Cookies on this website

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you click 'Accept all cookies' we'll assume that you are happy to receive all cookies and you won't see this message again. If you click 'Reject all non-essential cookies' only necessary cookies providing core functionality such as security, network management, and accessibility will be enabled. Click 'Find out more' for information on how to change your cookie settings.

During the development of sensory systems, receptive fields are modified by stimuli in the environment. This is thought to rely on learning algorithms that are sensitive to correlations in spike timing between cells, but the manner in which developing circuits selectively exploit correlations that are related to sensory inputs is unknown. We recorded from neurons in the developing optic tectum of Xenopus laevis and found that repeated presentation of moving visual stimuli induced receptive field changes that reflected the properties of the stimuli and that this form of learning was disrupted when GABAergic transmission was blocked. Consistent with a role for spike timing-dependent mechanisms, GABA blockade altered spike-timing patterns in the tectum and increased correlations between cells that would affect plasticity at intratectal synapses. This is a previously unknown role for GABAergic signals in development and highlights the importance of regulating the statistics of spiking activity for learning.

Original publication

DOI

10.1038/nn.2612

Type

Journal article

Journal

Nat Neurosci

Publication Date

09/2010

Volume

13

Pages

1098 - 1106

Keywords

Action Potentials, Animals, GABA-A Receptor Antagonists, Larva, Motion, Motion Perception, Neural Pathways, Neurons, Patch-Clamp Techniques, Photic Stimulation, Receptors, GABA-A, Signal Processing, Computer-Assisted, Superior Colliculi, Synaptic Transmission, Time Factors, Xenopus laevis, gamma-Aminobutyric Acid