Neocortical areas are believed to be organized into vertical modules, the cortical columns,
and the horizontal layers 1–6. In the somatosensory barrel cortex these columns are defined …

The array of whiskers on the snout provides rodents with tactile sensory information relating
to the size, shape and texture of objects in their immediate environment. Rodents can use …

Rapid energy-efficient signaling along vertebrate axons is achieved through intricate
subcellular arrangements of voltage-gated ion channels and myelination. One recently …

In layer 4 (L4) of the rat barrel cortex, a single whisker deflection evokes a stereotyped
sequence of excitation followed by inhibition, hypothesized to result in a narrow temporal …

Homeostatic control of pyramidal neuron firing rate involves a functional balance of
feedforward excitation and feedback inhibition in neocortical circuits. Here, we reveal a …

Neural networks of the rodent barrel cortex are particularly tractable for developing a
quantitative understanding of response transformations in a cortical column. A column in …

Sustained stimulation of sensory organs results in adaptation of the neuronal response
along the sensory pathway. Whether or not cortical adaptation affects equally excitation and …

Neurons in the barrel cortex and the thalamus respond preferentially to stimulation of one
whisker (the principal whisker) and weakly to several adjacent whiskers. Cortical neurons …

Excitatory neurons at the level of cortical layer 4 in the rodent somatosensory barrel field
often display a strong eccentricity in comparison with layer 4 neurons in other cortical …

Action potentials (APs) are generally produced in response to complex summation of
excitatory and inhibitory synaptic inputs. While it is usually considered as a digital event …