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bioRxiv · 10.1101/2022.03.28.486015

Cortical integration of higher-order thalamic inputs is lineage-dependent

Buchan, M. J.·Mahfooz, K.·van Rheede, J. J.·Gothard, G.·Avery, S. V.·Ellender, T. J.·Newey, S. E.·Akerman, C. J.
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Abstract

Primary sensory cortex receives and integrates inputs from first-order and higher-order thalamic nuclei. First-order inputs convey sensory information from the periphery and exhibit simple response properties, whereas higher-order inputs exhibit more complex response properties, provide contextual feedback, and can modulate first-order inputs. Here we show that the way in which cortical neurons integrate these thalamic inputs, reflects the progenitor cell from which the cortical neurons derive. Within layer 4 of mouse primary somatosensory cortex, excitatory neurons that derive from apical intermediate progenitors exhibit multi-whisker response properties and receive higher-order thalamic input, in a manner consistent with their dendritic morphology. These properties depend upon the expression levels of the transcription factor Lhx2, which when increased, abolishes the higher-order properties of apical intermediate progenitor-derived neurons, and disrupts the induction of sensory-evoked plasticity. These data reveal a lineage-dependent mechanism that establishes the integration and functional contribution of higher-order thalamic inputs within cortex.

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Buchan, M. J., Mahfooz, K., van Rheede, J. J., Gothard, G., Avery, S. V., Ellender, T. J., Newey, S. E., Akerman, C. J.. 2022-03-29. Cortical integration of higher-order thalamic inputs is lineage-dependent. https://doi.org/10.1101/2022.03.28.486015

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