bioRxiv · 10.1101/2022.12.13.520271
Anesthesia alters cortical spike sequences in rodent visual cortex
Abstract
Recurring spike sequences are thought to underlie cortical computations and may be essential for information processing in the conscious state. How anesthesia at graded levels may influence spontaneous and stimulus-related spike sequences in visual cortex has not been systematically examined. We recorded extracellular single-unit activity in the rat primary visual cortex in vivo during wakefulness and three levels of anesthesia produced by desflurane. The latencies of spike sequences within 0~200ms from the onset of spontaneous UP states and visual flash-evoked responses were compared. During wakefulness, spike latency patterns linked to the local field potential theta cycle were similar to stimulus-evoked patterns. Under anesthesia, spontaneous UP state sequences differed from flash-evoked sequences due to the recruitment of low-firing excitatory neurons to the UP state. Flash-evoked spike sequences showed higher reliability and longer latency when stimuli were applied during DOWN states compared to UP states. At deeper levels, anesthesia altered both UP state and flash-evoked spike sequences by selectively suppressing inhibitory neuron firing. The results reveal anesthesia-induced complex changes in cortical firing sequences that may influence visual information processing.
Explore related subjects
Keep this discovery
Explore connections, maps & timelines
Tanabe, S., Lee, H., Wang, S., Hudetz, A. G.. 2022-12-15. Anesthesia alters cortical spike sequences in rodent visual cortex. https://doi.org/10.1101/2022.12.13.520271
Cite the original work for its findings. Save a collection to share your selection of sources.