GAL4 lines (GR40B05 and GR46E07) labeling various adPNs of intere

GAL4 lines (GR40B05 and GR46E07) labeling various adPNs of interest were identified from Dr. G.M. Rubin’s GAL4 collection. The

PI3K Inhibitor Library purchase generation of mosaic clones and the visualization in adult brains have been described (Yu et al., 2009 and Yu et al., 2010; see the specifics in Supplemental Experimental Procedures). The primary antibodies used are rat anti-mCD8 (1:100, Invitrogen), rabbit anti-RFP (1:500, Clontech), mouse anti-nc82 (1:100, Developmental Studies Hybridoma Bank [DSHB]), and mouse anti-Acj6 (1:100, DSHB). Secondary antibodies conjugated to different fluorophores, Cy3 (Jackson Laboratory), Cy5, and Alexa 488 (Invitrogen), were used at 1:200. Images were collected by confocal microscopy and processed using Adobe Photoshop. We thank M. Schroeder for critical reading of the manuscript and members of the Lee laboratory for helpful buy Obeticholic Acid discussion. We are especially grateful to Dr. G.M. Rubin for sharing GR-GAL4s prior to publication. We also thank the Janelia Farm FlyLight project team for generating images of GR-GAL4s that we reviewed to identify specific lines. The cas24 allele and UAS-Kr line are kindly provided by Dr. A.P. Gould and Dr. C.Q. Doe, respectively. Other fly stocks are from the Bloomington Stock Center and the Transgenic RNAi Project

at Harvard Medical School. This work was supported by the National Institutes of Health and Howard Hughes Medical Institute. “
“It has been known for more than 25 years that neurofibrillary tangles have a hierarchical pattern of accumulation reflecting selective vulnerability of neuronal populations in the Alzheimer’s disease (AD) brain, initially affecting the large projection neurons that connect memory-related neural systems (Braak and Braak, 1991 and Hyman et al., 1984). The first neurons to be affected are in layer II of the entorhinal cortex (EC), the neurons that give rise to the perforant pathway, the single major projection

linking the cerebral cortex with the hippocampus (Gómez-Isla et al., 1996 and Hyman et al., 1987). from Over the years, a “march” of lesions appears to propagate across limbic and association cortices, creating a pattern so consistent as to be incorporated into criteria for the neuropathological diagnosis of the illness (Hyman and Trojanowski, 1997). Selective loss of these neurons is believed to contribute to the defects in memory and higher-order cognitive functions in AD due to disconnection and deafferentation of critical neural circuits (Delacourte et al., 1999 and Hyman et al., 1990). Despite recognition of the patterns of anatomical connectivity that link vulnerable neurons, there is no clear understanding of the mechanism of disease progression.

Finally, a bit of humility is a not a bad starting point

Finally, a bit of humility is a not a bad starting point. Ivacaftor cell line
“More than three million Americans currently suffer from devastating inherited and acquired forms of blindness. This includes Americans with age-related macular degeneration (AMD), retinitis pigmentosa (RP), complications of diabetic retinopathy, retinopathy of prematurity, and individuals unable to

take advantage of timely treatments for traumatic retinal detachment. Patients with retinal blinding disorders have no or limited treatment options, and the societal and public health burdens of these diseases are substantial. Despite distinct etiologies, each of the above diseases is characterized by a pathologic degeneration of the light-sensitive rod and cone photoreceptor cells of the retina, eventually resulting in blindness, with persistence of inner Selleckchem Linsitinib retinal neural circuitry (Figure 1A). This common pathology has led many to ask whether the remaining retinal wiring can be harnessed in

advanced retinal degeneration in an attempt to develop a generic therapy. That is exactly the question that Polosukhina et al. (2012) sought to address in their paper in this issue of Neuron. The approach they took utilized the light-activatable AAQ (acrylamide-azobenzene-quaternary ammonium) molecule as an agent for imparting light sensitivity to remaining inner retinal neurons, even in the complete absence of photoreceptors ( Figure 1B). AAQ is a small molecule K+ channel photoswitch that can exist in both a cis and trans form. The trans form of either AAQ binds to cellular K+ channels, blocking the flow of K+ ions, thereby increasing neuronal excitability. In the presence of short wavelength (380 nm) light, AAQ is photoisomerized to the cis form, abrogating its inhibitory effects and decreasing neuronal excitability. The relaxation from cis back to trans is characterized by relatively slow kinetics but occurs much more rapidly upon exposure to longer wavelength (500 nm; green) light. Thus, upon incubation with AAQ, individual

