Dissecting functional connectivity of neuronal networks

Dissecting functional connectivity of neuronal microcircuits: experimental and theoretical insights

Sarah Feldt, Paolo Bonifazi and Rosa Cossart

Slide 2
Structure–function studies of neuronal networks have recently benefited from considerable progress in different areas of investigation.
However, bridging the gap between the cellular and behavioral levels will require an understanding of the functional organization of the underlying neuronal circuits.

Slide 3
One way to unravel the complexity of neuronal networks is to understand how their connectivity emerges during brain maturation.

Slide 4 - Objectives
The objective of this paper is to describe how graph theory provides experimentalists with novel concepts that can be used to describe developing connectivity schemes

Slide 5 – Main points

Slide 6
Miles and Wong observed that stimulating a single neuron could trigger network synchronization in disinhibited hippocampal slices. A number of recent studies have reported that stimulation of single neurons can affect population activity in vitro as well as in vivo.
So, the next important step is to understand how specific network can empower single neurons to govern network dynamics.

Slide 7 – Figure 1
Figure 1. Figure to illustrate the network effects derived from stimulation of single-cell and which specific circuits it activates, effecting network dynamics. A) Hippocampal pyramidal cell from guinea pig; b)rodent hippocampal GABAergic interneurons; c) Layer V pyramidal cells from the rat motor cortex; d) neuronal level effect (causing burst measured with intracellular and extracellular electrophysiological recordings); e) microcircuit level (it triggered neuronal synchronization); f)behavioral level using in vitro electrophysiology, in vitro imaging and in vivo monitoring of whisker deflections

Slide 8 – Box 1
In general, much work in network science focuses on the structure of the network and how this can give rise to various