mouse celltypes CORTICAL CIRCUITS

Cortical Circuits and Interneurons

Cortical Circuits and Interneurons

How do specific cell types contribute to cortical processing and behavior?

We identified cell-type-specific cortical principles that advance our understanding of cortical information processing. We found that VIP-expressing interneurons mediate disinhibitory control through a conserved circuit across cortical regions (Pi et al., 2014, Nature). Additionally, we discovered that VIP interneurons are activated by both reward and punishment, regulating cortical processing and plasticity (Szadai et al., 2020, eLife). These findings link the activity of specific neural types to behavioral decisions.

Currently we are probing the relationship between cortical interneurons and neuromodulators using miniscope imaging to observe large populations of neurons during behavior and to map to transcriptomics. We are exploring how specific cell types implement fundamental cortical algorithms.

Selected Publications

Cortex-wide response mode of VIP-expressing inhibitory neurons by reward and punishment
Z Szadai, HJ Pi, Q Chevy, K Ócsai, DF Albeanu, B Chiovini, G Szalay, A Kepecs*, B Rozsa*. Elife (2022) 11, E78815

Cortical interneurons that specialize in disinhibitory control
Pi, H.J., Hangya, B., Kvitsiani, D., Sanders, J.I., Huang, Z. J. & Kepecs A.. Nature (2013) 20:503(7477):521–524

Distinct behavioural and network functions of two interneuron classes in prefrontal cortex
Kvitsiani, D., Ranade, S., Hangya, B., Tanaguchi, H., Huang, Z. J. & Kepecs A.. Nature (2013) 20;498(7454):363-6