname: Levelt
mesh_terms: D000200:Action Potentials / Q000502:physiology; D000818:Animals; D006801:Humans; D007395:Interneurons / Q000502:physiology*; D009433:Neural Inhibition / Q000502:physiology*; D009473:Neuronal Plasticity / Q000502:physiology*; D012160:Retina / Q000473:pathology; D014793:Visual Cortex / Q000502:physiology*
keywords: Adult; Inhibition V1; Neurogliaform cells; Ocular dominance plasticity; Parvalbumin; Perceptual learning; Somatostatin; Vasoactive intestinal peptide