Computational Investigation of Contributions from Different Subtypes of Interneurons in Prefrontal Cortex for Information Maintenance.

Interneurons play crucial roles in neocortex associated with high-level cognitive functions; however, the specific division of labor is still under investigation. Interneurons are exceptionally diverse in their morphological appearance and functional properties. In this study, we modify a prefrontal multicolumn circuit in which five subtypes of inhibitory interneurons play distinct roles in the maintenance of transient information. These interneurons are classified according to the extending range of axonal projections. Our work simplifies the division of labor between different types of interneurons for the maintenance of information and the principle of functional redundancy of the brain from the perspective of computational modeling. This model presents a framework to understand the cooperation between different interneurons in a recurrent cortical circuit.