neurons can be specifically and rapidly activated and inactivated by exposure to 500 nm and 380 nm light, respectively ( Figure 1B). Polosukhina et al. (2012) first incubated retinal explants from rd1 mice (characterized by a near-complete degeneration of photoreceptors) with AAQ and tested the ability of the explants to respond to light. Polosukhina et al. (2012) measured the electrical output of the retinal ganglion cells (RGCs), the sole output cells of the retina, and found a dose-dependent increase in light sensitization in the explants in response to AAQ. However, Polosukhina et al. (2012) noted that, paradoxically, the RGCs exhibited an increase in firing in response to 380 nm light, opposite to the effect of AAQ on cultured neurons. As the normal role of the amacrine cells of the retina is to provide a strong inhibitory input on the RGCs, Polosukhina et al.

How might these results be reconciled with the previous literatur

How might these results be reconciled with the previous literature? In the studies of Granger et al. a pairing induction protocol was used to induce LTP, which generates a near saturating level of LTP. Many of the previous studies used tetanic stimulation, which typically generates lower levels of potentiation. Thus, while the C-terminal domains are not essential for LTP,

it would not be surprising that this website they would affect the threshold and the magnitude of LTP induced by weaker induction protocols. These findings are making the field re-evaluate the core mechanisms of LTP and have put a spotlight on the scaffolding proteins and transsynaptic membrane proteins as important modulators of plasticity. This has been a particularly active area of research during the past decade (Coombs and Cull-Candy, 2009, Jackson and Nicoll, 2011, Kato et al., 2010 and Straub and Tomita, 2012). The control of neuronal excitability is accomplished by two broad classes of ion channels defined by the way in which they are gated: voltage gated and ligand gated. Molecular cloning of these channels has demonstrated that they are all composed of alpha subunits that form the pore across the membrane.

Early studies on the biochemical purification of voltage-gated channels showed that other proteins, which were not a part of the channel find more pore, copurified with the channel proteins. These smaller auxiliary subunits dictated where, when, and how the channel gets activated. Until recently there was no evidence that ligand-gated channels might also associate with auxiliary subunits. This changed with the discovery of stargazin, the tetraspanning membrane protein mutated in the ataxic mouse stargazer, which is essential for the surface and synaptic expression of AMPARs in cerebellar granule neurons (Chen et al., 2000) (Figure 3). There are at least five other members of this structurally related family of proteins referred to as transmembrane AMPAR regulatory

proteins (TARPs). These proteins, which bind to all AMPAR subunits and are differentially expressed CYTH4 throughout the brain, ensure the proper maturation and delivery of AMPARs to the neuron’s surface and synapses ( Tomita et al., 2003). TARPs contain a PDZ binding ligand and it is proposed that the binding of synaptic MAGUKs to TARPs is responsible for the clustering of AMPARs at the synapse. Furthermore, they alter the gating and pharmacology of AMPARs ( Milstein and Nicoll, 2008). Finally, CaMKII and PKC phosphorylate multiple sites on the cytoplasmic C-tails of TARPs, which controls both the constitutive and regulated synaptic trafficking of AMPARs ( Sumioka et al., 2010 and Tomita et al., 2005).

027, Fisher’s exact test), suggesting that it may not be respondi

027, Fisher’s exact test), suggesting that it may not be responding solely to contours. It has previously been suggested that the PPA responds to high spatial frequencies (Rajimehr et al., 2011). We find no evidence for this. In both LPP and MPP, we found an inverse correlation between spatial this website frequency and average response magnitude that became insignificant

once we included stimulus category in the regression (LPP: p = 0.10, ANOVA, MPP: p = 0.30, ANOVA; Figures S5F and S5G). Because Rajimehr et al. (2011) based their conclusions on the PPA’s differential response to low-pass filtered images, in which sharp contours are blurred, and high-pass filtered images, in which sharp contours are accentuated, rather than by measuring the correlation between high spatial frequency content and PPA response to natural images, GSK1210151A our results do not necessarily indicate a dissociation between LPP/MPP and the PPA. Further research

