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Authors & Affiliations
Eliška Waloschková, Attila Ozsvar, Wen-Hsien Hou, Konstantin Khodosevich, Martin Hemberg, Jan Gorodkin, Stefan Seemann, Vanessa Hall
Abstract
The entorhinal cortex (EC) is a brain region playing an important role in memory and navigational processes. This is driven by its unique cellular organization as well as its extrinsic connectivity. Specific neuronal cell types have been associated with the specific navigation-related functions of the EC such as grid cells, border cells, speed cells or head-direction cells. These cell types have been characterized based on their firing properties, however, still lack a molecular profile. Similarly, detailed anatomical cell types have been described within the different EC layers, including stellate cells, or varying pyramidal neurons, still, these have not been matched to their functional counterparts. Defining unique molecular profiles for each specific cell phenotype would advance our understanding of this brain structure and allow for deeper insight into the cell circuitry.To do this, in this project, we are using patch-seq, a state-of-the-art method combining whole-cell patch clamp for measuring electrophysiological properties, with single-cell RNA sequencing for assessing the genotypic profile of the same cell. The method also allows for morphological/anatomical tracing resulting in complete profiling of the specific neuronal subtypes within the EC.We have identified several electrophysiological subtypes within the EC using an analysis pipeline including 31 extracted features. This data will further be combined with the results from RNA sequencing and anatomical tracing. Overall, the study will reveal the functional, anatomical, morphological, and molecular architecture of this important brain region and become a valuable resource for further research.