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Publications in Neuroscience by NOMIS researchers

NOMIS Researcher(s)

Published in

February 10, 2025

Sparse, single-cell labeling approaches enable high-resolution, high signal-to-noise recordings from subcellular compartments and intracellular organelles and allow precise manipulations of individual cells and local circuits while minimizing complex changes associated with global network manipulations. However, thus far, only a limited number of approaches have been developed to label single cells with unique combinations of genetically encoded indicators, target deep cortical structures or sustainably use the same chronic preparation for weeks. Here we developed a method to deliver plasmids selectively to single pyramidal neurons in the mouse dorsal hippocampus using two-photon visually guided in vivo single-cell electroporation to address these limitations. This method allows long-term plasmid expression in a controlled number of individual pyramidal neurons, facilitating subcellular resolution imaging, intracellular organelle tracking, monosynaptic input mapping, plasticity induction and targeted whole-cell patch-clamp recordings.

Research field(s)
Molecular Biology, Neuroscience

NOMIS Researcher(s)

Published in

December 18, 2024

A central question in neuroscience is how synaptic plasticity shapes the feature selectivity of neurons in behaving animals1. Hippocampal CA1 pyramidal neurons display one of the most striking forms of feature selectivity by forming spatially and contextually selective receptive fields called place fields, which serve as a model for studying the synaptic basis of learning and memory. Various forms of synaptic plasticity have been proposed as cellular substrates for the emergence of place fields. However, despite decades of work, our understanding of how synaptic plasticity underlies place-field formation and memory encoding remains limited, largely due to a shortage of tools and technical challenges associated with the visualization of synaptic plasticity at the single-neuron resolution in awake behaving animals. To address this, we developed an all-optical approach to monitor the spatiotemporal tuning and synaptic weight changes of dendritic spines before and after the induction of a place field in single CA1 pyramidal neurons during spatial navigation. We identified a temporally asymmetric synaptic plasticity kernel resulting from bidirectional modifications of synaptic weights around the induction of a place field. Our work identified compartment-specific differences in the magnitude and temporal expression of synaptic plasticity between basal dendrites and oblique dendrites. Our results provide experimental evidence linking synaptic plasticity to the rapid emergence of spatial selectivity in hippocampal neurons, a critical prerequisite for episodic memory.

Research field(s)
Neuroscience