Department of Neurobiology, Institute of Life Sciences and Edmond and Lily Safra Center for Brain Sciences, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem 91904, Israel.
J Neurosci. 2013 Jul 31;33(31):12851-61. doi: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.4656-12.2013.
The auditory cortex is malleable by experience. Previous studies of auditory plasticity have described experience-dependent changes in response profiles of single neurons or changes in global tonotopic organization. However, experience-dependent changes in the dynamics of local neural populations have remained unexplored. In this study, we examined the influence of a dramatic yet natural experience in the life of female mice, giving birth and becoming a mother on single neurons and neuronal ensembles in the primary auditory cortex (A1). Using in vivo two-photon calcium imaging and electrophysiological recordings from layer 2/3 in A1 of mothers and age-matched virgin mice, we monitored changes in the responses to a set of artificial and natural sounds. Population dynamics underwent large changes as measured by pairwise and higher-order correlations, with noise correlations increasing as much as twofold in lactating mothers. Concomitantly, changes in response properties of single neurons were modest and selective. Remarkably, despite the large changes in correlations, information about stimulus identity remained essentially the same in the two groups. Our results demonstrate changes in the correlation structure of neuronal activity as a result of a natural life event.
听觉皮层具有经验可塑性。先前关于听觉可塑性的研究描述了单个神经元反应谱或整体音位组织的经验依赖性变化。然而，局部神经元群体的动态的经验依赖性变化仍然没有被探索。在这项研究中，我们研究了雌性小鼠生命中一个戏剧性但自然的经历，即分娩和成为母亲，对初级听觉皮层（A1）中的单个神经元和神经元集合的影响。使用活体双光子钙成像和来自 A1 中母亲和同龄处女小鼠的第 2/3 层的电生理记录，我们监测了对一组人工和自然声音的反应的变化。群体动态的变化可以通过成对和更高阶的相关性来衡量，哺乳期母亲的噪声相关性增加了两倍多。同时，单个神经元的反应特性也发生了适度的选择性变化。值得注意的是，尽管相关性发生了很大的变化，但两组之间刺激身份的信息基本保持不变。我们的研究结果表明，自然生活事件会导致神经元活动的相关性结构发生变化。
