2005 Fiscal Year Final Research Report Summary
Three-dimensional and functional architecture of interneuron network linked by gap junctions in the cerebral cortex
| Project/Area Number |
15500217
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| Research Category |
Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
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| Allocation Type | Single-year Grants |
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| Section | 一般 |
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| Research Field |
Neuroscience in general
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| Research Institution | KYUSHU UNIVERSITY |
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Principal Investigator |
FUKUDA Takaichi Kyushu University, Graduate School of Medical Science Department of anatomy, Associate Professor, 大学院・医学研究院, 助教授 (50253414)
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| Project Period (FY) |
2003 – 2005
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| Keywords | gap junction / cerebral cortex / GABA / interneuron / parvalbumin / connexin36 / visual cortex / immunohistochemistry |
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| Research Abstract |
Gap junctions are common between cortical GABAergic interneurons but little is known about their quantitative distribution along dendritic profiles. Through research activities supported by the Grant-in-Aid for Scentific Research (C), I have provided direct morphological evidence that parvalbumin-containing GABAergic neurons in layer 2/3 of cat visual cortex form dense and far-ranging networks through dendritic gap junctions. Gap junction-coupled networks of parvalbumin neurons were visualized using connexin36-immunohistochemistry and confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM). The direct correspondence of connexin36-immunopositive puncta and gap junctions was confirmed by examining the same structures in both CLSM and electron microscopy. Single parvalbumin neurons formed as many as 60 gap junctions with other cells whereby these contacts were not restricted to proximal dendrites but occurred at distances of up to 380 μm from the soma. Serially interconnected neurons could be traced laterally in a boundless manner through multiple gap junctions. Comparison to the orientation-preference columns revealed that parvalbumin-immunoreactive cells distribute randomly whereby their large dendritic fields overlap considerably and cover different orientation columns. It is proposed that this dense and homogeneous electrical coupling of interneurons supports the precise synchronization of neuronal populations with differing feature preferences thereby providing a temporal frame for the generation of distributed representations. These outcomes have been published in the Journal of Neuroscience in 2006.
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Research Products
(9 results)
