Neuronal networks (C option)

Hippocampal and cortial networks

 Cytoachitecture: cell type, connections, function, etc.

 Circuitry
 Pathology

 Silver staining was the foundation of knowledge we now have about circuitry of CNS
after the work done by Golgi and Ramon y cajal
 The neocortex has six layers while the hippocampus has three layers
 The more evolved the structure, the greater the number of levels
 Types of cells:

o Pyramidal cells
At the neocortex they are in normal orientation end in the hippocampus
orientation is flipped

Hippocampus

 Hippocampus proper receives connections from parahippocampal gyrus

o Pyramidal cells use glutamate, are excitatory and relay info from one focal point
to the next
o Interneurons modulate the info, are inhibitory and control the output of
pyramidal cells
o Layers:

 All cell bodies of pyramidal are clustered in the striated pyramidale

 Stratum radiatum apical dendrites
 Stratum lacunosum-moleculare apical dendrites
 Alveus axons project out

o Tri-Synaptic pathways

 Perforant pathway
 Mossy fibre pathway
 Schaffer collateral
  Input first reaches the dentate gyrus and synapse granule cells. They
then project towards CA3. CA3 then bifurcate into two collaterals
(Schaeffer) and synapse in the timbre and CA1. CA1 bifurcated towards
the timbre and the sibiculum.

*VGAT
label the synaptic vesicles at the axons

o Using electrophysiology in vitro: target individual neutrons with glass electrodes

(whole cell path or sharp intracellular). To recover the morphology is better to
inject tracer whit sharp electrode. To find detail about physiology is better patch
electrode
o Is easiest to target stratum pyramidale because of high density. If you fire one
cell, you can see its immidate synaptic partner. The you can see if any drugs
disrupts this synapses.

o Main features of pyramidal cells:

 Alv axon may bifurcate in collaterals

 S.o axon projects towards alv and may bifurcate in collaterals, also basal
dendrites
 S.p SOMA
 S.r dendrites
 S.l-m dendrites

 Normally have regular spiking and pulse depression (diminish action

potential over time)
 Coupled to other pyramidal and interneurons, many are connected to
othe pyramidal through gap junctions
 Calbidin is a great marker

o Basket cells

 S.o axons
 S.p SOMA
 S.r dendrites
 S.l-m dendrit
 Fast spiking interneurons(high AP frequencies)
 Typically target pyramidal soma, although they can modify other
inhibitory cells
 Use GABA
 o Axo-axonic cells

 Exclusively target pyramidal axonal initial segments and stop generation

of action potential
 Soma mainly in S.P and axons distributed at the edge between S.P and
S.O

o Bistratified cells

 Soma in S.P
 Target basal and apical pyramidal dendrites
 Regular discharge pattern
 Calbindin also good market

o O’Brien’s-lacunosum molecular cells

 Only project into S.l-m directly and exclusively

 Fast spiking
 Contain somatostatin, cholecystokinin
 Soma in S.O

* fast spiking conferred by HCN4 channel

*other population of interneurons at less important

o Reasons for so many interneurons include behaviour and

o Place field are pyramidal cells that fire to give us the 3D spatial awareness.
These cells are recruits when learning new spatial clues and activated depending
on where the subject is fixating
o Oscillation pattern of hippocampus may be governed by activation of specific
interneurons

Neocortex

 Has six layers with different relative thickness. Has been map into 52 cytological
distinctive areas (Brodmann Areas)
 Can be studied with fMRI but it has poor resolution of the distinctive individual focal
points of activation. It does not give any insight of circuitry
 DTI also also has problems of resolution but it gives images of circuitry

o Pyramidal cells use glutamate, are excitatory (80-90% of total population)

o Interneurons modulate the info, are inhibitory and excitatory. Regulate
excitability of pyramidal
o Piramidal dendites have spike. Excitatory inputs are onto spike heads, and
inhibitory will make direct contact with the main trunk of the dendrite

o Glutamatergic interneurons

 Stellate cells are radial and target apical dendrites of pyramidal cells
 o Inhibitory GABAergic cells

 Chandelier cells are similar to axo-axonic cells and also target axon initial
segments of pyramidal cells
 Initial segments are distinctive by, axolema, microtubules, rough
endoplasmic, cytoskeleton
 Locales in layer III
 Basket cells
 Other inhibitory cells classified based on dendritic arbor. Axons again project
along all layers. Neurogliaform for instance posses axons/dendrites like
projections. They don’t respond in the same way as other neurones when
stimulated and may be more related or half differentiate from glia. They are
equally distributed throughout all layers. Double bouquet are distributed in
layers II-IV with axons going deeper, martinoti IV-VI with axons going
superficially.
 Martinotti cells are similar to O-LM

 Neocortical circuitry
o STT and DC-ML both synap in the thalamus but they preferentially target
different regions

 In the thalamus, calbindin cells are distributed through while parvalbumin

are cluster of cells
 Calbindin project to superficial layers and palvalbumin to deeper cortical
regions
 Thus, interneurons in region III and IV are related to modulate tactile
sensation and interneurons in layers I to IIIish modulate pain perception

o Intracortical connections in V1

 Pyramidal cells in deeper areas may relay info to horizontal collaterals, cells
in layer more superficial like II-III relay info from one hemisphere to the
other. And cells in separated layers I, III, V relay info to higher cortical,areas

o Depending on the function of the pyramidal cell, their relative position in the
cortical layers varies

 Synaptic plasticity
o Cause of depolarisation of the cells by activation of AMPA which will effectively
cause NMDA activation
o Other mechanism include a change of morphology of spines by which if the EPSC
increases the dimension of the spine increases
o Accompanying the previous hypothesis, it is suggested that at the Pre-synaptic
element the availability of vesicles will increase. Then the spine will split into
two to cover the whole enlargement of the pre-synaptic element.