will be necessary to determine whether the response of the PPA is better explained by spatial frequency or by the presence of long, straight contours. So far, we have demonstrated that cells in LPP and MPP respond selectively to scenes but are driven to some degree by long, straight contours. The role of these contours in defining spatial boundaries and the comparable fMRI response of macaque LPP to rooms with and without objects (Figures 1 and S1) raise the possibility that cells in these regions might be coding topographical layout in a pure sense: i.e., they would respond the same to all scenes with the

same spatial boundaries, regardless of other visual features. Alternatively, units might jointly encode scene content and scene boundaries. We thus sought to determine the sensitivity of unit responses in these areas to changes in boundary and content. We constructed a stimulus set comprising images with 26 different spatial layouts. For each spatial layout, we constructed a line drawing that contained only the spatial boundaries of the scene (Figure 7A). To determine whether LPP cells encoded spatial layout information invariant to scene content, we recorded from 30 units while presenting both sets of stimuli. For each cell, we computed the correlation between the mean response to each of the original layouts and the line drawings representing Metalloexopeptidase those layouts. Correlation coefficients were significantly greater than a control distribution generated by permuting layout labels (p < 10−9, t test; Figure 7B), indicating that LPP units carry some information about the spatial layout present in the stimulus independent of the content of the scene. Classification analysis confirmed this conclusion. We trained naive Bayes classifiers using the responses to four presentations of each of the 28 scene photographs and tested these classifiers on one presentation of each of the scene photographs that was not used to train the classifier along with one presentation of each of the line drawings.

5–4 Hz) EEG with no fluctuation in EMG REM sleep was determined

5–4 Hz) EEG with no fluctuation in EMG. REM sleep was determined by low-amplitude and high-frequency EEG (similar to wake stage, but with rhythmic theta waves at 7–9 Hz) with low-amplitude

EMG. REM theta EEG power was analyzed with fast Fourier transform for band frequencies between 4–9 Hz. Sleep deprivation was initiated from ZT 0 for 6 hr with gentle handling. Mice were tested for spatial learning and memory using a Morris water maze as described with several modifications (Han et al., 2010). Mice were allowed to swim (1 min) during the training period (4 trials/day for 5 days) and then allowed to rest on the platform. During the examination day, mice were randomly placed in the three nontarget quadrants and allowed to swim for 1 min. For electrophysiology, hippocampal slices (∼400 μm) were processed and recordings obtained as described (Foster et al., 2008) (see buy KRX-0401 Supplemental Experimental Procedures). Mice (2–5 months) were also tested for seizure susceptibility after injection (40 mg/kg) with pentylenetetrazol. After injection, the mice were placed in an observational area for 60 min and the time of onset of convulsive behavior and nature and severity

of the convulsion were scored according to a modified Racine scale (Lüttjohann et al., 2009). For splicing microarrays and RNA-seq, hippocampal RNAs were obtained from Mbnl2+/+ and Mbnl2ΔE2/ΔE2 mice (2–3 months, n = 3 each). Splicing microarray analysis was performed as described ( Du et al., 2010) with modifications (see Supplemental Experimental Procedures). For RNA-seq, RNAs were purified and sequencing libraries were constructed using the Trametinib nmr mRNA-Seq 8-Sample Prep Kit according to the manufacturer’s protocol (Illumina).

Libraries were sequenced (40 cycles, both ends) using an Illumina Genome Analyzer IIx. Raw sequence reads were mapped back to the mouse reference genome together with a database of annotated exon junctions compiled from mouse, human, and rat mRNA/EST data. CLIP was performed as reported ( Jensen and Darnell, 2008) with modifications (see Supplemental Experimental Procedures). Temporal cortex and cerebellar autopsy tissues (12 DM1 patients, 9 disease controls) were analyzed (Table S5). This research was approved by the Institutional Ethics Committee and written informed Thiamine-diphosphate kinase consent for specimen research use was obtained from all patients. RNA was extracted using the ISOGEN procedure (Nippon Gene) and cDNA was synthesized using 1–3 μg of RNA. Random hexamers and cDNA equivalent to 20 ng RNA was PCR amplified for initial denaturation at 94°C for 10 min and 35 cycles (94°C for 30 s, 55°C for 30 s, and 72°C for 30 s) (Table S6). PCR products were analyzed by capillary electrophoresis (Hitachi Electronics). The percentage of each peak was obtained by dividing each signal by the total signal and statistical analysis was performed using the Mann-Whitney U test.

