Layer 2/3 (L2/3) pyramidal cells receive excitatory afferent input both from neighbouring pyramidal cells and from cortical and subcortical regions. The efficacy of these excitatory synaptic inputs is modulated by spike timing-dependent plasticity (STDP). Here we report that synaptic connections between L2/3 pyramidal cell pairs are located proximal to the soma, at sites overlapping those of ex...

Fear extinction requires coordinated neural activity within the amygdala and medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC). Any behavior has a transcriptomic signature that is modified by environmental experiences, specific genes are involved in functional plasticity synaptic wiring during fear extinction. Here, we investigated effects of optogenetic manipulations prelimbic (PrL) pyramidal neurons gene expre...

Plasticity in magnesium crystals oriented for c-axis compression has been usually attributed to 〈cþa〉 dislocation slip on second-order pyramidal {112̄2} planes. Through molecular dynamics simulations, we investigated the formation and slip characteristics of 〈cþa〉 dislocations on second-order pyramidal planes. It is shown that the critical c-axis compressive stress for these dislocations is almo...

Axon sprouting and synaptic reorganization in the hippocampus are associated with the development of seizures in temporal lobe epilepsy. Synaptic interactions among CA1 pyramidal cells were examined in fragments of hippocampal slices containing only the CA1 area from saline- and kainate-treated rats. Glutamate microapplication to the pyramidal cell layer increased excitatory postsynaptic curren...

AIM To investigate the effects of phenytoin (DPH) on morphological and structural changes of pyramidal neurons in hippocampal CA3 of rats induced by chronic stress. METHODS Using Nissl staining, Golgi staining, and electron microscope, the morphology and structure of pyramidal neurons in hippocampal CA3 of rats were observed. RESULTS Chronic stress resulted in loss of hippocampal CA3 pyrami...

Spike transmission probability between pyramidal cells and interneurons in the CA1 pyramidal layer was investigated in the behaving rat by the simultaneous recording of neuronal ensembles. Population synchrony was strongest during sharp wave (SPW) bursts. However, the increase was three times larger for pyramidal cells than for interneurons. The contribution of single pyramidal cells to the dis...

The characterization of the structural design of cortical microcircuits is essential for understanding how they contribute to function in both health and disease. Since pyramidal neurons represent the most abundant neuronal type and their dendritic spines constitute the major postsynaptic elements of cortical excitatory synapses, our understanding of the synaptic organization of the neocortex l...

Unraveling pyramidal cell structure is crucial to understanding cortical circuit computations. Although it is well known that pyramidal cell branching structure differs in the various cortical areas, the principles that determine the geometric shapes of these cells are not fully understood. Here we analyzed and modeled with a von Mises distribution the branching angles in 3D reconstructed basal...

Following prolonged stimulation of the perforant path input to the dentate gyrus, long-lasting changes occur in the synaptic responses and cell properties of cells in the fascia dentata. The present study describes the effects of sustained stimulation on the major population of cells innervated by the dentate granule cells: are CA3 pyramidal cells of hippocampus. In 46% of slices from rat, sust...

Central glutamatergic synapses are thought to initially form as immature, so-called silent synapses showing exclusively N-methyl-d-aspartate receptor-mediated synaptic transmission. Postsynaptic insertion of alpha-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid receptors during further development leads to a conversion into functional, mature synapses. Here, we tested the hypothesis that, ac...