GABAergic circuits control stimulus-instructed receptive field development in the optic tectum : Nature Neuroscience : Nature Publishing Group

GABAergic circuits control stimulus-instructed receptive field development in the optic tectum [full-text free]
Blake A Richards,Oliver P Voss& Colin J Akerman

Nature Neuroscience
Year published:
(2010)
DOI:
doi:10.1038/nn.2612
Received14 June 2010
Accepted28 June 2010
Published online08 August 2010

Abstract

During the development of sensory systems, receptive fields are modified by stimuli in the environment. This is thought to rely on learning algorithms that are sensitive to correlations in spike timing between cells, but the manner in which developing circuits selectively exploit correlations that are related to sensory inputs is unknown. We recorded from neurons in the developing optic tectum of Xenopus laevis and found that repeated presentation of moving visual stimuli induced receptive field changes that reflected the properties of the stimuli and that this form of learning was disrupted when GABAergic transmission was blocked. Consistent with a role for spike timing–dependent mechanisms, GABA blockade altered spike-timing patterns in the tectum and increased correlations between cells that would affect plasticity at intratectal synapses. This is a previously unknown role for GABAergic signals in development and highlights the importance of regulating the statistics of spiking activity for learning.

Figures at a glance

leftFigure 1: Examining stimulus-driven receptive field changes in tectal neurons.

open here please:
GABAergic circuits control stimulus-instructed receptive field development in the optic tectum : Nature Neuroscience : Nature Publishing Group