Disinhibitory Circuitry Gates Associative Synaptic Plasticity in Olfactory Cortex
Abstract
Inhibitory microcircuits play an essential role in regulating cortical responses to sensory stimuli. Interneurons that inhibit dendritic or somatic integration act as gatekeepers for neural activity, synaptic plasticity, and the formation of sensory representations. Conversely, interneurons that selectively inhibit other interneurons can open gates through disinhibition. In the anterior piriform cortex, relief of inhibition permits associative LTP of excitatory synapses between pyramidal neurons. However, the interneurons and circuits mediating disinhibition have not been elucidated. In this study, we use an optogenetic approach in mice of both sexes to identify the inhibitory interneurons and disinhibitory circuits that regulate LTP. We focused on three prominent interneuron classes: somatostatin (SST), parvalbumin (PV), and vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (VIP) interneurons. We find that LTP is gated by the inactivation SST or PV interneurons and by the activation of VIP interneurons. Further, VIP interneurons strongly inhibit putative SST cells during LTP induction but only weakly inhibit PV interneurons. Together, these findings suggest that VIP interneurons mediate a disinhibitory circuit that gates synaptic plasticity during the formation of olfactory representations.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Pub Defense Publication
- Publication Date
- Feb 18, 2022
- Source ID
- 10.1523/jneurosci.1369-21.2021
Entities
People
- Anne-marie M. Oswald
- Constanza Bassi
- F. Kathryn Friason
- Martha Canto-bustos
Organizations
- Consejo Nacional de Humanidades, Ciencias y Tecnologías
- Office of Naval Research