Sensory neurons translate the world into action potentials, crucial for effective information transfer to subsequent processing levels. Neurons must adjust their operational range to match stimulus properties for optimal information transmission. This study explores the intrinsic properties of cortical neurons influencing information transfer in the mouse barrel cortex’s L2/3. Excitatory neurons, characterized by high thresholds and strong adaptation, exhibit sparse firing and significant information compression. In contrast, inhibitory neurons, favoring fast spiking, convey more information. Computational modeling reveals that subthreshold adaptation, specifically the ‘h-current,’ and a properly tuned leak conductance enhance a neuron’s information transfer, while threshold adaptation expands its working range. Experimental recordings validate the influence of the IV-curve slope, revealing excitatory neurons as a more heterogeneous population than inhibitory ones. These quantified relationships between intrinsic neural features and coding properties offer insights for computational, theoretical, and systems neuroscientists, facilitating a deeper understanding of how neuronal populations adjust their coding properties, potentially influenced by neuromodulators. The intriguing question of why excitatory neurons exhibit greater intrinsic variability than inhibitory ones warrants further exploration in future research.
The tuning of tuning: how adaptation influences single cell information transfer
Fleur Zeldenrust, Niccolò Calcini, Xuan Yan, Ate Bijlsma, Tansu Celikel