regulate development and plasticity Early cortical circuits that

＜日時＞ 平成 24 年 12 月 13 日 ( 木 ) 10：30〜

＜場所＞ 理学部 1 号館１階　106 号室 （BP1）

講演者 : Dr. Patrick Kanold

Associate Professor, Dept. of Biology,

University of Maryland, College Park, USA

７５３−４２３８

（担当 ：田川　義晃）

平野丈夫研究室

　The mammalian brain contains billions of neurons that in primary sensory areas provide an exquisite

representation of the external world. These primary sensory areas contain topographic maps of sensory stimulus

features (i.e. ocular dominance and orientation in visual cortex or tonotopy in auditory cortex). This functional

architecture is not hard-wired, but its development depends on neuronal activity and sensory experience. Our

research focuses on answering the critical questions of how this architecture emerges, how experience

shapes this process, and how neuronal circuits can be rapidly changed to adapt an organism’ s performance to

environmental or behavioral conditions.

　Our developmental work to date has identified subplate neurons as a crucial component of the developing

thalamocortical system. Without these neurons, cortical development does not proceed normally. We thus

investigate how these neurons promote normal development and plasticity of the cerebral cortex.

References:

(1) Subplate neurons promote spindle bursts and thalamocortical patterning in the neonatal rat somatosensory

cortex. J. Neurosci., 32(2): 692-702, 2012

(2) Changing microcircuits in the subplate of the developing cortex. J. Neurosci., 32(5): 1589-601, 2012

(3) The subplate and early cortical circuits. Ann. Rev. Neurosci., 33:23-48, 2010

(4) Dichotomy of functional organization of mouse auditory cortex. Nat. Neurosci., 13(3), 2010

(5) Subplate neurons regulate the maturation of cortical inhibition and the outcome of experience dependent

plasticity. Neuron, 51(5): 627-38, 2006