Cortical inhibition

…Altered cortical inhibition is associated with perceptual and learning impairments in psychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia. Despite the importance of GABAergic inhibition for brain function, we lack a mechanistic understanding of the inhibitory network dynamics that support adaptive behaviour from training. To unravel these mechanisms, we developed a progressive 3-stimuli touchscreen orientation discr

There remains significant debate about the role of cortical inhibition for visual selectivity and perception [1,2]. A long-standing view states feedforward excitation dictates neural selectivity for visual features, while cortical inhibition reacts with unselective feedback simply to regulate activity levels. Yet much work shows that cortical inhibition drives distinct computational transformations of visual selectivity in excitatory neurons [3-7]. It has yet to be shown if these effects of inhibition on neural selectivity also drive equivalent transformations of visual perceptual sensitivity.

…a single genetic mutation reduces cortical inhibition and increases the number of neurons

Developmental epileptic encephalopathies are early-onset epilepsies, often refractory to therapy, with developmental delay or regression. These disorders carry poor neurodevelopmental prognosis, with long-term refractory epilepsy and persistent cognitive, behavioral and motor deficits. Mutations in the CACNA1A gene, encoding the pore-forming α1 subunit of CaV2.1 voltage-gated calcium channels, result in a spectrum of neurological disorders, including severe, early-onset epileptic encephalopathies. Recent work from the Rossignol lab helped characterize the phenotypic spectrum of CACNA1A-relate

…this need, we developed the Human Neocortical Neurosolver (HNN: https://hnn.brown/edu ), a new user-friendly neural model

…interneurons tremendously influence cortical information processing, which is reflected by diseases like autism, epilepsy and schizophrenia that involve defects in cortical inhibition. Apart from the regulation of physiological processes like synaptic transmission, proper interneuron function also relies on their correct development. Hence, decrypting regulatory networks that direct proper cortical interneuron development as well as adult functionality is of great interest, as this helps to identify critical events implicated