“Sensory Input’s Role in the Development of Layer VI of Mouse Barrel Cortex”

Joshua C. Brumberg, Ph.D. Queens College, CUNY, Flushing, NY 11367

The mouse barrel cortex process information from the contralateral whisker pad. Whereas the layer IV barrel receives primarily feedforward input from the thalamus, layer VI originates the majority of the feedback to the thalamus which plays a role in gating what information ultimately reaches the cortex. Using the Golgi-Cox technique we will characterize the morphological diversity of layer VI of mouse barrel cortex during normal and sensory deprived development. The whiskers on one side of the mouse will be trimmed for the first postnatal month. The sensory deprivation that results significantly alters receptive field properties as well as the inhibitory/excitatory balance within the cortex. We aim to correlate the physiological changes with alterations in dendritic architecture. Understanding the neuronal elements that comprise the building blocks of local cortical circuits and how they rearrange during normal and challenged development is an important step towards creating models of how these circuits function.

Joshua C. Brumberg, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Psychology
Queens College, CUNY
65-30 Kissena Boulevard
Flushing, NY 11367

Phone: 718-997-3541
Fax: 718-997-3257

joshua_brumberg@qc.edu