The modeling of phase ICMs has just begun (David and Friston, 200

The modeling of phase ICMs has just begun (David and Friston, 2003 and Battaglia et al., 2012), and a systematic theoretical analysis of these spectral

coupling modes and their interaction with envelope ICMs still presents a challenge. Another challenge for modeling is to describe the impact of network history on ICMs. Pilot models have demonstrated that mechanisms such as spike-timing-dependent plasticity may contribute to shaping ICMs. For example, in a model of spiking neurons, Izhikevich et al. (2004) found that the interplay between spike-timing-dependent plasticity and conduction click here delays led to the formation of modules of strongly connected neurons capable of producing time-locked spikes. Alternatively, modular connectivity could be produced from a combination of synchronization-dependent plasticity and growth-dependent plasticity in a neural mass model (Stam et al., 2010). More detailed models will be required to show precisely how previous functional synchronization becomes encoded in patterns of structural connectivity and corresponding ICMs.

A key goal for future modeling approaches will also be to explain the alterations of ICMs in neuropsychiatric disorders. As discussed in the preceding section, even focal stroke typically has a spatially widespread impact on network dynamics and ICMs. This can be modeled by considering the effect of focal lesions of nodes and their connections on envelope ICMs (Alstott et al., 2009). A recent study investigating the impact Epacadostat chemical structure of moderate, but spatially

unspecific, disconnection has demonstrated a decrease in small-world properties and global integration reminiscent of the changes observed in schizophrenia (Cabral et al., 2012). Computational approaches may also become relevant for understanding alterations of ICMs in not other network diseases, such as MS. Several computational models suggest that a shift of conduction delays away from the normal set point may lead to suboptimal exploration of the dynamical attractor landscape (Ghosh et al., 2008). The studies reviewed in the preceding sections comply with the notion that the brain’s dynamics are to a large extent determined by its intrinsic communication but much less by interactions with its environment. They demonstrate that intrinsic coupling modes are present in ongoing activity that reflects the sedimented results of previous learning, encodes relevant priors for future processing, and predicts perception and behavior both in the healthy organism and in disorders that affect brain networks. The available data support a differentiation between two types of ICMs (Table 1) that seem to reflect the operation of distinct coupling mechanisms and have therefore been termed “envelope ICMs” and “phase ICMs.” While the latter arise from phase coupling of band-limited oscillatory signals, the former are best described as coupled aperiodic fluctuations of signal envelopes.

, 2005) OR35a-dependent responses to γ-hexalactone persisted in

, 2005). OR35a-dependent responses to γ-hexalactone persisted in both IR8a and IR25a mutants ( Figures 2B and 2C), indicating independent functioning of this GDC941 receptor. The ac2 sensilla neurons respond strongly to acetic acid and 1,4-diaminobutane, and these responses are selectively abolished in IR8a and IR25a mutants, respectively ( Figures 2B and 2C). Finally, ac1 sensilla contain three IR-expressing neurons, but only one strong agonist, ammonia, has been identified ( Yao et al., 2005). Responses to this odor were retained in both IR8a and IR25a mutants,

as well as in IR8a/IR25a double mutants ( Figures 2B and 2C). All defects in odor-evoked responses in IR8a and IR25a mutants were rescued by expression of the corresponding cDNA transgenes using IR8a or IR25a promoters via the GAL4/UAS system ( Figures 2B and 2C; see Figure S1 available online) ( Brand and Perrimon, 1993). The sole exception was our failure to restore ac2 1,4-diaminobutane responses in IR25a mutants (data not shown).

We ascribe this lack of rescue activity to the poor recapitulation of endogenous IR25a expression by our IR25a-GAL4 line ( Figure S1B). Expression of IR25a in IR8a mutant neurons did not rescue electrophysiological responses (data not FK228 in vitro shown), indicating selective functional properties of these two receptors beyond their distinct expression patterns ( Figure 1C). Taken together, the loss of multiple distinct ligand-evoked responses in IR8a and IR25a mutants suggests that these proteins function as coreceptors that act with different subsets of odor-specific IRs. To determine the cellular basis for the loss of electrophysiological responses in these IR coreceptor mutant neurons, we initially focused on the role of IR8a in the correct functioning of the phenylacetaldehyde receptor IR84a (Benton et al., 2009). An EGFP-tagged version of IR84a localizes to the sensory cilium in its endogenous neurons (Figure 3A), defined by the distal distribution relative to the cilium base marker 21A6 (Husain et al., 2006 and Zelhof et al., 2006). By contrast, in IR8a mutants, EGFP:IR84a

