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bioRxiv · 10.1101/2020.05.15.097972

A characterization of the electrophysiological, morphological and input domains of vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) interneurons in the medial entorhinal cortex (MEC)

Badrinarayanan, S.·Manseau, F.·Lim, B. K.·Williams, S.·Brandon, M. P.
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Abstract

Circuit interactions within the medial entorhinal cortex (MEC) translate movement into a coherent code for spatial location. Entorhinal principal cells are subject to strong lateral inhibition, suggesting that a disinhibitory mechanism may drive their activation. Cortical Vasoactive Intestinal Peptide (VIP) expressing inhibitory neurons predominantly contact interneurons, providing a local disinhibitory mechanism. Here, we investigate the electrophysiological and morphological properties of VIP cells using in vitro whole-cell patch clamp recordings and use rabies-mediated circuit tracing to discover long-range inputs that may modulate this population in mice. We report physiological and morphological properties of VIP cells that differ across lamina and along the dorsal-ventral MEC axis. Furthermore, we reveal long-range inputs to VIP neurons from regions known to encode proprioceptive and auditory information, including the mesencephalic trigeminal nucleus and superior para-olivary nuclei, respectively. These results characterize the properties of VIP cells and reveal sensory modalities that could drive disinhibition in the MEC.

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Badrinarayanan, S., Manseau, F., Lim, B. K., Williams, S., Brandon, M. P.. 2020-05-16. A characterization of the electrophysiological, morphological and input domains of vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) interneurons in the medial entorhinal cortex (MEC). https://doi.org/10.1101/2020.05.15.097972

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