Experience-dependent development of intercortical neuronal connections in the visual cortex

2020 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 18H02547
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B)
• Allocation Type: Single-year Grants
• Section: 一般
• Review Section: Basic Section 46030:Function of nervous system-related
• Research Institution: National Institute for Physiological Sciences
• Principal Investigator: Yoshimura Yumiko 生理学研究所, 基盤神経科学研究領域, 教授 (10291907)
• Project Period (FY): 2018-04-01 – 2021-03-31
• Keywords: 大脳皮質視覚野 / 興奮性細胞 / 活動同期性 / 空間周波数選択性 / 方位選択性 / 抑制性細胞

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Early visual experience is essential for the maturation of visual cortical functions. The extraction of visual features based on response selectivity of individual neurons, a fundamental process in the cortex, is basically established by eye opening, suggesting that visual experience is required for the development of neural functions other than feature extraction. We show that synchronized firing, important for visual information processing, is selectively established between adjacent neurons sharing similar visual preferences in layers 2-4 after pattern vision. In contrast, synchronization weakly depending on response similarity developed in layer 5-6 neurons almost independently of visual experience. These results suggest that upper layer synchronization conveys information necessary for form perception to the higher-order cortex, whereas lower layer synchronization coveys information necessary for visually-guided innate behavior to the subcortical areas.

Free Research Field

神経生理学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

脳機能の発現に必要な神経回路は、胎生期から生後間もない時期に遺伝的プログラムにより大まかに形成され、その後、経験や学習に依存して柔軟に再構築される。このプロセスを経て、生まれ育った環境に適した機能が獲得される。本研究は、大脳皮質の多細胞の活動同期性を特徴づけ、その発達機構を明らかにしたもので、その成果により生後の経験に依存した脳機能発達メカニズムの理解に貢献できると考えられる。