is restricted to the inner dendritic segment ( Figure 3A). Restoration of IR8a expression under the control of the IR84a promoter rescues this localization defect, defining a cell-autonomous function see more for IR8a in promoting cilia targeting of IR84a ( Figure 3A). We tested the generality of this requirement for IR8a by examining the cilia localization of a second receptor, IR64a, which is coexpressed with IR8a in morphologically distinct grooved peg sensilla in the third chamber of the sacculus (Ai et al., 2010). EGFP:IR64a is abundant in the outer dendrite of these neurons in wild-type sensilla, and this localization is abolished in IR8a mutants ( Figure S2A). We observed more heterogeneous levels of EGFP:IR64a in IR8a mutant neurons, suggesting that this mislocalized protein is destabilized.

Lejeune J -P B and L V were supported by a thesis fellowship f

Lejeune. J.-P.B. and L.V. were supported by a thesis fellowship from Ministère de la Recherche Everolimus manufacturer et Technologie and received fellowships from Association pour la Recherche sur le Cancer (J.-P.B.) and from Fondation pour la Recherche Médicale (L.V.). P.-S.L. was supported by ANR (grant MRGENES) and C.L. by a postdoctoral fellowship from Neuropole de Recherche Francilien. L.S. Goldstein is acknowledged

for the Kif3alox mice and B.K. Yoder for the IFT88lox mice. M. Bornens is acknowledged for the generous gift of antibodies and J.L. Duband for the generous gift of recombinant Shh. Professor F. Murakami and Dr. F. Matsuzaki are acknowledged for the gift of expression vectors. We are grateful to M. Bornens for his support at the selleck kinase inhibitor start of the study, to A. Louvi for providing antibodies, to R.M. Mège for the critical reading of early versions of the manuscript, and to A. Lupini for English revision. Electron microscopy was performed at the Service de Microscopie electronique de l’Institut de Biologie Intégrative IFR 83 (University Pierre and Marie Curie, Paris) and live cell imaging at the plateforme d’Imagerie de

l’Institut du Fer à Moulin (University Pierre and Marie Curie, Paris). “
“Genetic studies have demonstrated that the three TAM receptor tyrosine kinases about (RTKs)—Tyro3, Axl, and Mer (Lai and Lemke, 1991)—play essential regulatory roles in the mature immune, nervous, vascular, and reproductive systems (Burstyn-Cohen et al., 2009; Lemke and Rothlin, 2008; Lu et al., 1999; Scott et al., 2001). In general, these receptors are specialized to control homeostatic responses in cells and tissues that are subject to constant challenge

and renewal throughout adult life. In the immune system, for example, Axl functions as a pleiotropic inhibitor of the inflammatory response of dendritic cells and macrophages subsequent to their encounter with bacteria, viruses, and other pathogens (Lemke and Rothlin, 2008; Rothlin et al., 2007). And in these same cells, Mer (protein designation Mer, c-Mer, or Mertk; gene name Mertk) is required for the efficient phagocytosis of apoptotic cells that accumulate following infection ( Lemke and Burstyn-Cohen, 2010; Scott et al., 2001). In endothelial cells of the vasculature, Axl is engaged subsequent to both acute and chronic vessel injury and remodeling ( Korshunov et al., 2006); and in the testis, all three receptors are required in Sertoli cells for the phagocytosis of the tens of millions of apoptotic germ cells that are generated during every cycle of spermatogenesis ( Lemke and Burstyn-Cohen, 2010; Lu et al., 1999).

We also performed an analysis of our data to confirm that the str

We also performed an analysis of our data to confirm that the striatal deactivation was not a physiological artifact (Figure S1C). Strikingly, the only brain region commonly active between the time of incentive presentation (Table S1) and the execution of the motor task (Table S2) was bilaterally encompassing ventral striatum (Table S3). Furthermore, additional whole brain analyses did not reveal any brain regions that were directly correlated with Selleck Vorinostat participants’ parabolic behavioral performance or interactions between incentive level and task difficulty (see Supplemental Information for details,

Figure S1E). These analyses provided us with further evidence of the ventral striatum’s integral role in mediating participants’ http://www.selleckchem.com/products/s-gsk1349572.html responses during performance for incentives. The idiosyncratic pattern of striatal activity we observed (i.e., activation at the time of incentive presentation and deactivation at the time of action) resembles that reported for participants experiencing potential monetary gains and losses (Tom et al., 2007 and Yacubian et al., 2006). Tom et al. (2007) found that ventral striatum was activated by the prospect of gains, and deactivated by the prospect of losses, and that such deactivation was strongly correlated with a behavioral measure of loss aversion.

