研究人员将双光子钙成像与空间转录组学结合起来，从功能上和分子上来研究了皮层回路。当小鼠执行触觉工作记忆任务时，研究人员表征了初级体感皮层第2或第3层主要神经元亚类的行为相关反应。研究人员确定了一种兴奋性脑内细胞类型，即Baz1a，它表现出高触觉特征选择性。Baz1a神经元在改变经验的过程中能平衡地维持刺激的反应性，并显示出持续富集的早期基因亚群。
功能和解剖学连接显示，定位在第2层或第3层上部的Baz1a神经元优先支配表达生长抑素的抑制性神经元。这项研究定义了一个回路枢纽，它协调了新皮层浅层的局部感觉处理。
据了解，尽管新皮层的单细胞转录组学已经发现了300多种假定的细胞类型，但这种分子分类是否预示着不同的功能作用还不清楚。
附：英文原文
Title: Dense functional and molecular readout of a circuit hub in sensory cortex
Author: Cameron Condylis, Abed Ghanbari, Nikita Manjrekar, Karina Bistrong, Shenqin Yao, Zizhen Yao, Thuc Nghi Nguyen, Hongkui Zeng, Bosiljka Tasic, Jerry L. Chen
Issue&Volume: 2022-01-07
Abstract: Although single-cell transcriptomics of the neocortex has uncovered more than 300 putative cell types, whether this molecular classification predicts distinct functional roles is unclear. We combined two-photon calcium imaging with spatial transcriptomics to functionally and molecularly investigate cortical circuits. We characterized behavior-related responses across major neuronal subclasses in layers 2 or 3 of the primary somatosensory cortex as mice performed a tactile working memory task. We identified an excitatory intratelencephalic cell type, Baz1a, that exhibits high tactile feature selectivity. Baz1a neurons homeostatically maintain stimulus responsiveness during altered experience and show persistent enrichment of subsets of immediately early genes. Functional and anatomical connectivity reveals that Baz1a neurons residing in upper portions of layers 2 or 3 preferentially innervate somatostatin-expressing inhibitory neurons. This motif defines a circuit hub that orchestrates local sensory processing in superficial layers of the neocortex.
DOI: abl5981
Source: https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.abl5981