TY - JOUR
T1 - VIP+ interneurons control neocortical activity across brain states
AU - Jackson, Jesse
AU - Ayzenshtat, Inbal
AU - Karnani, Mahesh M.
AU - Yuste, Rafael
PY - 2016/6/1
Y1 - 2016/6/1
N2 - GABAergic interneurons are positioned to powerfully influence the dynamics of neural activity, yet the interneuron-mediated circuit mechanisms that control spontaneous and evoked neocortical activity remains elusive. Vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP+) interneurons are a specialized cell class which synapse specifically on other interneurons, potentially serving to facilitate increases in cortical activity. In this study, using in vivo Ca2+ imaging, we describe the interaction between local network activity and VIP+ cells and determine their role in modulating neocortical activity in mouse visual cortex. VIP+ cells were active across brain states including locomotion, nonlocomotion, visual stimulation, and under anesthesia. VIP+ activity correlated most clearly with the mean level of population activity of nearby excitatory neurons during all brain states, suggesting VIP+ cells enable high-excitability states in the cortex. The pharmacogenetic blockade of VIP+ cell output reduced network activity during locomotion, nonlocomotion, anesthesia, and visual stimulation, suggesting VIP+ cells exert a state-independent facilitation of neural activity in the cortex. Collectively, our findings demonstrate that VIP+ neurons have a causal role in the generation of high-activity regimes during spontaneous and stimulus evoked neocortical activity.
AB - GABAergic interneurons are positioned to powerfully influence the dynamics of neural activity, yet the interneuron-mediated circuit mechanisms that control spontaneous and evoked neocortical activity remains elusive. Vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP+) interneurons are a specialized cell class which synapse specifically on other interneurons, potentially serving to facilitate increases in cortical activity. In this study, using in vivo Ca2+ imaging, we describe the interaction between local network activity and VIP+ cells and determine their role in modulating neocortical activity in mouse visual cortex. VIP+ cells were active across brain states including locomotion, nonlocomotion, visual stimulation, and under anesthesia. VIP+ activity correlated most clearly with the mean level of population activity of nearby excitatory neurons during all brain states, suggesting VIP+ cells enable high-excitability states in the cortex. The pharmacogenetic blockade of VIP+ cell output reduced network activity during locomotion, nonlocomotion, anesthesia, and visual stimulation, suggesting VIP+ cells exert a state-independent facilitation of neural activity in the cortex. Collectively, our findings demonstrate that VIP+ neurons have a causal role in the generation of high-activity regimes during spontaneous and stimulus evoked neocortical activity.
KW - GABA
KW - Interneurons
KW - Neocortex
KW - Network
KW - Spontaneous activity
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84978704519&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=84978704519&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1152/jn.01124.2015
DO - 10.1152/jn.01124.2015
M3 - Article
C2 - 26961109
AN - SCOPUS:84978704519
SN - 0022-3077
VL - 115
SP - 3008
EP - 3017
JO - Journal of Neurophysiology
JF - Journal of Neurophysiology
IS - 6
ER -