The findings of Tom et al. (2007), in conjunction with our results, led us to develop a new hypothesis regarding the role of ventral striatum in mediating performance decrements for large incentives: deactivation of ventral striatum during motor action reflects evaluation

of the potential loss (of a presumed gain) that would arise from failure to successfully achieve the task. Essentially, larger incentives are framed as larger potential losses, and as these perceived potential losses increase (in the highest incentive conditions) they are manifested as performance decrements. Because this hypothesis is generated in part from a “reverse-inference” (Poldrack, 2006), we needed to obtain additional evidence in order to provide direct empirical support. Our hypothesis led to the following nearly predictions: (1) striatal deactivation at the time of motor action would predict the extent of individuals’ decrements in behavioral performance; (2) activity in ventral striatum during motor action would relate to an individual’s behavioral loss aversion (i.e., the more loss averse a participant, the greater her ventral striatal deactivation during motor action); and (3) a participant’s degree of behavioral loss aversion would be predictive of her propensity to exhibit performance decrements for large incentives, as well as the level of incentive that resulted in peak performance. To test the first prediction, we examined the extent to which a participant’s decrease in performance at the highest incentive level was related to her neural sensitivity to incentive.

Ex vivo measurement

of miniature excitatory postsynaptic

Ex vivo measurement

of miniature excitatory postsynaptic currents (mEPSCs) onto L2/3 pyramidal neurons revealed a significant decrease in mEPSC amplitudes after 2 days MD, followed by an increase above baseline over the next several days. These data suggest that lid suture first suppresses RSU firing through an active LTD-like mechanism, which then activates homeostatic mechanisms (such as synaptic scaling) that restore firing precisely to baseline. This demonstrates that homeostatic mechanisms operate in the intact mammalian cortex to stabilize average firing rates in the face of sensory learn more and plasticity-induced perturbations. In order to chronically monitor firing rates in V1 of freely behaving rats, we implanted 16 channel microwire arrays bilaterally into the monocular portions of V1 (V1m) at P21. Electrode placement and depth were verified histologically at the end of each experiment

(Figure 1A); activity was sampled from all layers. Full-field visual stimuli delivered in the recording chamber elicited clear stimulus-driven local field potentials (LFPs; Figure 1B). Using standard cluster-cutting techniques (Harris et al., 2000) (Figures 1C and 1D), we were able to obtain 4–16 well-isolated single units/array and could detect a similar number of units each day throughout the 9 days of recording (Figures 2C and 2D). Recordings were obtained from noon to 8 p.m. each day between P24 and P32, in an environmentally enriched recording chamber with food and water available ad libitum. MD was performed after 3 days of baseline recording (late on P26) and maintained for 6 days selleck compound (through P32). A representative 150 min stretch of baseline recording is shown in Figure 1F; firing rates for individual units varied over time, and different units had distinct patterns and average levels of activity (Figures 1F and 2B). Regular spiking pyramidal neurons comprise ∼80% of

neocortical neurons; to enrich for putative pyramidal neurons, we separated RSUs from pFS cells (∼50% of the nonpyramidal population) using established criteria (Barthó next et al., 2004, Cardin et al., 2007, Liu et al., 2009 and Niell and Stryker, 2008): unlike RSUs, FS cells have a short negative-to-positive peak width and a distinct positive afterpotential that generates a negative slope 250 μs after the negative peak (Figure 1C). A plot of these two parameters for all well-isolated units revealed a bimodal distribution, with one population corresponding to pFS cell (pink) and the other corresponding to RSUs (green) (Figure 1E). The pFS population had significantly higher average and peak firing rates than RSUs, as expected (Niell and Stryker, 2008, Niell and Stryker, 2010 and Cardin et al., 2007; Figure 1E, inset), and RSUs in immediate proximity to pFS cells were less active immediately after a pFS spike, consistent with pFS cells being inhibitory (Figure S1 available online).